London, May 26.
The publicity which has been given to the enrolment of local defence volunteers—the numbers of which are already approaching 400,000—appears to have confused many people in England, and possibly some abroad as to the role of this force in meeting the parachutist menace.
An assumption seems to have arisen in some cases that the task of repelling an invasion from the air is to be laid entirely upon the shoulders of local defence volunteers.
It was pointed out yesterday in well-informed quarters in London that this duty rests primarily on the regular home force, of which many thousands are disposed around the country.
The new force of volunteers will be merely ancillary to the regular forces. Arrangements have purposely been made for the volunteer force to be kept as elastic as possible, so as to suit the convenience volunteers themselves, who are at work in the daytime and live at home, and to enlist as many as possible in this spontaneous group organization, which is a leading feature of local life in Britain.
In certain districts firms are organizing their own units. In many country villages, the inhabitants have spontaneously turned for leadership to some prominent resident or retired military officer. Other districts are forming units composed of gamekeepers and beaters.
All these units will be fitted into the general scheme, under the direction of various area commanders, assisted by volunteer area organizers.—British Official Wireless.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.