Bekesbourne village lies 3 miles south east of Canterbury.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant John Herbert Mount | Farmer |
29 Aug 1941 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private William Charles Foster | Farm labourer |
02 Mar 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Frederick George Marsh | Farm lorry driver |
23 Dec 1941 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private William Harold Morgan | General labourer |
18 Feb 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Sydney Rowland Tompsett | Farm labourer, tractor driver & general engineer |
24 Jul 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Frederick William Tompsett | Poultry salesman |
02 Jun 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Henry Wetherelt Twyman | Farmer |
22 Nov 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
The OB was a corrugated iron shelter buried in Farthings Wood, near to Woolton Farm, the home of John Mount, and was built by Canadian Engineers. The entrance looked like a nut tree but amongst the stool was a knot. When this was pulled, the entrance cover slid away, leading to steps. The entrance passage was at 90° so that a grenade thrown in would hit a wall and not enter the living area. The Patrol slept there two nights a week to get used to it. They had stores and ammunition for two weeks. Heating was by an oil stove. One night it was left on when the men went home. When they returned black smoke was pouring out of the chimney hole. John Mount went down to turn it off and came out coughing and choking.
Bekesbourne Patrol
Bill Foster; "We were sent to Swindon for special training with explosives and encouraged to experiment. We blew off wheels or put time pencils into petrol tanks. As a test of our skills we infiltrated the AA unit at Adisham. We were not very popular as all leave was cancelled for the troops for letting us get in."
Fred Tompsett was approached by John Mount: “We went to The Garth for training. Peter Fleming was as mad as a hatter. I was excused Coleshill because I was a poultry expert and was needed to manage the brooder house. I had a Lee Enfield .22 sniper rifle. I learnt to run, drop and shoot.”
Bill Foster; "We were given a revolver, a dagger and a suicide pill. We also had a tommy gun and plenty of explosives."
The Patrol members were named to researcher Adrian Westwood by Bill Foster. Two others mentioned by Fred Tompsett were Monty Sellers (Policeman) and George Gardner, these are not recorded on the nominal roll.
TNA ref WO199/3391 and WO199/3390
Hancock data held at B.R.A
Phil Evans
Adrian Westwood