Goudhurst Patrol

OB was in Old Park Wood near Blue Barn Farm, north of the Four Wents between Sissinghurst and Goudhurst. In 1943 the OB was discovered by two young lads, Kenneth Hill and D. Connell.

Kenneth Hill: “We were rolling tree stumps down a slope. One stump would not move and when we tugged harder we found it was attached to a trap door. There was a steel ladder leading down into the dark. We went home to get a torch and returned. The bunker was like a buried Nissen hut about 20 foot long and had a second trap door. There was boxes of ammunition (.303 and .45 rimless), but no weapons. There were detonators, time switches, plastic explosives, ready-made charges about 4 inches by 1 inch, flat tin boxes, wash basin, cutlery and rations such as Spam, corned beef and Ovaltine. We returned several times to remove some of the rations and the occasional detonator or bullet. The bunker was destroyed later on during the war. A V-1 Doodlebug crashed in the wood in 1944 and exposed a second, smaller bunker. We did not enter this one. Although we played in the woods throughout the war we never spotted anyone building the bunker or bringing in materials and supplies. I do not think the Police, Regular Army or Home Guard knew of its existence.”