Stansted Park is an Edwardian country house in the parish of Stoughton, West Sussex near the city of Chichester.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant William Ernest Woolfries | Head gamekeeper |
27 Jun 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Samuel Francis Bate | Farmer |
30 Jun 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Alfred Butler | Gamekeeper |
27 Jun 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private George Huxham | Farmer |
27 Jun 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Gordon Andrew Nancarrow | Dairy farmer |
16 Jul 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Ronald Southwell Peel | Corn & dairy farmer |
20 Jun 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Joseph William Penfold | Kitchen gardener |
27 Jun 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private James William Rowsell | Vegetable produce grower & market gardener |
31 May 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
The Patrol's OB was sited in a shallow chalk pit in the north-eastern end of Stansted Forest. It was built of wood and corrugated iron with one small entrance hatch and an emergency exit tunnel which ran out to the bottom face of the chalk pit.
About 400 yards to the west of the OB, the Patrol had a small underground lookout (OP). Both were connected by a direct telephone line and constructed by the Royal Engineers. The lookout commanded a good view of the main Stansted Road.
The OB is very shallow with only a few inches of soil covering the corrugated iron structure. It can currently be accessed from either end. It is difficult to find although quite close to a public footpath that runs through the wood. The emergency escape tunnel has collapsed but its course can be traced as a ditch running from the chamber with two wooden posts at one end where the door was located.
The lookout point they used when the invasion was expected was Racton Tower.
Stansted Patrol
Localised training often took place within Stansted Forest. This included firing practice with the Patrol's various guns and learning how to make up explosive charges, often joining three together over a given distance so that they would all detonate at the same time.
Former Auxiliers Ron Peel and George Huxham recalled using the OB regularly for overnight stays and the many visits to Tottington Manor as part of their training. Ron Peel also remembered going to Coleshill and having to set fake charges on a plane as part of his basic training.
The Stansted Patrol was the most westerly sited unit in West Sussex.
Stewart Angell and the sons of Joseph Penfold.
Images provided by: REEF from 28 days Later
TNA reference WO199/3391
Hancock data held at B.R.A.
'Secret Sussex Resistance' by Stewart Angell