Somerley is a house and park 2.5 miles north-west of Ringwood.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company Sergeant Major John Harry Burrett | Estate clerk |
10 Jun 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Vivian John Debben | Vehicle fitter |
11 Aug 1941 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Arthur William Frederick Hudspith | Plumber |
18 Sep 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Norman Henry Malins Jones | Marine engineer (1919) |
10 Jun 1940 | 08 Mar 1943 |
| Private William Alexander Rabbets. | Gardener |
10 Jun 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Edward Rands | Accounts clerk |
22 Nov 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Robert Bryan Rowson | Charted electrical engineer |
23 Feb 1943 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Sydney William Warwick | Forestry Commission worker |
13 Jul 1940 | 10 Dec 1942 |
| Private Frank Warwick | Forestry Commission foreman |
20 Jun 1940 | 11 Mar 1943 |
In the 1980s, an underground bunker typical for an Auxiliary Units Operational Base (OB) was found on the remains of RAF Ibsley, which formed part of the Somerley Estate. This has subsequently been destroyed by gravel extraction.
The airfield construction did not start until late in 1940 and it did not open until February 1941. It may be that the OB was built before it was realised the airfield was coming. This was not on the main airfield, but nearby and part of the accommodation site for defensive antiaircraft gun sites nearby.
It is likely a second OB would have been built at this point elsewhere on the estate. Peter Probert (son of Sergeant Probert-Ringwood A Patrol) recalls that there was an underground bunker in the woods near Somerley House. It is thought an OB could have been built under the Estate sawmills.
Somerley Patrol
TNA ref WO199/3391
Hancock data held at B.R.A
1939 Register
Mark Samson (author of The Secret Army, a book about Lincolnshire Auxilary Units) personal correspondence
http://www.ibsleytower.info/page3.html