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Pic: GSpencerEstate/LissLlewellyn

'Officer, reading description of escaped prisoner to Patrol'

Never-before-seen paintings depicting the humourous side of the Home Guard that were censored for being too offensive have come to light nearly 80 years later.

The light-hearted works were produced by the artist Gilbert Spencer more than 25 years before Dad's Army appeared on TV to huge acclaim.

But Spencer's witty take on life in the Home Guard wasn't quite so well received during the darkest days of the Second World War.

Spencer was too old to enlist in the army and so joined the Home Guard. In wanting to do his bit he produced 14 paintings based on his amusing observations of the citizen militia that were aimed at cheering up the nation.