These products of the early Local Information Committees were a Regional attempt to carry out Mr. Harold Nicholson's “Mr. Sensible” idea. As one of the functions of Information Committees was to assist the Government in the maintenance of a healthy home front, it was felt that a good way of doing this was to select certain men and women members “noted for their robust commonsense and for the fact that they held positions of trust and responsibility” and ask them to set a personal example by preserving a cheerful outlook in the face of difficulties, to counteract rumour and gossip likely to undermine public confidence or to assist the enemy, and to disseminate information supplied to them by the Ministry of Information.
The Southampton Home Front League (or Home Security League, as it was called at first) was formed in June 1940. Nine others followed in quick succession, viz. Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Poole, New Forest, Winchester, Gosport, East Hants, Andover and Guildford. The number of members varied according to the size of the town. Portsmouth, for instance, had from 300 to 400 Home Front Leaguers, whereas Andover contented itself with between 50 and 60.
Copies of the Bulletin issued by the Regional Office were sent to each Home Front League, together with other literature providing background information of the war, and regular monthly meetings were held at which the Chairman of the mother Information Committee presided. As the Press was excluded from the meetings, matters of a confidential nature could be freely discussed. Sometimes, however, the meetings were thrown open to the public and attracted good audiences and good speakers. Mr. Amery was the speaker at a Portsmouth Home Front League on one occasion.
In October 1940, however, the Conservative & Unionist Central Office took exception to the Home Front League on the grounds that it was not one of the Ministry functions to establish such an organisation.
As a result, the Ministry began to have doubts as to the wisdom of extending the movement further, in spite of the fact that the recrudescence of a subversive element in the Region made it urgently necessary to strengthen the Home Front and that the Leagues had the enthusiastic support of the Regional Commissioner, among other people.
In the following April the Regional office was urged by London to discourage projects for new Home Front Leagues; only if local desire was too strong to ignore without detrimental results was one to be formed. This ultimatum proved the death blow to a once vigorous and useful organisation already enervated by the Ministry's “mark time” policy.
