Thanks to Philip Merrick and Edward Carpenter we have now updated our Kent overview page. It now includes a large extract from “Romney Marsh at War” on the British Resistance’s movements in Kent and Romney Marsh.
You can see it here
Feb 282011
Feb 272011
CART CIO Stephen Lewins has been hard at work researching some of the patrol’s and OBs in County Durham.
Today we added his report and info on Birtley Auxiliary Unit and operational base.
Sadly this OB has long since gone but Stephen has still obtained info about it and the patrol.
See his report here
Feb 242011
For at least 70 years the Bayonet seen on the left has lived in the leather scabbard. This Bayonet was discovered at the Coleshill Uncovered event and has now been removed from the scabbard thanks to the help and advice of the former Royal Armouries curator at the Museum of London and one of the Coleshill Uncovered team, Guy Taylor.
You can learn more about it here and remember to bookmark the new website www.coleshilluncovered.co.uk to stay in touch with updates and further events.
Feb 242011
Today we launched www.coleshilluncovered.co.uk, our new micro site for Coleshill Uncovered.
As the project grows and more people get involved we will need to add more information online and a micro site is the best way to do this. You can access the site from any page on our website, look for the small logo in the left hand column or you can go to www.coleshilluncovered.co.uk
We hope you enjoy the new site.
Feb 202011
Yesterday some of the Coleshill Uncovered team started to clean, log and photograph the finds from weekend one at Coleshill.
It took about 4 hours and we have processed about 60 items. These vary from a watch strap to a 2 inch mortar.
The final report from the first weekend will be complete in the next few weeks and then hopefully further work can be planned for the site later this year.
You can see some of the images from yesterday below.
Learn more about Coleshill Uncovered here
Feb 142011
Today, thanks to help from our CIO in Northumberland, we have started pages on patrols and OB’s in County Durham.
The first site to be looked at here was Hetton Le Hole
Stephen Lewins has spent sometime documenting the location of this OB and his findings can be seen here
There were also known patrols at Birtley, Haswell, Kibblesworth ,Wheatley Hill , Boldon Colliery and Washington.
Can you help with anymore info?
Feb 112011
In July last year we helped organise an event at Coleshill to mark the 70th anniversary of the Auxiliary Units.
At the time a young lady called Emma Colman was walking around quietly with a microphone interviewing people.
She was putting together a lasting audio memory of the day which she very kindly has said we can now play on the site. You can hear this amazing piece of work here and if you attended, you might even be on the tape.
Our thanks go to Emma for allowing us to showcase her work.
Feb 102011
Today we launched our interactive tour of the Coleshill estate. The map has been drawn for us by a local graphic design called Lee Hiom and allows the viewer to interact with areas on the estate. Take an interactive tour of Coleshill here.
Feb 082011
Today we have added a page all about the SDS Network (Special Duties Section) to the site.
The info was kindly donated by Aux Unit News and are words of the late Arthur Gabbitas.
The Special Duties Section was set up in 1942. Around 1000 civilians, men and women, unknown to each other and from all classes and occupations acted as coast watchers, observers or ‘Agents’. Messages would be relayed to civilian radio operators who would then transmit intelligence to the control or Zero stations.
They had been trained to identify vehicles, high-ranking officers and military units, and were to gather intelligence and leave reports in dead letter drops. The reports would be collected by runners and taken to one of over 200 secret radio transmitters.
They used radio telegraphy called TRD (transmit, receive, Dabbs) sets. They also used runners and dead letter drops. There were 43 ATS Subalterns and 69 Royal Corps of Signals personnel to back the ‘Agents’ up. They reported to Auxiliary Units Special Duties Section IO’s. Their HQ was based at Hannington Hall until it was relocated to Coleshill in 1942. These civilians were unpaid and sworn to everlasting secrecy. They had a motto – ‘Be like Dad – Keep Mum’. The SDS Auxiliers and their identities were rarely recorded on any WW2 records.
Read more here
Feb 012011