Dad’s Army

Name: Dad’s Army
Price: 49.99 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9780241772324

The Glorious True Story of the Home Guard

Sinclair McKay

$49.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

Viking
11 August 2026

History; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; History: specific events & topics; Second World War; Irregular or guerrilla forces & warfare

The remarkable story of the Real 'Dad's Army', from the bestselling historian

With the threat of invasion from Hitler's forces looming large in 1940, men of all ages and backgrounds assembled under the banner of the Home Guard. A voluntary force much later nicknamed 'Dad's Army', at its height there were almost two million volunteers prepared to defend every corner of the kingdom, including notable figures like George Orwell, A.A. Milne, and C.S. Lewis. Many women took part too, including in the Women's Home Defence Force which formed in 1941.

Far from the stereotype of charming incompetence, the Home Guard were in fact entirely serious in their approach. Many volunteers had fought in World War One, and radical veterans from the Spanish Civil War taught these men and boys new techniques in lethal guerilla fighting. Chocolate-box village greens were re-imagined as bloody battlefields, with duties including rifle and mortar training, night-time patrols and manning anti-aircraft guns - all on top of volunteers' everyday jobs. Yet all of this was underpinned by an essential good humour, with moments of levity and comradery vital in keeping up a much-needed spirit of defiance.

Sunday Times bestselling author Sinclair McKay tells the remarkable story of these courageous, highly-trained and often pioneering men and women through original archival research, vivid storytelling and insights into the beloved television comedy which has shaped the national memory of the Home Guard. With its vibrant personalities and high nostalgia factor, 'Dad's Army' tells this extraordinary story in full colour.

By: Sinclair McKay
Imprint: Viking
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 224mm, Width: 147mm, Spine: 41mm
Weight: 570g
ISBN: 9780241772324
ISBN 10: 024177232X
Pages: 432
Publication Date: 11 August 2026
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Sinclair McKay is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Meeting Churchill, Berlin, Dresden, The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, The Secret Listeners, Bletchley Park Brainteasers and Secret Service Brainteasers. He is a literary critic for the Telegraph and the Spectator and lives in London.

Reviews for Dad’s Army: The Glorious True Story of the Home Guard

'Full of fresh insights and fascinating detail, this new account of those who fought on the home front is a brilliant and touching read' -- Julia Boyd, author of A Village in the Third Reich 'A rich and surprising history of Britain's most misunderstood wartime force' -- Keith Lowe, author of Naples 1944 'Impeccably researched and deliciously entertaining, Dad's Army shines a bright searchlight on to an organization dismissed for far too long as humorously incompetent' -- Giles Milton, author of the The Stalin Affair