Sunday 15 November 2015

Operational Base of the Starcross Auxiliary Unit Patrol

Can you add anything to the Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team's webpage about the wartime Starcross Auxiliary patrol?


From the information received so far all the Patrols of Group 5 (Dawlish, Teignmouth and Starcross) seem to have worked and trained very closely together. Looking at the names and addresses on the Nominal Rolls it is almost impossible to make three distinctly separate patrols.
Each Patrol therefore, has been compiled by their group photograph where available. This may have lead to errors as to which Auxilier is recorded in which Patrol.
Please contact Nina Hannaford on cartdevon@gmail.com if you have any information to help."




The Operational Base for the Patrol is between Starcross and Exminster and the Auxiliers lived in the surrounding area. It was located on land farmed by Francis Wotton at Tawsington Farm. The farm has now been split and the land divided up around neighbouring farms. Situated just below the brow of a hill, the area has views over the River Exe Estuary and almost up to the City of Exeter.



Condition of OB: Known to have been built by the Royal Engineers local children discovered the OB, while still intact, during the 1950s. It was entered into by a trap door in the middle of a Laurel copse though nothing could be seen from the surface.
Embedded in the entrance shaft were 5 metal rungs leading down to a Nissen Hut type structure containing a cast iron stove, a cupboard and four bunk beds. Ventilation pipes led to the surface.
A 3 ft diameter concrete pipe lead away as an escape tunnel, exiting at the surface.
Size of OB and entrance/exit etc: Currently unknown, though thought to have been destroyed. At one time it was seen as only rubble remaining, along with the intact escape tunnel leading away.












From the information received so far all the Patrols of Group 5 (Dawlish, Teignmouth and Starcross) seem to have worked and trained very closely together. Looking at the names and addresses on the Nominal Rolls it is almost impossible to make three distinctly separate patrols.
Each Patrol therefore, has been compiled by their group photograph where available. This may have lead to errors as to which Auxilier is recorded in which Patrol.
Please contact Nina Hannaford on cartdevon@gmail.com if you have any information to help.
- See more at: http://www.coleshillhouse.com/starcross-auxiliary-unit-patrol.php#sthash.z7S7NGpa.dpuf
From the information received so far all the Patrols of Group 5 (Dawlish, Teignmouth and Starcross) seem to have worked and trained very closely together. Looking at the names and addresses on the Nominal Rolls it is almost impossible to make three distinctly separate patrols.
Each Patrol therefore, has been compiled by their group photograph where available. This may have lead to errors as to which Auxilier is recorded in which Patrol.
Please contact Nina Hannaford on cartdevon@gmail.com if you have any information to help.
- See more at: http://www.coleshillhouse.com/starcross-auxiliary-unit-patrol.php#sthash.z7S7NGpa.dpuf

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