The Longhope Jam Factory Militia

Longhope Jam Factory Defence Union 

The Longhope Jam Factory Defence Union is often called the Jam Factory Militia (JFM) and has grown out of the Trades Union at the factory.  It currently has 26 members and is actively recruiting in the area.  A few of the militia do not work in the factory and this number is growing.  The splendid showing of the JFM during the Battle of Longhope (see below) has led to many young women wanting to join.  The sole male member of the Union is Bert Morris, the factory's delivery driver. He served in the South Wales Borderers in the Great War and has been invaluable in training the unit. 
Of course, the general leaning of the unit is left-wing and stridently anti-fascist and new recruits are politically educated whilst doing basic military training. This has caused some consternation in the ranks of the all male Local Defence Volunteers in the village.
 

Equipment:
The Defence Union has a mixture of rifles, shotguns & a couple of pistols. A certain young 'lady', of generous affections, in the section acquired the unit's Lewis gun by threatening to tell the wife of an army quartermaster in Gloucester about their close friendship. They have a supply of molotovs which they used to devastating effect on the BUF. 

They have recently raised some funds and persuaded the factory owner to give more, so more weapons will be arriving shortly.

Key Personalities:

Beatrice Mills.
Known by some as 'Bolshy Beatty', she is the Union shop steward at the factory. She was involved in the organisation of the Trade Union at the factory before it became the Defence Union. Since then, she has insisted that the women drill regularly and has succeeded in getting equipment by making the section part of the Longhope LDV.  

Beatty has now joined the Independant Labour Party after meeting Charlie Masson from the Warren James Centuria and is slowly becoming more radical in her political views.  She hasn't told anyone but Charlie yet, but she would like the workers to take over the jam factory.  She knows this would be unpopular with many of the villagers.

Unit History:
On 10th July 1938, BUF militia arrived at the Longhope Jam Factory & demanded a large quantity of jam. The factory owner would not hand it over for a promissory note. The BUF got a little aggressive. The employees, led by their Union, went on strike and refused to work if any jam was given or sold to the fascists. The BUF left threatening to come back and take all the jam by force if necessary. This led to 'The Battle of Longhope' on the following day.

Having had some jam stolen by Government forces at the end of the battle, the jam factory manager has seen the necessity of defending the factory in these troubled times. He has promised to buy some weapons and equipment for the unit.