Scout Sections around Britain

Around April 1943, the numbers of men in the Scout Sections were reduced. In most areas this meant combining the two existing Scout Sections in a county. This seems to have happened in Cornwall and Devon, with the evidence being a list of men found in the files of the British Resistance Museum at Parham. This details the men of this unit, including men from both Devon and Cornwall. Most likely they will have been been members of the relevant preceding Scout Section, but it is not possible to be certain.

The Scout Section was made of Regular Army soldiers with a Lieutenant in command. Their role was train the Home Guard patrols, but also to go to ground themselves in the event of an invasion. 

During early 1943, the Scout Sections were cut back significantly, with only a dozen men remaining for the whole county. Later still they are likely to have reduced to just four men until being finally disbanded in mid 1944.

The Scout Section was made up of Regular Army soldiers with a Lieutenant in command. Their role was train the Home Guard patrols, but also to go to ground themselves in the event of an invasion.

In April 1943, the Scout Sections were reduced in size, with the two sections apparently combining to create a single joint section. This included men from both previous sections and the last two Lovat Scouts who remained in Kent.

The Scout Section was made of Regular Army soldiers with a Lieutenant in command. Their role was train the Home Guard patrols, but also to go to ground themselves in the event of an invasion.

In April 1943, the Scout Sections were reduced in size, with the two sections combining to create a single joint section. This included men from both previous sections, the East Sussex and West Sussex Scout sections.

In "The Last Ditch", Capt Stuart Edmundson, the first Intelligence Officer for Devon and Cornwall, recalled that he had set up the patrols in his area before receiving any help from Coleshill. Two subalterns arrived first, shortly before the area was split into two. The rest of the Scout Sections arrived after this. The first Cornwall Intelligence Officer was John Dingley who was posted Scout Section Officer for Cornwall on 15th November 1940, which approximately dates the setting up of these two Scout Sections.

In "The Last Ditch", Capt Stuart Edmundson, the first Intelligence Officer (IO) for Devon and Cornwall, recalled that he had set up the patrols in his area before receiving any help from Coleshill. Two subalterns arrived first, shortly before the area was split into two. The rest of the Scout Sections arrived after this. The first Cornwall IO was John Dingley who was posted Scout Section Officer for Cornwall on 15th November 1940, which approximately dates the setting up of these two Scout Sections.

Like most larger counties, Norfolk had two Scout Sections. The Scout Section for the east of Norfolk was provided by the Royal Norfolk Regiment.

The Scout Section was made of Regular Army soldiers with a Lieutenant in command. Their role was train the Home Guard patrols, but also to go to ground themselves in the event of an invasion.

Tom Colquitt was a former LDV/Home Guard, from Widnes, Cheshire. He provided a lengthy account of his time with the Scout Section which forms the basis of this report.

It has been assumed that, since Suffolk and Essex were one area for Auxiliary Units, it would have had two Scout Sections. A good deal is known about the Suffolk Scout Section, but it is not known for sure if there was one in Essex. If so, it was probably formed from the Essex Regiment.

The original Scout Section in Kent was formed from the Lovat Scouts. However their commanders were very keen to keep the regiment together as it had been used piecemeal in World War One and were unhappy with the Kent section being detached from the main body of the regiment in the Faeroes. It appears that they were replaced by the London Scottish, though two of the Lovat’s NCOs remained behind as part of the training staff.

The Territorial soldiers of The Lovats Scouts were chosen to provide the training staff for XII Corps Observation Unit. The Lovat Scouts were recruited in the Highlands and Islands, particularly from ghillies, keepers and other Highland estate staff. The Scouts had been a mounted unit, but lost their horses early on in the war. In the First World War they had become a specialist sniper unit and were the first British troops to use the Ghillie suit - a camouflage outfit for snipers to break up their outline.

It appears that the South & West Somerset Scout Section moved wholesale from Somerset to Northumberland in June 1941. It isn’t clear why this happened and it doesn’t appear to have occurred elsewhere in the country. So far as is known there was no other Northumberland Scout section.

Both Lieutenants Gough and Thouron were remembered by Doxford patrol member Hedley Dixon. The latter was considered an expert with firearms

This was drawn from the Royal Scots Regiment. At present very little is known about the unit. It is thought to have been one one of two Scout Sections in Fife and Angus.

The Scout Section was made of Regular Army soldiers with a Lieutenant in command. Their role was train the Home Guard patrols, but also to go to ground themselves in the event of an invasion.

This was drawn from the Royal Scots Regiment. At present very little is known about the unit. It is thought to have been one one of two Scout Sections in Fife and Angus.

The Scout Section was made of Regular Army soldiers with a Lieutenant in command. Their role was train the Home Guard patrols, but also to go to ground themselves in the event of an invasion.

The allocation of Scout Sections in Scotland is far less well established than for England. There were certainly Scout Section officers from Highland regiments and regulars serving in the Highlands and Western Isles with Auxiliary Units. However it is not clear if the Highlands area had one or two Scout Sections or a different structure entirely.

Suffolk and Essex was initially a single area within the Auxiliary Units structure. The first Intelligence Officer for the area, Captain Andrew Croft, recalled that he was sent a lieutenant and about a dozen soldiers to help him. It is thought that this was the Suffolk Scout Section. Captain Croft left Auxiliary Units in early December 1940, confirming that the Scout Section was in place by then.

In the New Forest part of Hampshire, the Scout section was formed from the Wiltshire Regiment.

The Scout Section was made of Regular Army soldiers with a Lieutenant in command. Their role was train the Home Guard patrols, but also to go to ground themselves in the event of an invasion.

This was apparently formed by Captain G R McNicholl in 1942. It is believed to have been formed from the Royal West Kent Regiment. However, a couple of sources mention men of the Queens (West Surrey) Regiment serving in Kent from 1940, though they also had a Scout Section in East Sussex. It is not clear if these men transferred to the West Kent’s or if the Scout Section was made up on men from multiple regiments. It is also possible that the Kent and Sussex units cooperated on exercises.