Sevenoaks Headquarters

Location
Sevenoaks, Kent
Type
Control
Special Duties Personnel
Role Name Posted from Until
Civilian secretary Mrs Ivy Murial Bertha Wellband 1941 1944
Intelligence Officer Captain Robert Fraser 15 Jul 1940 07 Jul 1944
Station description

According to Ivy Wellband, the Kent and Sussex Special Duties Headquarters was in a country house near Sevenoaks, based upstairs, with another Army unit downstairs. 

There were apparently 14 men based here. The officers did not wear uniform, though the other ranks did. The Special Duties Intelligence Officers have been reported to work in civilian clothes. The Royal Signals men are known to have worked from a property in Sevenoaks itself, behind the cinema, a very different description. This suggests that the Headquarters men were administrative staff for the operation of the Network. To date no soldiers undertaking this role have been identified anywhere to know which corps they might be drawn from.

There were files with details about all the personnel in the network. There was file kept in a locked cupboard with instructions to be read in case of invasion. 

One possible location for this site was “Shenden” a large house on Weald Road in Sevenoaks, set in 5 1/2 acres. This is known to have been used for Army Offices during the war. It was the Headquarters for the Home Counties Area and there was also a pigeon unit on the site. “Shenden” was demolished after the war for housing.

Station Status
Destroyed
Map Location

Sevenoaks Headquarters

References