Mainwaring was born in 1885 to Edmund Mainwaring and is a pompous, blustering figure with an overdeveloped sense of his importance, fuelled by his social status in Walmington-on-Sea as the bank manager and his status as captain and commander of the local Home Guard volunteer unit. He became commander of his home guard unit by saying that he had served as a captain in the last British conflict, despite serving "somewhere in the
Orkneys" during the Great War and only being deployed to France in 1919, the year after the armistice was signed. He was later officially designated as the captain by the GHQ, in the episode "
Room at the Bottom", after his brief reduction in rank. Despite his claim to be the son of a master tailor, it is revealed that his father was a poor
draper and a heavy drinker, as is his profligate brother, Barry, who is a travelling salesman specialising in novelty toys. However, Mainwaring does have many redeeming qualities: he is essentially brave, loyal and industrious, generally kind-hearted beneath the bluster, and unfailingly patriotic. Mainwaring believes in following rules and orders, sometimes to a ludicrous degree, and is
class-conscious and a
snob. Being educated at the local grammar school, as a scholarship student, he considers himself
middle class and looks down on anyone he considers beneath him, which may be because he struggled to rise above his
working class background. He claims to be the son of a successful tailor in
Eastbourne, but
Lance Corporal Jones reveals that Mainwaring's father was actually a poor draper who sold badly made workmen's trousers, and Barry Mainwaring confirms this. "If I had a title I'd be on the board of directors at the bank!" he shouts at
Sergeant Wilson when the latter gains a title in the episode "
The Honourable Man". Despite his arrogance being encouraged by his status as the bank manager (having started as a clerk and working his way up to assistant chief clerk, chief clerk and eventually manager), Mainwaring reveals in the same episode that he considers it a mere "tinpot branch" and his career is at a seemingly permanent standstill, as revealed in "
A. Wilson (Manager)?": whenever he applies for promotions, he is always turned down due to his unimpressive background. Mainwaring's pomposity and snobbery work against him, as he is frequently dependent on those in the Home Guard that he considers beneath him, such as Sergeant Wilson, his chief clerk at the bank with whom he shares an antagonistic friendship, and
Private Walker, a
black marketeer who interrupts Mainwaring's lectures with a quip or a sly revelation that Mainwaring is benefitting from underhand deals, despite his vocal disapproval of Walker's dubious business practices. Mainwaring is particularly envious of Wilson, who is more relaxed and charming and possesses combat experience that Mainwaring does not, and takes every opportunity to remind his sergeant who is the senior. He volunteered to enlist in 1914 but was rejected with poor eyesight (during the Second World War,
John Le Mesurier, who played Wilson, had been a captain while
Arthur Lowe was a Sergeant Major. Lowe tried to enlist in the
Merchant Navy prior to the Second World War but was also rejected with poor eyesight). Despite his shortcomings as a leader, Mainwaring considers himself an excellent military tactician. His height and background are frequently mocked as indicating a
Napoleon Complex and his nemesis, ARP
Warden Hodges, often refers to him as "Napoleon". In one episode, "
A Soldier's Farewell", Mainwaring dreams he is
Napoleon Bonaparte and is thwarted at the
Battle of Waterloo by a
Duke of Wellington resembling Wilson. His pomposity and conviction of his prowess mean that Mainwaring yearns to be in control of any situation and he behaves in an arrogant manner; for instance in the first episode he organised the Home Guard unit and appointed himself commanding officer despite his lack of experience and qualifications (and had to wait until the episode "
Room at the Bottom" before he received his commission). Mainwaring's
patriotism can lead to
xenophobia (he is not keen on the
French, because they are "emotional" and "smell of garlic"; the
Russians, because of their
former alliance with Germany and their
communism; the
Americans, because of their
late entry into the war and the fact that many of them
have German names; the
Italians, because of their
opera and being the enemy; and the
Germans, for obvious reasons). Mainwaring often refers to
Hitler and the Germans as if he is leading his own personal war, insisting that "In fact I do wish he'd have a go – I'm spoiling for a fight" in "
