Kent Group 8 "Banana Group"

Originally New Romney (Truffle), Snargate (Mushroom), Dymchurch (Toadstool) and Aldington (Fungus) were in a single group under the Command of Captain Joseph Allnatt. His wife knew all about Auxiliary Units as she was teaching them first aid. An Officer from Coleshill visited for lunch and this was mentioned. Allnatt had to resign with defective night vision. 

As a result Aldington (Fungus) moved to group 8 to the north. Dymchurch (Toadstool) had their security broken and was disbanded in April 1944. New Romney and Snargate continued on their own under direct control of the Intelligence Officer at HQ for around 6 months when Lieutenant Fenwick Luke was appointed Group Leader and Group 7 was formed.

Group 8 had the code-name Banana. As a group they met at the Lime works at Crundle for revolver tuition. The work place of the Graves family.

Owen Graves recalled a raid on Wye College by the Group on a day when Winston Churchill was attending a meeting; "We were around the outside of the College and there were soldiers guarding all the doors. We dodged around the outside looking for any way in, watching for the sentries who were patrolling. Jack, my brother, saw a window open and got up a drain pipe to get into it. He went down through the College and opened the door for us. We got into the forecourt and one of the guides spotted us. We made it down into the cellar but just as we were shutting the door the guard struck his rifle in and jammed it so we couldn't close it right up. He said if we didn't give ourselves up they would smoke us out so we thought we may as well call an end to it then. Churchill was really pleased with what we had managed to do".