Malcolm Atkin

Former professional archaeologist. Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Historical Society. Author of a number of books on local aspects of the English Civil War in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.  After taking early retirement in 2008 due to the progression of MS, he explored research interests focussed around the British Home Guard of WW1 and WW2, together with the plans for creating of a British resistance movement against the Nazis. A common theme is the ease with which modern interpretation can be distorted by reliance on oral history and unchallenged ‘received wisdom’.  ‘Fighting Nazi Occupation: British Resistance 1939 - 1945' (2015) contained a ground-breaking re-assessment of the Auxiliary Units and the first detailed account of the SIS resistance organisation (Section VII). This was significantly updated as ‘Britain’s Guerrilla Army: plans for a secret war 1939-45’ in 2024. Research  expanded Into  a study of the pioneering Section D of SIS. The first comprehensive history of Section D operations across Europe, from 1938 to 1940, was published in 2017 as 'Section D for Destruction: forerunner of SOE'. An updated edition was published in October 2023.  ‘To The Last Man: the Home Guard in War and Popular Culture’ (2019) explored changing perceptions of the military role of the Home Guard and its place in popular culture.  A detailed analysis of the .22 rifle in Home Guard and Auxiliary Units service, dispelling long-standing myths around the subject, was published in 2025 as ‘Cinderella Rifles’. The exploration of  early WW2 British Intelligence was completed by a study of the military equivalent of Section D -  Military Intelligence (Research). This was published in 2021 as ‘Pioneers of Irregular Warfare’.