Home Guard: Crofton collection

Trace - Lymington HG Para-Patrols
Author: Gareth Owen

A large collection of military orders, letters, defence plans and hand drawn maps relating to the New Forest’s Home Guard, lovingly created and kept in a huge elegant scrap book and ledgers by Major Crofton’s father, Sir Morgan Crofton. Major Crofton, Sir Morgan’s son, has kept this collection as part of their family archive.

Sir Morgan Crofton was 2nd Commander of the 9th Forest Battalion. Later a branch was formed in Christchurch which covered the south west area of the Forest, the 28th Christchurch Bay Battalion, Sir Morgan Crofton was Commander of this Battalion. The documents relate to the Home Guard and includes detailed maps drawn by Sir Morgan and original documents.

Brockenhurst Platoon Defence Scheme.

One of the many hand drawn maps by Sir Morgan, shows the Brockenhurst Platoon Defence Scheme dated 1943. This map shows the positions of HQ’s (company and platoon level headquarters), tank traps and other military buildings or posts. Is it a unique collection of documentation that probably should have been destroyed once it was read. We are very thankful to Major Crofton for allowing us to view and show his father’s collection.

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All material is © NFNPA. Crofton

Follow the links below to see the other items in the Crofton collection.

A number of photographs have been offered by St Barbe Museum showing the Home Guard and these have been link to this article.

Local historian John Pidgeon has also made some Home Guard papers available

Date: 1942
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