264591 2nd Lt. Thomas Denis Hastie Home Guard D Coy. 6th Btn, Middlesex Home Guard from:Ealing Although my Father's name was Thomas Denis Hastie he was always known as Denis, as his Father was also called Thomas.
He did his commission with the Guards (I believe at Chelsea Barracks but I'm not 100% sure).
He had some good stories.
Every week they had to do blanket shaking drill. Which consisted of gathering their bedding and assembling on the parade ground. On commands they would shake their bedding then fold them. One day it was pouring with rain and they thought that they would have a day off from doing it. No such luck. They had to stand on the parade ground, in the pouring rain, shaking perfectly dry bedding!
On another occasion, they were doing tap drill. Dad said it was deadly silent and all you could hear was the tap of the RSM's pace stick. Then the sound of someone practising their bugle came from the barracks. The Guards officers gathered and then set off in all directions. All of a sudden the bugle hit a very high note. They had found him!
I do have a picture of my father at a dinner in the Officer's mess at a dinner on 20th of October 1944. The wall is bedecked with flags. I have never been able to find out what the occasion was. Any help on this would be appreciated.
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