Plympton Auxiliary Unit and OB
By Nina Hannaford (cartdevon@gmail.com)
This page last updated:

|
Name
|
Notes
|
Address
|
Born
|
Died
|
Joined
|
Nat Reg No.
|
| Capt. Cyril Henry Wellington |
( 2nd Lt. 9/11/1942, Lt 28/5/1943, Capt 1/8/1944) |
Trelawney Road, Plympton. |
1909 |
1963. |
17/6/1940. |
WHWE83/1 |
|
Sgt Herbert James Wellington
(brother of above)
|
|
Oakfield Road, Plympton. |
1901 |
1964. |
10/6/1940 |
WHWE270/1. |
| William John Sargent |
|
Marsh Mills near Plympton |
1926 |
1994 |
10/4/1944 |
WEBQ7/3 |
| Cyril Woolley |
Transferred to HG 25/5/1943 |
|
1897 |
|
17/11/1942 |
WEKF231/1 |
| George Sydney Jones |
|
Lucas Lane, Plympton |
1900 |
|
27/5/1940 |
WHWF 43/1 |
| Geoffery Johnson |
Left to join Royal Navy 22/3/1944. Became an accountant in Plymouth. He drew maps in
1988 to locate the two Operational Bases built for this Unit. |
|
1925 |
|
20/1/1943 |
WHWE70/3 |
| Ralph George Hickman |
|
Trelawney Road, Plympton |
1909 |
|
26/6/1940 |
WHWE61/1 |
| Roger Keith Midgley |
Left to join HM forces 18/2/1943. He won a bronze medal in Field Hockey in the 1952
Helsinki Olympic Games. |
|
1924 |
|
9/12/1941 |
WHWE280/3 |
| Stephen Hoskin |
Worked as a farmer. May have been linked with a Unit in Cornwood. |
Higher Venton, Sparkwell |
1913 |
|
29/5/1940 |
WHVX35/2 |
| C E Bill ? |
|
Plymouth. |
1900 |
|
3/2/1943 |
WHWE50/1 |

Observations at the Operational Base
PLEASE NOTE THESE OB'S ARE ON PRIVATE
LAND
Bottle Hill
Operational Base - north east of Plympton.
Location of the first Operational Base which was
soon abandoned. Location given to Peter Stabb by Geof Johnson in 1988. Grid reference SX 567
588




Photographs taken in 2011 by Nina Hannaford and copies of maps and letters written to Peter Stabb by Geoff
Johnson.

Fernhill Wood Operational
Base, north of Plympton.
Location given to Peter Stabb by Auxilier Geof Johnson in 1988. Exact grid
reference withheld ( given to CART on Fiedwork report dated 7/3/20111), general area SX 55 59.

Entrance to the OB in 1992

Inside the OB (left) and the escape tunnel (right)

Entrace to escape tunnel in 1992
Photographs above taken in 1992 by Peter Stabb.

Picture taken inside the OB in March 2009. The OB has now been destroyed. Image provided
by www.cyber-heritage.co.uk

Fernhill Woods, Standing in the OB looking SW.
The land is owned by the Forestry Commission but leased by Recon Paintball, www.reconpaintball.co.uk
The ground around the OB undulates as the area was used for tin mining in the past. Some mine are shafts
present.
There is a depression in ground (see imgae directly below) where the OB once was. It is approx rectangular in
shape, long and thin leading off in ground to block built rectangular exit of escape tunnel.

There appears to be one entrance made from two block walls remain approx 80 cm high and 50 cm apart. The long
thin depression is approx 50cm wide and 3m long. The main depression in the ground is approx 4.5m by 6.5m.
The main depression is East/West facing and the long thin depression coming off at South East corner runs North
to South.


The escape tunnel.
Photographs above taken in 2011 by Nina Hannaford .
Photos of entrance, escape tunnel depression and main body depression, view from OB entrance showing lay of
land.
Observation Post/s: Not known but both locations are surrounded by high, open moorland
over looking Plymouth.

Possibly the main nearby train line and A38 leading away from Plymouth and out of the South West
Planned Follow Up
To send letters to two local papers asking for information on the Unit and its members. Use Findmypast and
FreeBMD to find family members.

Steve Johnson, Paul from Hidden Plymouth and Peter Stab.
Can you help with this patrol or OB? Please email cartdevon@gmail.com
|