Madron Auxiliary Unit Patrol and Operational Base.

Thank you for selecting information on the Madron Auxiliary Unit Patrol and their Operational Base in Cornwall. The info below have been supplied by CART's Devon CIO, Nina Hannaford.

Officer in charge of Madron, St Levan and Trencrom patrol was Reggie Sandow of Trencrom Patrol.

Gordon Bolitho in The Western Morning News  18/8/1998 states “A Captain Sandow from Lelant sent someone around to ask if I would recruit people for a unit. I wasn't to tell anyone, not even my wife, so I recruited some of my home guard unit at Heamoor, all farmers like myself who knew the area. “

Currently unknown

Gordon Bolitho of Heamoor
Bernard Trewern of Morvah
Morley White of Heamoor
Bill Eddy of Heamoor
Lanyon Thomas of Lanyon Farm
Fred Noy of Heamoor
Dick Matthews of Heamoor. A JP and one time Mayor of Penzance in the 50's

On moor land close to Lanyon Quoit a well known landmark on Burnt Down.

© Copyright Lyn Harper and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Gordon Bolitho stated  “we found a little bit of a pit out in the moors and dug it down and made a concrete living quarters. Access was by a trapdoor and the men climbed down a ladder “ The Cornishman.

Western Morning News 18/8/1998 “We all came out of the home guard and we were frowned on by some local people who did not know about the Auxiliary Unit and thought we were dodging our duties... I also got in trouble with Lord St Levan who was in charge of the local home guard and thought I was persuading men to leave the local detachment.... Captain Dingley who was in charge in Cornwall decided it was safe to let Lord St Levan know so we went to see him....we carried passes so if we were stopped by the police they were told not to question us and they were referred to a telephone number.

Every Sunday we would go up near Laynton Quiot and build our operational base at a place where there was already a hole. We built a Nissan hut below the ground strengthened with concrete blocks. The entrance was hidden and you had to climb down a ladder....After the war we told Lanyon Thomas that if he dug it up he could have the Nissan hut. He probably used it as a chicken hut on his farm.”

Observation Post/s: Currently unknown

Currently unknown

Gordon Bolitho went to Coleshill, “We were walking down a road and we were asked if we had noticed anything. We hadn't . We went back- there were dead leaves on the ground-and there was a bootlace with leaves stuck to it. You pulled it and up came a trap hatch. In another place at Highworth there was an area where trees had been felled. One of the stumps,it was discovered, could be opened....it was an entrance to another hiding place.”  From an article in the Cornishman.

Western Morning News 18/8/1998 ;”sometimes we would go over to the old granite quarries near Helston for training."

”Revolvers, sten-guns, rifles and enough explosives to blow up Penzance...also hand grenades with four-second fuses...knife...time pencils...push and pull switches “ Mr Gordon Bolitho
“Plastic explosives, Gelignite, Blasting gelignite, Nobels 808, Gun cotton, Ammonal, Cordex”. Dick Matthews  Quotes  from an article  in the Cornishman.

Currently unknown

Denys Matthews son of Auxilier Dick Matthews, Memories of Dick Matthews and Gordon Bolitho in an undated article in The Cornishman, Memories of Gordon Bolitho in Wester Morning News 18/8/1998, Research sent to CART by Philip Hadley.

If you can help with any info please contact us.