The Milfield Patrol was located in north Northumberland near the town of Wooler.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second Lieutenant Robert Teague Dryden | Farmer |
1941 | Unknown |
| Sergeant Joseph Pearson Tiplady | Farmer |
1941 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private James Douglas H. Allan | Tractor driver |
1941 | 1944 |
| Private Michael Alain Allan | Cattleman |
1941 | 1944 |
| Private Thomas Carson | Ploughman - foreman |
1941 | 1944 |
| Private John Collins | Lorry driver
|
1941 | 1944 |
The Patrol's OB was started by the 184th (S) Tunnelling Company Royal Engineers though not completed by them. This duty fell to the Intelligence Officer to organise as the 184th Company Royal Engineers were redeployed to the Ipswich area of East Anglia to build beach defences in Autumn 1942. Major S.V. Griffith of the Royal Engineers instructed the Intelligence Officer to complete the building and it is thought the Patrol members finished the job.
The OB was a standard "Elephant" type shelter and located on the edge of RAF Milfield in a gravel pit.
Milfield Patrol
The Patrol was in an area that was a possible airborne attack site so almost anything up to and along the Scottish border was considered a possible target.
Other targets included RAF Milfield (west side only as the east side was covered by another Patrol at Kimmerston). Bridges (rail and road) over the rivers Till, Tweed and Glen would have been key targets as will have Middleton Hall, Ford Castle, Barmoor Castle which were all possible German HQs. The cross border roads and the Coldstream to Berwick and Wooler to Alnwick branch railway lines will have also been key targets.
The Patrol trained locally at Shielow Castle with the original Norwegian Instructors that were with Intelligence Officer Captain Tony Quayle. Also at Middleton Hall and Belford with the Army.
Several of the Patrol went to Coleshill House and attended courses in unarmed combat, fieldcraft and explosives use.
The Patrol was issued the standard issue Mark 2 Auxiliary Unit kit and .22 Sniper rifle with telescopic sights, pistols and truncheons.
Some of the Patrol went to Balmoral to Guard the Royal Family. The Patrol also went to the Isle of Wight as part of the island garrison just before D-Day.
The National Archives in Kew ref WO199/3388
Hancock data held at B.R.A
1939 Register
Newcastle Journal
Snippets of information from Patrol Members.