In 1940, the Home Guard was short of weapons. One answer was the Northover Projector, essentially a length of metal pipe, sealed at one end and mounted on a tripod. It cost just under £10 to produce, without the tripod. In October 1940, Churchill ordered it into mass production, one for each platoon.
Other Home Guard weapons were also cheap and simple. The Smith Gun “was intended to be a cheap and easily manufactured anti-tank weapon.” The Blacker Bombard was described as cheap, simple to make and easy to operate.