Manston village lies 2.5 miles west of Ramsgate.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant John Archibald Montgomery | Farming in partnership with father |
Unknown | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Norman Charles Austen | Farm steward |
Unknown | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private George Lewis Goodhew | 09 Jul 1941 | 03 Dec 1944 | |
| Private Horace Hancock | Lorry driver |
20 Feb 1941 | 06 May 1943 |
| Private Robert Motion Montgomery | Farming in partnership with father |
Unknown | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Frederick Edward Broadley Stephens | Farm worker for father |
20 Feb 1941 | 20 Jun 1943 |
| Private Thomas Wing | Bricklayer |
31 Oct 1943 | 03 Dec 1944 |
A letter sent to Captain Gardener dated 12 April 1943 describes the OB as being built that year by the Canadian Engineers with two entrances made by the Patrol. "It is a fine example of the [standard] now aimed at by H.Q".
It was built at Thorne Farm where adjoining was an old underground chapel dating back to the 17th Century. A tunnel linked the OB and the underground chapel. The OB was entered by stepping into an open well head and climbing down a short way. A hole in the side led along a short passage into a large room, fully equipped with military stores and arms. There was an alternative entrance/exit beneath a large slab of chalk, mounted on rollers, on the floor of the underground chapel. Flooding and seepage has made the chamber inaccessible.
The Kent Historic Environmental Record describes it as; A set of tunnels and rooms cut into the chalk with originally three entrances about 30 feet below the surface.
Manston (Maize) Patrol
Manston Aerodrome was a target.
Trips to Coleshill were arranged for a couple of the Patrol members. They also went to The Garth as well as Quex Park which was used for shooting practice. Patrols in this group are known to have carried out training against local army units.
County heats for the County Patrol competition took place 12 Sept 1943. The top ten scoring Patrols competed to represent Kent on Sunday 19th September. Maize was in the top ten. "Maize had just a generally high standard in all events and so had Savoy. You will notice as a matter of interest that each won only one event - Dummy Grenades - in which they tied". Maize came first with 48 points.
4th December 1943 they won the National Final at Coleshill and became Champion Patrol of Great Britain.
John Montgomery, Robert Montgomery and Norman Austin were originally part of Norman Steed's Patrol ‘Savoy’ but were asked to form a new Patrol in 1943 with new recruits as it was decided that more Patrols were needed in the area.
TNA ref WO199/3391 and WO199/3390
Hancock data held at B.R.A
Phil Evans
Adrian Westwood
Norman Bonney for Captain Gardner's Papers.