CART Auxiliary Unit Research

County Group

Locality

The Patrol was located to the south of Berwick upon Tweed and not far west of the A1 main England/Scotland road and is the furthest south in Group 1.

Patrol members

Name	Occupation	Posted from	Until
Lieutenant Joseph William Lambert Carmichael	Gentleman farmer	Unknown	Unknown
Sergeant William Dixon	Tractor driver	Unknown	Unknown
Sergeant John Melrose Purves Graham	Farmer	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private Edward Armstrong	Farmer	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private James Dixon	Farmer	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private John Dryburgh	Cattleman	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private William Christopher Graham	Horseman	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private A. Martin	Farmer	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private William Marshall Nesbit	Farmer	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private Les Riley	Gamekeeper	Unknown	Unknown

Operational Base (OB)

The Patrol OB was a standard "Elephant" shelter built by the 184th (S) Tunnelling Company Royal Engineers.

The OB is unusual as it was constructed above ground next to a small crag face, then back filled to create a small hill.

After visiting the OB site the infill soil may have come from the Kyloe OB site that was being built at the same time. The vegetation is wrong for the Allerdean area with Broom and Heather growing around the OB which is more associated with Kyloe Crag.

The OB was oriented east to west with the entrance end at the east and a 30 foot escape tunnel at the west end which heads off at an angle towards the Allerdean Burn. The OB is now flattened with the corrugated sheet covered in vegetation on top of the concrete base that remains. Very little else remains.

Patrol & OB pictures

Allerdean OB crag the shelter was built against

Allerdean OB view from the east with possible store site.

Allerdean OB west end that would have had the entrance shaft.

Allerdean OB looking along the escape tunnel from the burn. Note the Broom and Heather are native to the site.

Allerdean OB small part of original corougated iron sheet

Allerdean OB small section of east end wall

Allerdean Patrol Operational Base Plan

The site of the escape tunnel. Land owner in the distance near the stream

OB Status

Destroyed

OB accessibility

This OB is on private land. Please do not be tempted to trespass to see it

Location

Allerdean Patrol

Patrol Targets

There appears to be several targets nearby. The East Coast main railway line and the A1 main England/Scotland road are two obvious targets. Also the Royal Border Railway bridge and port of Berwick and Tweedmouth which at the time was a huge exporter of coal to London.

Possible invasion beaches at Scremerston, Goswick and Chiswick along with the bombing range between the two will also have been key areas for this Patrol, as would have been the Chain Home Low Radar site at Scremerston.

There were also several large houses around the area that the Germans may have used as HQ's and P.O.W. camps that the Patrol will have certainly kept an eye on in the event of a German invasion.

Training

Group Commanding Officer Lieutenant Lambert Carmichael had a close quarters combat training site built in the valley of the Allerdean Burn to the south of his farm at Scremerston Hill. This had rope ways through the trees and pop up targets.

The Patrol did the Commando training course at Cupar, Fife and the Sergeants went to Coleshill House for specialist courses. Other training was done locally on farmland and the dunes to the east on the North Sea coast not far from the OB. They also went to Middleton Hall for training with the army.

Weapons and Equipment

It is thought they were issued with Auxiliary Unit Mark 2 kit along with .22 rifle and silencer and Smith & Wesson pistols.

Other information

The Patrol used to meet at the Cat Inn public house on the A1 which they dubbed the "Guerilla Arms".

The Patrol went to the Isle of Wight just before D-Day as part of the island garrison patrolling the cliffs at night and looking after the Pluto pipe line and a power station.

Lieutenant Charmichael and some of the Patrol guarded the Royal Family at Balmoral during two summers.

Somewhere in the area of Scremerston Hill there is a ton of corned beef in a wooden crate buried by the Patrol, it is still to be found.

Possibly the earliest of the Northumberland Auxiliary Units to be formed as Lieutenant J.W.L. Carmicheal was one of the first picked along with Captain "Peter" Robinson to select and create the Patrols early in 1941. Most of the men in the Patrol worked for "Gentleman Farmer" Lambert Carmichael or were close farming neighbours.

The Patrol has two Sergeants with no reference to anyone leaving so they may have operated as two units with one at Ancroft and the other covering the Allerdean area sharing the OB and working together as required.

References

Many thanks go to Mr. John Holmes from Allerdean Mill for his information and access to the OB site.

Stephen Lewins

The National Archives at Kew ref WO199/3388

Hancock data held at B.R.A

1939 Register

Newcastle Evening Chronicle article from April 1968

Interview with Captain Anthony Quayle.