Tracking down members of the Auxiliary Units, 'Churchill's Secret Army', in the Yorkshire Coast area
and live on Freeview channel 276
The Local Defence Volunteers (LDV), later renamed as the Home Guard, had just been formed, famously armed with pitchforks and ancient weapons.
However, a group of civilian volunteers were being gathered together to help resist the initial stages of any invasion.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe Auxiliary Units were patrols of six to eight men in reserved occupations or under or over the age to join the regular forces. They were formed into units the length of the country, from
The Shetlands to Cornwall, along the east and south coasts, with the full support of Churchill.
When the Germans entered their area, these men would have disappeared to their Operational Base, an underground bunker, and waited for the Germans to pass overhead.
They would come out at night to cause as much chaos as possible, destroying transport and transport routes, blowing up ammunition or food dumps, destroying airfields and causing as much disruption as possible to slow down the advance and give the regular forces time to recover and counter-attack.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdTheir life expectancy was for just around a fortnight at most – essentially a suicide mission.
They were highly trained in sabotage and silent killing (some patrols had weapons to take out high ranking German officials and even British collaborators).
Each man had to sign the Official Secrets Act and told their nearest relatives and friends nothing of their role, with most going to the grave without ever saying a word.
They were usually men who knew the local countryside intimately, farmers, farm workers, gamekeepers and even poachers.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdNow a group of volunteer researchers have found some evidence of such a group of civilian volunteers in the Scarborough area.
The Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team (CART) have identified patrols in Flixton, Wold Newton and Kilham.
The names associated with the patrols in the Scarborough area are listed below with some of their dates of birth and even occupation:
Flixton:
Sgt William Found
Cpl Eric Barker
Pte Jack Rudd
Pte George Ellis
Pte Jack Stephenson
Pte George William Sellers
Pte John Oxendale Tindall
Wold Newton:
Sgt Louis Chapman (15/08/1892) – Farmer
Cpl Henry Streets (17/07/1914) – Farm Worker
Pte John Topham Elgey (19/05/1914) – Farmer
Pte Fred Sellers (28/09/1926) – Farm Worker
Pte Arthur William Sellers (31/08/1924) – Farm Worker
Kilham:
Sgt Harry Middlewood (03/05/1915) – Agricultural Worker
Cpl Leslie Robert Smith (23/02/1922) – Agricultural Worker
Pte Philip Lamplugh Wilson (15/09/1909) – Agricultural Worker
Pte Arthur H Carr (29/10/1921) – Agricultural Worker
Pte Donald Wilson (05/08/1908) – Agricultural Worker
Pte Douglas William Gray (13/11/1918) – Agricultural Worker
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAndrew Chatterton, of CART, said: “If there are any relatives of these men, people who remember playing in underground ‘bunkers or shelters’ as children, or any local rumours of secret wartime activity, we would love to hear from them.
“If you do have any information, memories or knew any of the men listed please contact [email protected]”
The volunteers have evidence of other patrols locally, in the Bridlington and Ryedale areas; you can see it HERE