Brixham Auxiliary Unit and OB
By Nina
My Dad (who survived my interrogations by the way ! ) Knew nothing of this place or what his Dad was up to during the war but remembers that the pantry door was suddenly locked all the time. He later found out that was where some explosives were kept.
After the war he was taken up to the bunker (OB) and was allowed to try target practice with grandads revolver.
Fireflashes were used up on bonfire night and every time grandad light a bonfire he used a small device the size of a cigeratte box to light it as the flame could not be put out !
One time a tree came down at the bottom of their garden so grandad planted some explosives in it and blew it up !
Obviously not all the explosives were collected up at the end of the war.
Dad remembers it as a nissan hit burried in the ground and a wooden ladder leading down to it. An escape route was through a stone wall. As you can see from the pictures the stone covering has been removed but according to the famer this was done by kids a couple of years ago.
A few names Dad can remember are;
Arthur Bedford 123 Milton Street
Sgt Minns, Burridge Kingswear Road
Frank Hannaford, Nut Tree Cottage Milton Street (Grandad)
Herb Hannaford, Nut Tree Cottage Milton Street (Uncle)
Frank Williams 73 Milton Street (Great Uncle)
John Baker "Bakers Farm" Milton Street
Clarence Hicks Mathill Farm
Frank Drew 2 Council Cottages Penn Lane
Harry Salisbury 76 Drew Street.
All (apart from Frank Drew) would of been able to see the wood from their front windows !
John Baker is still alive but of an age that I am unsure about trying to talk to him, may work on that. Clarence Hicks disappeared after the war and his family moved away.
Brixham Battery Gardens are very interested and keen to do a little display on the unit.
I have also been in contact with Torbay Council archeology dept and Brixham Museum both sounded excited about our find so I will leave them to it and check in a few months if they can do anything with our OB.
A list sent to me by Will shows there must of been one in Stoke Gabiel (very little village close by) and Marldon in Paignton.
He also seems to think that there was a similar unit in a small village nearby called Stoke Gabriel. Not sure if I would know how to start searching for that one but am willing to give it a go !
I will tell the people at Brixham battery Gardens all about it and our small museum. Would be great to see it properly recorded and protected if poss. I know compared to some it is just a hole in the ground in the woods but its my Grandads hole in the ground and I'm now very proud of it. Oh yes got map reference for it as SX908 550GB Grid.
Thank you again for your help and interest in our little bunker !
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