Scremerston Patrol

County Group
Locality

The Patrol was based at the small mining village of Scremerston to the south of Berwick upon Tweed in north Northumberland. The Patrol was the closest to the coast in Northumberland, only a stones throw from the beach to the east of the OB.

Patrol members
Name Occupation Posted from Until
Sergeant Matthew John Robert Aitchison

Coal hewer

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Sergeant George T. Tait

Professional accounts clerk

Unknown Unknown
Private Matthew Stafford Blackett

Estate agents clerk

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private James Johnson Edminson

Master butcher

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private William Gibson

Miner

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private James S. Nesbitt

Motor driver

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private James Ross

Farmer

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private I. Ross

Farmer

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Operational Base (OB)

The OB was a home made structure built under a cold frame in the garden of the Inland Pastures Farm at Scremerston. Access was under some seed trays which lead to a cellar under the farm house near by. The site may have been filled in.

Patrol & OB pictures
OB Image
Caption & credit
Inland Pastures Farm (from Graham Robson)
OB Status
Largely intact
OB accessibility
This OB is on private land. Please do not be tempted to trespass to see it
Location

Scremerston Patrol

Patrol Targets

One of the main targets was the East Coast main railway line which runs very close to the OB site. Like others in this Group, the A1 main England/Scotland road, which ran through the village, will also have been looked at.

The Port of Berwick, mainly the Tweedmouth and Spittal side of the Tweed, an important coal transport centre at the time as well as the Cocklawburn beach (a possible landing ground), would also have been targeted by the Patrol.

Road bridges over the Tweed will have been useful targets to destroy to slow up the enemy advance.

Training

The Patrol went to Cupar in Fife and Belford with the Army as well as locally around the farm in which the OB was located. The Patrol also attended Otterburn ranges with the Army.

It is thought that one of the Patrol (possibly the Sergeant) also went to Coleshill House. 

Weapons and Equipment

The Patrol was equipped with the Mark 2 Auxiliary Unit kit, a .22 sniper rifle with sights as well as at least one Sten gun. It also had a mixture of hand grenades.

Other information

The Patrol were the first to be formed in Northumberland late in 1940 or early 1941.

The Patrol was made up of farmers and miners. The miners were chosen for their knowledge of use of explosives. The Patrol stored their explosives in the Scremerston Colliery store under the cover of Home Guard use.

The Cat Inn (now Island View) was the meeting place for the Patrol, probably because it was close to Lieutenant. J.W.L. Carmichael's farm.

Sergeant George Tait moved to the Halidon Hill Patrol later in the war after a bit of a resuffle of the Group.

Two members of the Patrol on the "official" list from the National Archives may well have been in the Scremerston or Halidon Hill Patrol. William Crow and William Turnbull both farmed at the New East Farm which is north of Berwick though there may have been another with the same name nearer the Patrol OB during WW2.

References

The National Archives in Kew ref WO199/3388

Hancock data held at B.R.A

1939 Register

Local press

Ex members story