Midsomer Norton South Station will be experiencing wartime Home Guard checks and guarding duties for civilians during the weekend of June 18th and 19th, with a
Home Guard re-enactment, courtesy of the Wiltshire living History Group and a sculpture exhibition for Midsomer Arts Week.
The Readhead family, children of Lieutenant ‘Bill’ Readhead of the Midsomer Norton Home Guard and teacher at Norton Hill School, have spearheaded original research into the war time records of the Home Guard. His children, Alan, Frank and Margaret, will be at the station to unveil a plaque with the names of the Home Guarders of the war years. They know they have gaps in the names, and would be grateful for any help from local people to identify everyone who was a member.
Alan Readhead said: “If you have any information about the Midsomer Norton Home Guard, please come along to the June 18th and 19th weekend at the S&D Railway Heritage station. Frank and I will be there to talk to you. In any case, it will be a great weekend to visit the station. They will have trains running on both the Saturday and Sunday, with wartime music from the local Berkeley Bluebirds and the Wiltshire Home Guard re-enactors will complete the scene.
“The Station Museum is well worth a visit, especially the Pill Box, which would have been used by the Home Guard and has a special exhibition inside.”