CART Auxiliary Unit Research

County Group

Locality

The Patrol was based in north Northumberland near the coast, not far from Seahouses and Beadnell.

Patrol members

Name	Occupation	Posted from	Until
Sergeant Harrison George Hodgson	Farmer	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Captain Joseph Robinson	Farmer	Unknown	Unknown
Private George Coxon Gregory	Farmer	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private Frederick Hoult		Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private Adam Pyle	Small holder & council road repair man	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private Frederick Rogerson	Farm worker & gardener assisting father	Unknown	03 Dec 1944

Operational Base (OB)

The Patrol OB was a standard "elephant" type shelter built by the 184th Special Tunnelling Company of the Royal Engineers.

It was built into the cellar of a requisitioned cottage to the north of Brunton airfield, the house was demolished to hide the OB. It had an escape tunnel that ran into the Tughall Burn.

The site was blown up at the end of the war and now little remains.

Patrol & OB pictures

Entrance shaft remains

Remaining field drain air vent

Shaft and vent

Swinhoe Patrol OB shaft

OB site, the escape tunnel runs off to the right

OB Status

Destroyed

OB accessibility

This OB is on private land. Please do not be tempted to trespass to see it

Location

Swinhoe Patrol

Patrol Targets

The East Coast main railway line and Chathill to Seahouses branch line will have been key targets as will have the A1 main England to Scotland road.

Doxford Hall, Army H.Q and Bletchley Park out post with research radar, will also have been targets. Ellingham Hall and Fallodon Hall had both been identified as possible German HQ's.

There were probable invasion beaches at Beadnell and Seahouses that the Patrol will have covered as well as the harbours at Seahouses and Beadnell and RAF Brunton (heavy bomber base).

Training

Some of the Patrol went to Coleshill House for specialist courses. They also trained locally at the OB and at Captain "Peter" Robinson's farm

The Patrol will have also trained with the Army at Belford and Otterburn Ranges with the Army, some went to Cupar in Fife for Commando training.

Weapons and Equipment

The Patrol was equipped with .45 Colt pistols, a .22 sniper rifle, Thompson sub Machine Guns and the Mark 2 Auxiliary Units kit.

Other information

Sergeant Fred Kinch of Alnwick Patrol found the OB while out with the Percy Hunt. One of the hounds went up the escape tunnel. He quickly got the dog out and moved the hunt on.

It was 40 years after the war before the occupiers of the demolished cottage found out why they were moved.

The Patrol met in an empty house in Seahouses before the OB was built.

References

Jane Hall daughter of James Robinson

The National Archives in Kew ref WO199/3388

Hancock data held at B.R.A

1939 Register

Danny Moralee