Origin
During World War II, with most of Britain's able bodied adult males conscripted into the armed forces, the defense of Britain in the event of invasion was entrusted to the Home Guard, men who had been deemed unfit for full service either because of age, infirmity or because they were engaged in a profession deemed vital to the war effort. Given the advancing years of many of these part time soldiers, they were referred to, usually fondly, as Dad's Army. One such unit was the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard, led by Captain George Mainwaring.
Creation
In 1968 writers Jimmy Perry and David Croft penned a sitcom, Dad's Army, based on the fictional escapades of the fictional Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard. It proved a smash hit, running for nine years and eighty episodes, with spin-offs including a radio series, feature film, stage show, novels, toys, board games, and comic strips and annuals.
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