The 80th anniversary of the start of WW2 is soon to be commemorated, and there have been several enquiries as to whether a second booklet is planned, a follow up to last year’s “Marlow In The First World War”.

Regrettably not enough pictures exist to justify another booklet but I will feature a few of those available in the Marlow Free Press over the next few months.

We’ll start today, and above top left is the Marlow Home Guard platoon, our local “Dad’s Army”. For many years the location of this picture baffled me, but it is the impressive doorway of The Old Bridge House at the bottom of St. Peter Street, the home of the Commanding Officer. Top right is a Marlow Red Cross group.

The Auxiliary Fire Service were based at the Fire Station in Cambridge Road and were prepared to make emergency visits in case of bombs dropping on the town.

Centre left a car has been converted for this very purpose. Centre right, the A.T.S., the Auxiliary Territorial Service, are pictured marching up the High Street, in front of Milwards Shoe Shop, Arthur Davis’ Dairy and Norman Greville photographers. Sergeant Major Beresford and Sergeant Jimmy Butler lead the parade whilst Captain Mowbray observes his troop from the pavement.

They were based in a wooden building in Institute Road, now replaced by a Dental Surgery.

Bottom left are two very similar Civil Defence line ups in front of a heavily sandbagged Court Garden House.

These pictures were obviously taken at the same time, and include Reg Speller, landlord of the Three Tuns pub in West Street, Hetty Dumper from Lloyds Bank who later became Doctor Henry’s secretary, and, sporting the neat moustache in the front row, Harry Hawkes a harness maker who had a distinguished service record in the First War.

I once wrongly assumed these were Home Guard groups as Harry was a leading member of both local units.

Finally the Marlow Branch of the Observer Corps who monitored the skies night and day from a brick and tin tower building on Foxes Piece allotments.

I have almost all names for this one: Back row: J.Hanson (Jim was an Estate Agent); W.Compton; W.Mitchell; L.Smith; A. Chalmers; R.Batting (Reg was a Director of Batting’s Ironmongers in West Street); F.Harman; unknown. Middle row: W.Hobbs (schoolteacher); D.Hadlow; E.Epton; H.Palmer; T.Tweedy; F.Todd; T.Dunham (Tommy, from Lloyds Bank, was a major figure in local entertainment); A. Wellicome (Angus was owner of the High Street garage).

Front row: J.Denton (Jimmy, also a schoolteacher); R.Robinson; W.Waterhouse-Jones (Commander); H.Clanchy (another Estate Agent); H.Habgood (“Habbie” was Lloyds Bank Manager, and a stalwart of both the Rowing Club and the Operatic Society).

Contact Michael on michael@jazzfans.co or 01628 486571