THE Dad’s Army TV series made much of the rivalry between the ARP (Air Raid Precautions) service and the Home Guard during the Second World War.

The excitably obnoxious ARP warden Hodges was nearly always bested by Captain Mainwaring’s men.

However, the truth is that the two organisations usually worked quite closely together, and often shared the same men.

Wilf Boyle, who worked in a reserved occupation at the Whessoe Foundry in the Hopetown area of Darlington, was a member of both organisations and following our recent articles, his son, Derek, has kindly sent in some of his papers.

Perhaps the most interesting is the menu from the Farewell Dinner of Nos 3 and 4 Platoons of the 20th Durham (Darlington) Battalion of the Home Guard. It was held on December 7, 1944 – with Allied soldiers driving across France and Germany following the D-Day landings, the Home Guard was stood down on December 3.

There was a singer, Robert H Gibson, a novelty drummer, Fred E Bell, and a comedian, Norman Laughlin – “a chance of a laugh-time” was his slogan.

The menu is signed by all present, many of whom are also on Mr Boyle’s photograph (Wilf, who died in 2002, is fifth from the left of the second row from the back).

Their farewell dinner included wartime staples such as Jugged Hare and Rabbit Pie.

There was a taste of the exotic with a “Grape Fruit” starter, and also on the menu was Imperial Potage, and, for dessert, Cabinet Pudding.

A potage is a thick soup – but what ingredients made it imperial?

And does anyone have a recipe for Cabinet Pudding.

We’d love to know.

DAVID CHAPMAN in Merrybent has kindly loaned us a Darlington ARP handbell. It is a splendidly shiny item, with “ARP” engraved on its rim, “JB 39” on its shoulder and “Fiddian” on its handle band.

James Barwell Ltd of Birmingham made thousands of handbells for the ARP service in 1939 – hence the “JB 39”. Barwell had bought the business in 1840 from Samuel Fiddian – hence the name on the handle band.

The handbell would have been used to sound the all clear. The Air Raid Precaution Handbook says: “The cancellation of the local gas warning will be by hand bells, rung through the streets… Hand bells may also be used to repeat the Raiders Passed signal but only if gas is not about. Hand bells will in fact be an ‘All Clear’ signal, which is different from the Raiders Passed signal, since the latter will be sounded on receipt of the message from the national centre, whether or not there is gas in the locality.”