Scampston Patrol

County Group
Yorkshire (East Riding) Group 2
Locality

Scampston village lies just north of the A64 road, approximately 4.5 miles east of Malton.

Patrol members
Name Occupation Posted from Until
Sergeant Joseph Allanby

Timber lorry driver

 Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Corporal Herbert Batty

Timber merchant & Builder

 Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private Alexander Burrows

Vermin controller

 Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private Frank Burrows

Joiner

 Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private Sidney Temple

Bacon curer

 Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Operational Base (OB)

The Patrol were close to the river Derwent and nearer the southern edge of the North Yorkshire Moors than the other Patrols in Group 2.

The Patrol had an OB on the Scampston Hall Estate. It is suspected they used the estate ice house as the OB and explosives store. The ice house had a standard entry aisle. What looks to be an escape tunnel has been hacked out of an internal wall.

The ice house stands in land adjacent to a spring fed lake. It is approximately 30 feet from the lake side and is fenced off and blocked off from passers by who walk the lakes.

Inside the ice house are the remains of a stove grate along with large bunk bed frames big enough for two men.

No Observational Post has been found however traces of telephone cable within the ice house tells us that an OP could be nearby.

Lieutenant Henry Towse, the Group Commander, was the Head Gamekeeper of Scampston Hall where we suspect the OB was located. It would have been an obvious choice for him has he knew this land and that the ice house was out of the way of prying eyes. The rumour of it being an explosive store was more than likely a cover story for what was really happening here.

 

Patrol & OB pictures
Telephone cable attached to a wall Spike. Note the candle scorch marks.
Telephone cable attached to a wall Spike. Note the candle scorch marks.
Suspected escape tunnel. This has been hacked out of the wall and would of been big enough for a man to have exited through. We could not find where it surfaced.
Suspected escape tunnel. This has been hacked out of the wall and would of been big enough for a man to have exited through. We could not find where it surfaced.
Possible bunk bed frames of substantial size.
Possible bunk bed frames of substantial size. Two men could have used these in comfort.
OB Status
Largely intact
OB accessibility
This OB is on private land. Please do not be tempted to trespass to see it
Location

Scampston Patrol

Patrol Targets

The Patrol were to target the main road from the coast to the east as this would be the quickest route for an invading army to travel across Yorkshire to take York and the surrounding RAF airfields.

Targets would have included the Scarborough to Malton railway line along with crossing points on the river Derwent.

Castle Howard would have been a likely German HQ if the invasion was successful. Scampston Hall could also be useful as a German area HQ or POW camp.

Training

The Patrol trained at Scampston Hall near the OB. They also went to Middleton on the Wolds, the Group Intelligence Officers Headquarters. It is thought some training was done with the Green Howards.

Sergeant Allanby may have gone to Coleshill House for specialist training.

Weapons and Equipment

Weapons issued to the Patrol included; .22 Remington or Winchester rifle with sights, .45 Colt pistols or .38 Smith & Wesson pistols and Fairbairn Sykes fighting knives.

Some captured Lugars were also issued to the Yorkshire Patrols. These were popular as they used the same 9mm ammunition as the Sten Machine Gun.

References

TNA ref WO199/3389

Hancock data held at B.R.A

1939 Register

Andy Gwynne

Local press