In Apr 1943, Victor became engaged to Elizabeth Florence Waring Wintringham of Owmby, the next village. She had been the housekeeper to her uncle there who had died shortly beforehand. The couple married quietly in Grimsby in early June 1943. Elizabeth’s brother was Tom Wintringham, famous as a communist and Spanish Civil War veteran who had set up a training school for the Home Guard at Osterley Park. Eventually this was taken over by the Government and copied at other locations. He taught with a strong emphasis on guerilla warfare. It is not clear if he visited Searby during the war, but in 1949, aged 51, he died at Searby Manor while helping Victor with the harvest.
Victor had farmed Searby Manor in the 1920s before selling up and moving away. George Fiern, father of the Patrol member of the same name, farmed until the the early 1930s and Victor returned a couple of years before the war, following the death of his first wife.
Towards the end of his life, Victor’s health slowly declined. Among his wife’s many helpers at this time was Alf Baker and his wife, the former Auxilier helping far beyond his foreman’s role. Following his death, Mrs Neale sold Searby Manor the year after, moving to a more manageable property.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grasby Patrol | Patrol member | Unknown | Unknown |
Farmer
Victor is recorded on the nominal roll though it is unclear which Patrol he was originally connected with. The Herring family recall he was in the Patrol with George Herring. He is thought to have been in some form of command but he is not recorded as such in official lists. David Clark, who helped build the Lincolnshire OBs recalled he was an officer, but not his rank. He thought he was in the Grasby Patrol, which included Alf Baker, his foreman at Searby Manor, which seems more likely. Possibly both are true as in some areas Patrols were reformed from exisiting Auxiliers mid war.
It is possible that having been alongside the Scout Section for several years before their reduction, and with his links to Tom Wintringham, that he became some sort of training officer, though we have no firm evidence of this. That would explain why he does not appear on the Patrol listings.
In October 1940, he was summoned to Brigg Police Court for driving without a licence. His vehicle was marked OHMS (On His Majesty’s Service) and he explained he had been instructed by an (unnamed) officer of a local unit to use his car in conjunction with work for those units, and he would take responsibility for this. The Chairman did show him some sympathy however, dismissing the case when Victor agreed to the pay the costs of 4 shillings. It is very likely that this related to Auxilier Units and Captain Hamilton-Hill was the officer concerned.
TNA ref WO199/3389,
1939 Register
Edith and Roland Barrick
Grimsby Daily Telegraph 15 Oct 1940, 3 Apr 1941, 14 Apr 1943, 16 Jun 1943, 27 Apr 1973
Louth and North Lincolnshire Advertiser 26 Aug 1949