Brotton Patrol

A.K.A. (nickname)
Abermill / Kilton Thorpe / "Ike Wilks' Scouts"
Locality

Brotton is a village near Skelton in the Borough of Redcar now in Cleveland though it used to be the North Riding of Yorkshire. It is fairly close to Skinningrove, Marske and Redcar and the North Yorkshire coast.

Patrol members
Name Occupation Posted from Until
Sergeant Thomas Maxwell Partridge

Ironstone miner at Lumpsey Pit

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Sergeant Isaac Wilks

Set attendant at Skinningrove Iron Works

Unknown Unknown
Private Harry Beadnall

Explosives storekeeper at Skinningrove Iron Works

Unknown Unknown
Private William Henry Brown

Ironstone miner

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private Albert Crossman

Ironstone miner heavy worker

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private Clifford Kaye

Apprentice fitter at Skinningrove Iron Works

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private George Ernest Oversby

Chief cashier

Unknown Unknown
Private John Robert Robinson

Timber worker ironstone mine at Bolckow Pit

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private Raymond Waller

Apprentice fitter at Skinningrove Iron Works

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private Isaac Wilks Jnr.

Draughtsman at Skinningrove Iron Works

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Operational Base (OB)

The Patrol had their OB to the West of Kilton Thorpe. It was along the rail line and down the embankment, just within Kilton Thorpe Wood. Between the rail line at Merry Lockwood Gill just north of the public footpath. It was accessed by following the rail line out of Brotton, moving through fields most of the way and along the line itself into the wood.

The OB was an "Elephant" type shelter and is now destroyed. It is now just a large hole in the ground with an 18 inch gully leading away from it, that was the escape tunnel. The hole that was the main chamber has been used by mountain bikers as a bit of a jump spot but this has kept the vegetation away. It was a 12 feet by 10 feet rectangle room made of corrugated iron sheet with wooden posts for support.

The Patrol often met at Brotton Park, above Dick Appleby's disused stables. Appleby owned the General Stores on the High Street.

Patrol & OB pictures
OB Image
Caption & credit
Brotton OB 2003 (from Chris Twigg - Hidden Teesside)
OB Image
Caption & credit
Brotton OB 2003 (from Chris Twigg - Hidden Teesside)
OB Image
Caption & credit
Brotton OB 2003 most likely escape tunnel. (from Chris Twigg - Hidden Teesside)
OB Image
Caption & credit
Brotton OB 2003 (from Chris Twigg - Hidden Teesside)
OB Image
Caption & credit
Brotton OB 2024
OB Image
Caption & credit
Brotton OB 2024
OB Image
Caption & credit
Brotton OB escape tunnel leading away to right 2024
OB Image
Caption & credit
Brotton OB 2024
OB Image
Caption & credit
Brotton OB escape tunnel running away 2024
OB Image
Caption & credit
Brotton OB 2024
OB Status
Destroyed
OB accessibility
The OB site is publicly accessible
Location

Brotton Patrol

Patrol Targets

Local targets would have included the Port of Tees, a big Navy base during WW2 and the possible invasion beaches towards Saltburn. Other targets were; local munitions and war effort factories, various steel plants around the area along with Lumpsey Ironstone Mine, RAF Thonaby and the main roads from the coast to Middlesbrough and Guisborough.

Training

Some members of the Patrol went to Coleshill House for specialist training. Regionally they trained at Danby Lodge, the site of the Auxiliary Units Intelligence Officer's HQ and at Castleton with the Scout Section from The Green Howards. Two large scale summer exercises took place with the Auxiliary Units, Home Guard and Army at Guisborough.

They also trained locally at the OB area.

Weapons and Equipment

The Patrol were issued with a Lease-Lend Colt .38 revolvers in leather New York Police holsters which were later replaced with standard webbing. Each man had a Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife and a Sten Gun. There were two Lee-Enfield .303 rifles. They were issued Nobel 808 explosives and later plastic explosives and there was plenty of Molotovs and sticky bombs.

Other information

The Patrol were code named the "Abermill" Patrol, named after the water mark in the paper used to send them messages. Initially they were known as Ike Wilks' Scouts.

References

Dennis Walker

The National Archives in Kew ref WO199/3389

1939 Register

Hancock data held at B.R.A

David Waller

Hidden Teesside

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