Rarely, if ever, has there been such a national rallying to the cause as that which marked the formation of the country’s Local Defence Corps.
As the war clouds gathered over Europe in 1940, the government decided that our national protection required a volunteer citizen force to guard against hostile invasion. (In keeping with our spirit of neutrality, the ensuing five years of warfare in Europe would be termed ‘The Emergency’ in Ireland.)
The announcement, in May 1940, of the setting up of the Local Security Force evoked a huge response. The men of Ireland flocked to the new volunteer organisation, which would be under the direction of the Garda Síochána, and would, in effect, be the eyes and ears of the Garda force. Its main remit was the provision to the Gardaí of any information concerning aliens or strangers visiting a locality and of suspicious happenings in an area, including coastal observation and the monitoring of boats and craft entering or leaving ports. It would also provide assistance in aerial observation schemes.
In late 1940, it was decided to........

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