Well it was called the "Guard" and it was statewide. But isn't the National
Guard a statewide service? ,. All I know is that guys went into the "Guard" and
never went to war and everyone hated them for it..Please explain further.

He's referring to the State Guard, which replaced the National Guard
when it was--well, nationalized.

Primarily the State Guard did ceremonial stuff. Massachusetts had one
(not every state did) and I remember these "old guys" from WWI popping
their buttons at a Memorial Day parade in Concord MA. They would of
course also have provided some of the traditional services of law
enforcement that in peacetime go to the National Guard.

Anyone who went into the State Guard of WWII (well, I suppose there
were some officers--there always seem to be!) would have been
disqualified from active duty because of age or physical condition. So
"everyone hated them for it" is either a mis-remembering or a
misunderstanding. It was the equivalent of the Home Guard in Britain.

There was an armory at St Aidan's School in Brookline MA that was
outfitted with rolling-block Springfield rifles from the Civil War. I
don't *think* it dated from WWII--more likely WWI--but anything is
possible. One of those 45/70s found its way from St Aidan's collection
into mine. I used it for deer-hunting and plinking rats.


all the best -- Dan Ford
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