We was there. Lots of folk in 1940’s garb. Lots of bacon rolls, banter and even the odd Mulberry Harbour caisson or two. Thanks to those interested in learning about Churchill’s Secret Army. Thank you Portland !
Ron, who was a member of the Maiden Newton Patrol, Dorset, passed away on 25th August 2015. He was 92 years old and the last surviving member of his patrol. Ron recorded his memories for the Maiden Newton at war events and they were published in a special edition of the local paper as part of this.
His wife Dorothy predeceased him. His funeral service was on 8th September 2015 at Weymouth Crematorium.
Our thanks to John Pidgeon for passing on the information.
Ron Vallis, ready to serve when called.
We will remember them….
Due to popular demand we have now ordered another limited amount of the modern replica Auxiliary badges we designed.
The originals were issued to many Auxiliers after the war.
The central shield is a replica of the famous badge that was issued to members of the Auxiliary Units after the war. The original WW2 badge can now fetch several hundred pounds – but beware fakes.
ORDER your badge today for under £7.00 inc delivery here
Farringdon is a small village 6 miles east of Exeter. This patrol report has been produced by our Devon CIO Nina Hannaford.
The patrol utilised the existing structure of Farringdon House Ice House for their Operational Base.
It is possible that the “entrance” has been created post war as the blocks appear damaged at the sides. If the block wall was complete, thus sealing off the original entrance passageway to the Ice House leaving only the tunnel, this would make escape more viable.
Read Nina’s full and fascinating patrol report.
Today we have added a very in-depth patrol report on the Branscombe Auxiliary Unit from Devon.
This excellent report was published by our Devon researcher Nina Hannaford with some very generous help by Ralph Cox and Sue Dymond author of ‘Branscombe’s War’
The Branscombe Project have kindly allowed us to use excerpts of interviews, taken over the years, remembering the Auxiliers and their actions.
Read the full report here
The Radio 4 drama “Going to Ground” by Simon Passmore which was first broadcast on July 10th 2010, can now be enjoyed again until Friday 18th January at 10pm.
Well worth listening to.
1940, Kent. England is on full alert in anticipation of a German invasion. As church bells sound the alarm, a secret resistance unit springs into action. Whatever happens, none of them expects to see their families again.
Shrubb ….. Ivan Kaye
Turle ….. Anthony Flanagan
Pye ….. Rupert Evans
Jarvis ….. Guy Henry
Davie ….. Joshua Jenkin
Ann ….. Alison Pettitt
Lucy Pye ….. Christine Kavanagh
Station Master ….. Sam Dale
Directed by Toby Swift
******
This wartime drama features the exploits of an English guerrilla unit trained to make things as difficult as possible for the German invasion force.
The existence of the covert Auxiliary Units during World War II only became widely known in the 1990s. They were patrols of 4 to 8 men with orders to disappear as soon as the bells sounded. Southern England was dotted with dozens of secret underground bunkers which served as their bases. Trained and equipped with the best guerrilla weapons available, their orders were to sabotage and snipe at the invading army; to gather information on troop movements. Completely cut off by design, they operated in total secrecy and isolation. Their life expectancy was calculated officially at 14 days. (Source: BBC Website)
After another visit to the Brixham Auxiliary Unit’s Operational Base we have produced a short video and updated the page.
Watch the video and read more here
We have just added another Auxiliary Unit Patrol to the site.
Raydon patrol was also referred to as Stratford St Mary Patrol and formed part of Ipswich Group (Group No 5 Suffolk.
Sadly the OB has now collapsed but you can read the full report here
Today we added North Uist Auxiliary Unit Patrol to the website. The page was put together by our Scottish CIO, David Blair with some help from Stephen Lewins.
The OB is located near to a cemetery with amazing views.
See the report here
We have the opportunity to restore an Operational Base in Kent. Due to the nature of the work, and the fact that certain members of the public like to go and destroy these precious time capsules, the location is a closely guarded secret.
We are calling the project Operation Turnip as many of the patrols in Kent were named after vegetables.
Phil Evans, our CIO for Kent, will manage the work on the ground and CART HQ will oversea the project and fund raise.
A small team of experts will be called upon to advise on the restoration and we will use our own internal archive and researchers knowledge around the UK to fit out the OB as authentically as possible.
We hope to then open the space at certain times of the year for guided tours, press calls and to allow re-enactors to stay inside.
We suggest you bookmark this page to follow our work.