Asleep in the Deep", regarding his desire in an air raid to get out of a bunker and face the attacking Germans (who are in planes and beyond his reach). Mainwaring's position as captain of the Home Guard is a great source of pride and he dislikes being reminded that he is merely a volunteer, part-time soldier. In particular, in the episode "
My British Buddy", he is offended when Wilson tells an American colonel that the Home Guard are not "real soldiers". Mainwaring's patriotism and eagerness to see combat tend to make him overconfident, and "I don't want to hear any of that sort of talk, Wilson" is a common response when Wilson points out problems. Mainwaring sees all regular British servicemen ("Our Boys") as exceptionally brave and resourceful, while seeing the Germans as inept and cowardly. Mainwaring's character flaws, however, are presented in a comical rather than a spiteful manner and there is often a sympathetic subtext to his own personal neuroses; it is apparent several times that he devotes his energies to his Home Guard unit for a sense of comradeship and purpose lacking in other parts of his life, such as his career and marriage. On one occasion when his men spurned a
parade to play darts against the
ARP he expressed bewilderment, saying coming to the platoon is "the highlight of my day". In addition he is prepared to "march in the ranks as Private Mainwaring" when he is briefly decommissioned as he had never actually been made an officer, implying that he was merely overzealous rather than a control freak. He hates
conscientious objectors; he sees them as abnormal as they do not want to fight for their country, as shown when he discovers
Private Godfrey was a "conchie". However, when he learns Godfrey served at the
Battle of the Somme and risked his own life (and received injuries) crawling into No Man's Land to save several men, earning him the
Military Medal, he changes his opinion of Godfrey. Mainwaring says he cannot understand why Godfrey does not wear the medal. Mainwaring is also capable of acting decisively and independently, although not always with the best of results. In "
A Man of Action", Walmington is cut off when a bomb damages the railway and waterworks. Mainwaring imposes
martial law and takes power from the mayor. Under his law people need permits to take a bath and looters will be shot. He changes position when this power is taken from him by an official from GHQ, describing such an act and the imposition of martial law as "monstrous". Mainwaring often claims to know something, only to be proven wrong almost immediately. The men under him, however, are mostly devoted to him. At heart, he is a kind-hearted man with a deep-rooted sense of duty. Mainwaring has nearly had two affairs. One is in "
Mum's Army" with a woman called Fiona Gray who joins the Home Guard when they recruit female soldiers. The pair start meeting in cafes all over the town. Gossip starts about them and Mrs Gray leaves by train. Another is with a bus conductress in "A Soldier's Farewell" whom Mainwaring compliments and defends when she is being flirted at. At the end of the episode, when Mainwaring dreams he is Napoleon, he dreams that the bus conductress is
Marie Walewska (Napoleon's mistress). In "
War Dance", Mainwaring claims to have been very vexed at Mrs Mainwaring and gave her a "good dressing down" when she burnt some sausage rolls. He turns and it is revealed he has a
black eye. Mainwaring claims he did it on the wardrobe door, but it was obviously done in a domestic dispute. Walker later jokes, asking if Mrs Mainwaring has a rolling pin. ''Dad's Army'' ends with the
Second World War still in progress. Mainwaring gives
Mrs Fox away when she marries Corporal Jones because her own father is dead. As shown at the start of the first episode, set in 1968, Mainwaring, who was born in 1885, would have been 82 years old then, and 60 at the end of the Second World War. In a radio sequel to ''
Dad's Army, It Sticks Out Half a Mile, which is set in 1948 (three years after the Second World War ended), it is revealed that Mainwaring spent two years manufacturing cuckoo clocks in Switzerland. However, the first episode of Dad's Army'' shines light on Mainwaring's future: briefly set in the present day 1968, it features Mainwaring as guest of honour at the launch of Walmington's "
I'm Backing Britain" campaign, where he is referred to by Wilson as a
magistrate,
alderman and chairman of the
Rotary Clubs for both Walmington and Eastgate. A
Barclays Bank advert featured George Mainwaring retiring from his position at the bank, to be succeeded by Pike, to whom Mainwaring nevertheless refers to as "stupid boy". ==Relationship with Sergeant Wilson==