Broadmayne is a village 2 miles south-east of Dorchester.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant Frank Edgar Ellwood | Poultry adviser |
24 Jun 1940 | 1943 |
| Sergeant Sydney Roy Rogers | Nurseryman. |
15 Oct 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Lieutenant Philip Brian Saunders | Farmer |
06 Jan 1941 | 06 Jan 1943 |
| Private William Frank Barnes | Apprentice engineer heavy work |
22 Jul 1943 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Richard Dennis Barnes | Apprentice foundry worker |
19 Dec 1940 | 22 Nov 1943 |
| Private Richard Colin Ivan Barter | Apprentice agricultural fitting & turning |
22 Jul 1943 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Alan Seymour Colclough | Electrical BSc |
31 Jul 1940 | 30 Apr 1943 |
| Private Hubert George Howe | Excavator driver sand and gravel pit |
05 Jun 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Reginald Thomas Moxom | Agricultural labourer (poacher) |
24 Jun 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
The OB was located in Knighton Heath Wood near RAF Warmwell. The area is now undergoing comprehensive gravel extraction with huge pits surrounding the area. However, during the war the area was flat and since RAF Warmwell was a key fighter station during the Battle of Britain. Later it was taken over by the USAAF to operate fighters.
The OB is an early type Elephant shelter with corrugated iron end walls. It is unusual in being L-shaped, with an additional side chamber towards the end furthest from the entrance. The ventilation pipes are formed from corrugated iron sheet curled into tubes.
The OB is now collapsing and in a dangerous state. The site is extremely close to the dispersal pens and outbuildings of RAF Warmwell. This is because as the war progressed the airfield was expanded, actually taking the OB inside the perimeter fence. This meant that the Patrol had to break into the airfield to use their OB so it was used rather less after that!
Most of the airfield has now been quarried away, but the OB survives in the centre of the wood surrounded by the fighter pens and dugouts, with grafitti on the trees from its wartime use.
Broadmayne Patrol
RAF Warmwell airfield would have been a prime target for the Patrol after an invasion, denying the Germans use of one of the few airfields in the area. The main railway line to London from Weymouth and Portland also passed close by. The barracks of nearby Dorchester would also have been within reach for the Patrol.
Philip Saunders