Green Ore (Wells) Patrol

John Bazley recalled two OBs that were built fairly near to each other. The first OB was a square, all wood structure, but was abandoned and cleared because it was wet and a not very suitable as an OB. This was built by the Patrol.

Bryan Green and Harold Lane recall their first OB as being in an old mine shaft known by Charlie Ford. There was a vertical shaft, around 20 feet deep, then a horizontal tunnel which they started to put duck-boards and shelves in but it flooded so they abandoned it. This was near The Priory at Chewton Mendip. A local man, Reg Randall, witnessed the arrival of stores and was "warned under the Secrets Act".

The second OB was a Nissen hut type structure and a lot better. It had a vertical type entrance, and an escape tunnel. They approached the OB through the wood. The OB was in a copse off the A39 near Green Ore. In 1996 it was recorded as being 5 metres long 3 metres wide and 1.5 metres high, made of corrugated iron with the interior painted white. It was built by the army in a day and placed in an already present deep hole in the ground. There was a trap door leading down an entrance shaft. John Sealy recalled that it was on land owned by Sergeant Reed.

They had explosives and stores stored in different areas ready to be use on targets as they needed, some were by the main road.

Green Ore Patrol YouTube video here - 'Except from 'The Home Front Through The Movies' (Channel 4):

 Bryan Green recalled "We had a huge rock in the way. I was digging and the ruddy rock fell on me. I managed to pull my leg out but I tore my trousers off. We were doing this on a Sunday morning and I had to get right across Chewton Mendip to get home, which I did holding my trousers around me!"

It appeared in the national press in 1996 with articles on Auxiliary Units.