Home Service (Great Nortend)

His Majesty's Voluntary Home Service
Active	8 June 1936 —
Country	Great Nortend
Role	Civil and military defence

His Majesty's Voluntary Home Service, commonly known as the Home Service, is the voluntary land reserve force of Great Nortend, comprised of the Militia, Yeomanry and Auxiliary for the infantry, cavalry and service respectively. It is tasked mainly with the defence of the Erbonian Isles from enemy attack, insurrection, natural disasters and civil emergencies. The Naval Reserves are a separate but closely linked force.

Home servicemen are obliged as a minimum to attend at least twenty-four drill nights and up to a fortnight of field exercises annually, although most units have weekly drill nights.

Organisation

The Home Service is organised at a local platoon level, being tasked primarily with local defence. Most towns and villages have one to three platoons, depending on size. Several platoons in a particular region are grouped together as a company, and often undertake exercises together. Two or three companies form a battalion, which is attached to the local county regiment.

Nevertheless, Home Service battalions are not under the chain of command of the regimental hierarchy, except for some ceremonial matters of regimental distinctions, dress, customs and traditions. Home Service battalions all answer to their county Lieutenant. In practice, Lieutenants act on the advice of the King's officers and delegate their responsibilities to regional County Head-Quarters (CHQ) and thence to General Head-Quarters (GHQ) of the regular forces.

Home Service ranks are equal to their equivalent Royal Army ranks.

History

The Home Service first came under a unified command when the Defence of the Realm Act 34 Edm. IX was assented to. The Act combined the former locally raised militias, yeomanries and volunteer corps into the Home Service, which was placed under the command of the War Office. Later acts integrated the Home Service with the regular Royal Army by formalising affiliation between regular Royal Army regiments and Home Service battalions.

21st century

The Home Service shifted its focus after the 2007 Whenton Report back to its original principles of local military and civil defence. They have on-going responsibility for the defence of important infrastructure, as well as response in emergency scenarios such as severe flooding, storms, riot or nuclear attack. Home servicemen cannot be deployed abroad, owing to their nature as defence rather than offence, and are thus nicknamed the “Marching Boys”. Despite this, they are a fully trained force and well-respected in their communities.

In the 21st century, Home Service companies have been mobilised mainly in response to fire, flooding, storms and snow. In rural areas without standing fire brigades, and in addition to them where they exist, Home Service platoons also take often on the role of fire response and rescue.

Personnel

Home Service units have a wide mix of ages and generations, from young men fresh out of muster service to retired ex-soldiers. After compulsory muster and service, there is the option of continuing in the Home Service. This is somewhat common amongst the middling classes and most home servicemen continue on to have civilian jobs along the lines of a yeoman farmer, shopkeeper, tradesman, teacher, clerk, salesman or manager. Those who do not join immediately after muster and service may join up later on, and many retired ex-soldiers also volunteer as home servicemen. Those exempt from muster and service, such as manual labourers, also often join up in lieu thereof, although manual labourers specifically do not usually remain in the Home Service for very many years owing to the nature of their work.

Women may also join the Auxiliary service as officers, similar to the regular Army. They primarily are drawn from the middling class nursing, clerical, teaching or secretarial professions, and may service in non-combatant roles.

Home servicemen normally wear duty dress or field dress. Uniforms have shoulder patches with the words, “Home Service”. Field dress uniforms additionally have platoon, company and battalion patches whilst duty dress uniforms have arm-bands with the same information.

Home servicemen are paid according to rank and branch, starting at £1/11/- per full day, and up to 10 shillings per drill night for a private.

Requirements

A person is required to fulfil the following criteria to be eligible to join the Home Service.

• Full Erbonian subjectship.
• Between 17 and 50.
• Of sound and sobre character.
• Physically able.
• Military disposition.
• Of the Church of Nortend.

There is no maximum age limit for service; however, a home serviceman will be forced to retire or leave if he fails to maintain sufficient physical ability to service in the Home Service. A home serviceman must also fulfil his obligations to the Home Service.