Haswell Patrol

County Group
Durham Area 3
Locality

The Haswell Patrol were based between Easington Lane and Haswell in County Durham.

Patrol members
Name Occupation Posted from Until
Sergeant Arthur Naisbitt

Butcher

 Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Corporal George Dove

Mining, puller up convey face

 Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Corporal Frederick Melville

Butcher and journeyman

 Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private John Blake

Colliery hewer

 Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private James Carr

Colliery putter

 Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private Gwilym Lorworth Edwards

Mining

 Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private Alfred John Longstaff

Colliery coal filler

 Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Operational Base (OB)

The OB is a standard "Elephant" type shelter built by the 184th (S) Tunnelling Company Royal Engineers completed in Autumn 1942.

The OB is in Elemore Woods close to the Coldwell Burn.

The OB was mainly intact up to 1990 when the estate sold the wood to the Woodland Trust. They filled in the OB for safety reasons. It was used by children avoiding school for many years.

Patrol & OB pictures
Haswell Auxiliary Unit Patrol Mark II Operational Base 6
General view of the site
Haswell Op 3
Observational Post site
Haswell Operational Base The exit to the escape tunnel
Haswell Operational Base exit to the escape tunnel
Haswell OB chamber
Haswell OB chamber
The drop down the bank to a stream
The drop down the bank to a stream
Haswell OB site
Haswell OB site
Haswell OB site
Haswell OB site
Haswell OB The remaining wall of the operational base
Haswell OB remaining wall of the operational base
Haswell OB main chamber
Haswell OB main chamber
Haswell main chamber
Haswell main chamber
Haswell OB The filled in entrance chamber
Haswell OB The filled in entrance chamber
Haswell Observational Post site
Observational Post site
Haswell Operational Base general view of the site
Haswell Operational Base general view of the site
Haswell OB plan
Haswell OB plan
Haswell Operational Base map
Haswell Operational Base map
Durham Haswell Auxiliary Unit Patrol 7
Haswell overlooking site of OB
OB Status
Collapsed with some visible remains
OB accessibility
The OB site is publicly accessible
Location

Haswell Patrol

Patrol Targets

Targets would have included Elemore Hall which used by the Americans during part of the war and could have been a possible German HQ. Other targets included the nearby colliery and railway lines and various nearby collieries along with possible invasion beaches to the east at Seaham.

Training

Some of the Patrol went to Coleshill House to train. More local training took place at Danby Lodge in North Yorkshire with the Intelligence Officer, Castleton with the Green Howards and Finchale practice OB near Durham.

The Patrol trained locally at Cobbler's Quarry.

Weapons and Equipment

It is thought the Patrol were issued with the Mark 2 Auxiliary Unit kit.

Other information

Most of the Patrol worked in the mining industry locally.

There appears to have been an Observation Post (OP) to the west of the OB close to a couple of estate houses above a track through Elemore Woods. The houses have now gone but the OP site looks across open fields in the direction of Wheatley Hill.

References

The National Archives in Kew ref WO199/3389

George Hall ex pub landlord who lived near by

Paul Jarvis,  Alan Jarvis and Ella McGinlay 

Malcolm Gray

1939 Register