The Stansted Auxiliary Unit Patrol

The Stansted Patrol was the most westerly sited unit in West Sussex and consisted  of six members. The Patrol Leader was Bill Wolfries, the head keeper for Stansted Forest. The other members were George Huxham, a farmer at Pitlands Farm, Up Marden; Ronald Peel, a farmer at Lodge Farm, Forest Side; Jim Rousell, a driver from the Rowlands Castle area and Mr Butler a gamekeeper from the Lordington Estate.

Localised training often took place within Stansted Forest. This included firing practice with the patrol's various guns and learning how to make up explosive charges, often joining three together over a given distance so that they would all detonate at the same time.

The patrol's hideout was sited in a shallow chalk pit in the north-eastern end of Stansted Forest. It was built of wood and corrugated iron with one small entrance hatch and an emergency exit tunnel which ran out to the bottom face of the chalk pit. About 400 yards to the west of the hideout, the patrol had a small underground lookout. Both were connected by a direct telephone line and constructed by the Royal Engineers. The lookout commanded a good view of the main Stansted road.

The hideout, is very shallow with only a few inches of soil covering the corrugated iron structure. It can currently be accessed from either end. It is difficult to find although quite close to a public footpath that runs through the wood. The emergency escape tunnel has collapsed but its course can be traced as a ditch running from the hideout with two wooden posts at one end where the door was located.

Main chamber looking towards entrance

Main chamber looking towards escape tunnel

Original posts where hatch was fixed to

I was suprised to see a brick stove with a chimney in the entrance chamber

Former patrol members Ron Peel and George Huxham recalled using the hideout regularly for overnight stays, and the many visits to Tottington Manor as part of their training. Ron Peel also remembered going to Coleshill and having to set fake charges on a plane as part of his basic training.

Another patrol was Joseph Penfold. He joined the unit on 27th June 1940 and although lacking two fingers of his left hand he was appointed the tommy gunner of the unit.

The lookout point they used when the invasion was expected was Racton Tower.
 
Joseph later told his son that Regular Army officers training them in the use of explosives etc. Sadly he was burgled in 1946 and his clothes were taken. In his sports jacket that was taken were bits & pieces of keepsakes from his Home Guard/Auxiliary times.

Page text supplied by Stewart Angell and the sons of Joseph Penfold. Images are by Jim from 28 Days Later.