Dad's Army - An Appreciation

Welcome to my website, an online tribute to the world's greatest comedy series, Dad's Army. Back in March 1995, I set up the Dad's Army Appreciation Society New Zealand Branch. This society branch was an offshoot of the international fan club for the BBC comedy series Dad's Army , about the exploits of the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard defending Britain 's shores in World War Two.

I ran the New Zealand Branch for almost ten years with rather a lot of success, however life moved on and I was forced to give up the DAAS NZ Branch. It is no more.

However my love of the TV show remains, and so I have decided that I'd like to create an online tribute to the show, its actors and its creators, many of whom were extremely kind to me whilst I ran the society.

So, on this site you will find information about the show, several exclusive items that used to be on our old website, and I plan to add many of the old articles and bits and pieces that I have previously published in the now defunct DAAS NZ Branch quarterly magazine, 'Platoon Attention!" That way people will still be able to discover these old stories and use them as a resource to help with their own research or to enhance their passion for the show.

If you want to know anything more about the society or the Dad's Army TV series, Radio Series, Stage Show or Film, feel free to ask me by emailing me

Cheers,

Don't Panic!!

Dave Homewood
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Dad's Army
A Little About The Series and the Kiwi Connections

Dad's Army first screened on British television on the 31st of July 1968 , and on the 25th of March 1970 it first hit New Zealand television screens when it began to air on the NZBC network. New Zealand 's close ties to Britain and our understanding of the wartime situation (NZ had its own Home Guard) meant that like in Britain , Dad's Army would instantly become a huge hit with Kiwi audiences too.

There are many websites that explain what Dad's Army was about, so I won't go into great depth because chances are if you've surfed to my website you'll already know the series anyway. Suffice to say this fine comedy revolves around the exploits of a platoon of Home Guard members from the seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea, Kent, from 1940 till about 1943, as they attempt to defend their island from Hitler's threatened invasion force.

The story and setting are superb, and most of the characters and events are loosely based upon truth. But it is also accurate to say that this series is one of the best written comedies of all time. It includes all the forms of comedy melted into one rich tapestry that so faithfully reflects real life, there are few people who cannot get a good laugh from it. Thus it remains timeless.

Furthermore the ensemble cast, with the core of seven Home Guards ably assisted and supported by the rest of the platoon, and those who seek to bring their world down - be it the ARP Warden, the clergy, Mrs Pike or Hitler, work so well together there has never been such a cast seen before or since that was this perfect.

In Britain , New Zealand and many other countries the series is today considered by many as the finest example of British television comedy ever produced.

NEW - Read Dave Homewood's Home Guard book Here!!

 

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