Yorkshire Auxiliary Units And Operational Bases

This page was last updated at 9:52am on 3/2/12

This is the overview page for the Yorkshire Auxiliary Units.

Confirmed Yorkshire Patrols CART has substantial archived documentation etc.   Aldbrough Patrol - NEW - Added 20/12/11  Bewholme Patrol -  Added 11/1/12  Walkington Patrol - NEW - Updated 3/2/12 Click a patrol above to see its evidence.

This list was compiled from various sources including the concentrations of names/addresses as found in the Auxiliary Units Nominal Roll (held at Kew, National Records)

Unconfirmed Yorkshire Patrols
CART is awaiting further documentation etc.

East Riding of Yorkshire Auxiliary Units

The German High Command had given serious thought to invade England on the East Coast and undertook detailed studies of the coast showing defences, beaches and key military installations. The British High Command took this threat very seriously and we can see this even today in the amount of heavy coastal anti invasion defences we have on this coast and the fact that we have many OB’s in this area. We can see from the Unit Members lists, local Farmers and their workers feature prominently as Members as they had detailed knowledge of their local land.

The CO or Intelligence Officer in this area was a Peter Hollis, son of the Vicar of Hornsea, Canon Hollis and Captain Hollis’ first HQ was at Benningholme Hall near Skirlaugh which was moved to Rise in the grounds of Rise Hall. The HQ was again moved to Middleton Hall, Middleton on the Wolds, which was ideally placed as the central point within the County and provided a training area where a lot of the Auxiliary Members trained.

In 1942 after the East Yorkshire organisation was established Captain Hollis volunteered for service in the East African Rifles in Kenya after which Captain Terry Leigh-Lye took over the role of Intelligence Officer up until June 1944.

The East Riding boasted 34 Patrols with 214 men with an average age of 31. Their ages ranged from 16 to 54. One interesting point is that the Middleton on the Wolds HQ postal address was just like the Coleshill one… C/O the local Post Office.

If you are interested in the East Yorkshire patrols then a great book to read is East Ridings Secret Resistance by Alan Williamson. You can buy it below.

YORKSHIRE