CART Auxiliary Unit Research

County Group

Locality

Settrington is a small village 3 miles south-east of Malton.

Patrol members

Name	Occupation	Posted from	Until
Sergeant William Samuel Eggleton	Gamekeeper	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Corporal Harold Hugill	Market gardener	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private Charles William Hodgson	Farm labourer	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private Kenneth Pulleine Pickersgill	Farmer	Unknown	Unknown
Private John James Scott	Gamekeeper	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private James Watson Sleightholm	Shepherd	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private Roland Gilbert Walden	Farm bailiff	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private Samuel Raymond Wardell	Farmer	Unknown	03 Dec 1944

Operational Base (OB)

The Patrol OB was at Nine Springs Dale roughly half way between Settringham and Duggleby and to the east of North Grimston.

In the past there have been reported scattered remains of corrugated iron. It is known the OB was destroyed and nothing remains on the site today.

The wood present today was planted later but the hillside at the time would have been covered with large thorn bushes. There is a spring nearby that may have been used for fresh water.

Patrol & OB pictures

Settrington OB site (from John Harrison)

OB Status

Destroyed

Location

Settrington Patrol

Patrol Targets

The Patrol targets were the Malton to Driffield railway. This supplied the RAF bases to the south east including RAF Driffield and Cottam. The military plan was for the Group Patrols to harass, control and observe the roads from the coast as this would be the quickest route from the landing beaches to York and the RAF airfields in the surrounding area.

Other targets included the crossing point on the river Derwent and Castle Howard, a likely German H.Q if the invasion was successful.

Training

The Patrol trained locally in the woodland around the OB. As a group they trained at Middleton on the Wolds the Group Intelligence Officer's Headquarters. It is thought some exercises were carried out with the Green Howards.

Sergeant Eggleton may have gone to Coleshill for specialist training.

Weapons and Equipment

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

Some captured Lugars were also issued to the Yorkshire Auxiliary Units. These were popular as the used the same ammunition as the later issued Sten Machine Gun.

References

TNA ref WO199/3389

Hancock data held at B.R.A

1939 Register

John Harrison

Andy Gwynne

Local Press

East Ridings Secret Resistance by Alan Williamson