Sir – Malcolm Graham’s otherwise excellent article about the Home Guard and the Battle of Oxford in last week’s Oxfordshire Limited Edition magazine tailed off without mentioning the important role the Home Guard played just before it was run down and disbanded.

After the invasion of Normandy, the main fighting forces were deployed across the Channel. Left behind was the enormous logistics and support effort — those who were children at the time can tell you how the roads were lined with enormous quantities of unguarded ammunition whilst vehicles and aircraft were parked in woods.

Had the Germans attacked this they could seriously have disrupted the support to the invasion, and no army can last for long with its supply lines cut.

Whether they might have tried disruption by air attack or landing parachutists, the Home Guard was the force that was tasked with dealing with the results.

That they never had to do so is something that they were surely glad of, but the point is that at the crucial moment they had a real job to do.

A Home Guard uniform of excellent quality is currently on show at the Oxfordshire Museum in the “Object of the Month” case — the boots have fearsome hobnails!

Hugh Babington Smith, Project manager, Soldiers of Oxfordshire Trust