The Home Defense Infantry Regiment, or HDIR, was organized from the state guards during World War II after the National Guard was federalized and called into service. In Washington State about 2,500 civilian men were issued a billy club, gas mask, utility belt, and white civil defense helmet, and tasked with protecting and supporting the state in times of civil unrest and natural disasters.
In this image members of the Home Defense Infantry Regiment parade through downtown Seattle, probably heading north along Fourth Avenue, a common parade route. The billboard in the background reads "Turn in your rubber! To help win the war. Leave at any service station today!"
Caption information source: "Home Defense Infantry Regiment, Seattle, WA, WWII," by Mark Hough
ID Number: 1947.24.16.1
Date: Circa 1941
Physical Description: 1 photographic print : b&w ; 7.25 x 9.25 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Credit: MOHAI, Home Defense Infantry Regiment Records, 1947.24.16.1
