General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

This video is amazing. It’s clearly a war effort fundraising event with the large display outside Abram UDC council office. Many, if not all the military men there, carrying rifles are home guard and not regular army who would have been overseas. The Home Guard shoulder flash is quite visible. I just looked again at the 1939 register (census) where Abram was very working class - full of men employed in local collierys in a reserved occupation that was so dangerous and never recognised. I reckon this is why the Home Guard contingent here look unusually young here. The serge uniforms indicate this wasn’t early WW2 as the LDV/Home guard never had uniform at first. No-one here wears the 1939-1943/5 (medal) Star that was awarded in 1943. All other stars were awarded in 1946 where the Home guard also received the Defence Medal. Some older folk show the typically 2 or 3 great war medals of WW1. So I date this video between 1940 and 1943. Most the marchers are not military at all despite most displaying an ‘Eyes right’ salute. One chap turns his head full around telling his group to do ‘eyes front’. Marchers include the Police, fire service, Air Raid Precaution folk with metal hats. There are ladies behind. I best guess by their dress they are Womens’ Land Army and not ATS, Auxiliary Transport Service. There is a rather old RAF Flying Officer with one stripe, the lowest RAF officer rank accompanying one official. I suspect he is from the Air Cadets or ADCC (Air Defence Cadet Corps) as it was named at the time.