Broadheath Patrol

The first Sergeant, Geoff Devereux recalled being sent to Coleshill to learn to use plastic explosives, sticky bombs, phosphorous grenades, booby traps and field craft.  

On another occasion at Coleshill, Samson Patrol were involved in an exercise to cross a lake with a temporary raft made of oil drums. Auxilier John Boaz rememberd being about halfway across when officers exploded a bomb and pitched them into the lake. A straw dummy was built for dagger practise.

Many Auxiliers recall Sergeant Holland-Martin of Overbury Patrol as having a roll in recruiting and training locally.

The Patrol stayed in the OB at weekends and occasionally during the week carrying out practise night attacks. They had Home Guard uniforms and told locals they were part of a Boy Scout unit.  

Meetings took place in the local Scout Hut. The Home Guard, who had been using the Church Hall, wanted the Scout Hut and John Boaz was compelled to give up the key. John recalled that the Auxiliers were all "mad devils" in those days and come the day that they were to give up the hut, they put a trip wire from the door down under the steps where they laid a booby trap. When the Home Guard Sergeant opened the door, the trap went off with a bang causing him to drop and damage his rifle. There was hell to pay as a result but later apparently, the Home Guard became used to their antics.

After leaving the Scout Hut, Samson Patrol moved their HQ down to Middle Lightwood Farm, near Cotheridge which belonged to John Boaz's father, and they stored all their explosives and ammunition in the cellar.

Night training normally entailed crawling about the countryside on their stomachs, carrying a piece of grass in one hand, in order to feel for trip wires which would be just above them. They travelled for miles on these sorts of night exercises and this was the primary training for their role.

John Boaz remembered Area Commander Lieutenant Lewis van Moppes phoning up on one occasion to say that some officers were coming up from Coleshill and could Samson Patrol participate in a daytime exercise to demonstrate their skills at reaching, unseen, a target in their own area. The target was to consist of a pile of five gallon petrol cans set in the centre of a field in the Knightwick area and to place magnets on them. The Patrol were told where the target would be and the officers were to observe their progress from the nearby road and presumably measure their performance. The start point was about a mile away. Sergeant Clines suggested that the Patrol should attempt to surprise the officers in some way and John Boaz proposed that they borrow a big old Austin car and what he described as an old fashioned farm trailer from his uncle, who lived at a farm nearby.

They placed wooden slats across the top of the solid side boards of the trailer and covered this with straw. The Patrol climbed into the trailer and hid in the space created beneath, while John donned a farm smock, a hat and some glasses. He placed the magnets in his top pocket and drove the car to the field containing their target, past the officers waiting on the roadside, who acknowledged his wave as he went by. On entering the field, John could see that the farmer had put cattle in there after the target had been set up. However John was able to use this to his advantage because he was able to walk slowly up to the drums with the cattle, which had predictably become excited galloping up behind. During the ensuing melee, John was able to drop the magnets out of his pocket and kick then up against the drums. After completing this part of the exercise he returned to the car and drove back to the start, again waving to the waiting officers. On returning to the start, their Sergeant proposed that the should now "do the exercise properly". The Patrol put on their denims and proceeded to work towards the target, crawling where necessary. They could see the officer still on the roadside observing and the Patrol got within a couple of hundred yards of the target before the officers came into the field and congratulated the Patrol on their progress.

Sergeant Clines was able to say to the officers that this was in fact the second time they had visited the target. Naturally the officers would not believe them until they all walked up to the petrol cans and the magnets could be seen. Suitably impressed, the officers, who were about to go to the Talbot Hotel at Knightwick, invited the Patrol to join them for a drink. First the car and trailer had to be collected from the start point where the Patrol again climbed into the trailer and John donned his disguise. On reaching the Talbot John could see the officers standing outside, waiting for them to arrive but again they did not recognise him when he drew up outside. Not until the back of the trailer was dropped and the Patrol climbed out did the officers realise what had occurred earlier, at which point they declared that the Patrol deserved two pints each !

John is convinced that had this exercise been for real, the Patrol could have blown up the target and got away without being caught.

Auxilier Ron Seymour remembered once using a standard hand grenade in practice, and this was
thrown into the River Teme, near Bransford Bridge, where it apparently killed many fish !

Ron recalled an exercise making a night-time approach to "Bubble Brook Bridge" on the western edge of Worcester. The intention was to set dummy charges under the bridge, which was being guarded by the Meco Home Guard. Explosives were carried in their pockets rather than in a satchel. The Patrol got quite close to their objective before being discovered. Bubble Brook is the local name for Laugherne Brook and the bridge involved carries the A44 road over the brook.

The Patrol amused themselves by entering guarded factories etc. at night and chalking rude remarks at strategic points and retreating without being detected.