A Tour Of An Operational Base

See also: Base Overview -  Base Design  - OB Discipline - View database of bases around the UK

Please Note: The Coleshill House site and grounds are owned by the National Trust. The woods and grounds of the house are all strictly private and access is limited to set days a year. See our events page for their official open days. Attempting to access the site outside of these times is not only trespassing but could damage the future of our work and relationship with the Trust and villagers. Please respect this.

The images below are of the main training bunker or Operational Base located within Coleshill's grounds. You can see a video tour of this OB on our Weapons & Explosives DVD which can be bought here. A trailer for it can be seen below.

You can also see this OB being excavated here.

This model made by Roger Green shows the Coleshill OB as a cut-through. To see a large version of it click here.

Image copyright to National Trust Coleshill

All images below are copyright to CART and were taken inside the locked OB at Coleshill. This bunker is in private property and not viewable by the public.

The exit hole for the stove that would have been used inside the OB. The concrete seen here was used to secure a hollow tree trunk in which the chimney would extend up to the top of the tree line in order to hide smoke or cooking smells.

The main entrance to the bunker was hidden under a slideing entrance at ground level. The original ladder remains and at the bottom is a blast wall seen below. This was there in case a grenade was thrown into the hole and protected the men from the blast.

The blast wall designed to stop grenades. The blast wall was designed to be very narrow so any invading troops would have a job maneuvering around it with full fighting kit on. The small room to the left of this was the toilet.

Inside the main room of the bunker looking out towards where the exit tunnel would have been.

Inside the main room facing towards the main entrance and blast wall.

The remains of a bed frame from the time.

The markings on the wall where the stove would have been and the exit hole as pointed out where the fumes and smoke would have past up through the hollow tree.

(Image copyright to Steve Bulmer. Representing E.R. Brockadale Auxiliary Patrol)

You can look around inside a mock up OB at the Museum of the British Resistance Organisation. See a few images of it below.

SEE MANY MORE PICTURES OF THIS BUNKER ON OUR IMAGES PAGE.

YOU CAN ALSO SEE IMAGES OF THE DISCOVERY OF THIS OB ON OUR EXCAVATION PAGE HERE