Beaminster is an agricultural village in West Dorset approximately 8 miles from the sea. It straddles the A3066, the main road route north / south in the area.
American Forces were stationed in the area during the build-up to D-Day.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant Walter John Wakely | Farmer |
24 May 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Stanley James Bale | Cowman |
10 Dec 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Victor Archibald Charles Downton | Farm carter |
26 Oct 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Martin Henry Higgins | Farm carter |
23 Oct 1942 | 27 Jul 1943 |
| Private Albert Henry Higgins | Cowman |
26 Nov 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Francis George Ivory | Laboratory assistant |
Unknown | Unknown |
| Private Douglas Hilton Perkins | Manager egg collecting depot |
03 Jul 1940 | 07 May 1943 |
| Private Ernest James Raymond | Farmer |
Unknown | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Walter George Raymond | Assisting Father on farm |
Unknown | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Kenneth Alan Woods | Gentleman farmer |
11 Nov 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
The original OB was in a disused lime kiln in woods. The Patrol had to crawl through the narrow opening to get inside. The remains of a brick built lime kiln are known to exist in the area, just off a steep track, though it is not known if this was the one used by the Patrol.
Later the Army built a typical “Elephant” shelter OB for the Patrol. This had two rooms. There was an entrance concealed by bushes, with steps down into the main chamber. At the far end was a small store, with an escape tunnel made from concrete sewer pipes that also provided ventilation.
Dorset Historian Rodney Legg recorded that Bill Grundy, the Headmaster of North Perrott School near Crewkerne learnt about the OB from his school boys. "They opened a trapdoor, disappearing into rooms with bunks and cupboards. There was a second escape hole, much like a badger sett, but that was blocked.... We were quite amazed with our find at the time"
Watch a video in and around the Beaminster Operational Base:
More photographs of the Operational Base can be found here on Flickr
Beaminster Patrol
Targets included the Beaminster Tunnel, a main route in and out of the area. Its demolition would have caused chaos in 1940. In 2012, with better cars and roads, a landslip that killed two motorists passing through at the time, closed the tunnel for months for repairs resulting in major disruption to the whole area.
Mapperton House was also reconnoitred for demolitions, having been identified as a possible location for a German HQ after an invasion.
The Patrol trained locally on farmland owned by The Raymond brothers at Hewstock Farm. They practised felling trees with explosives on a couple of occasions, in case they needed to block roads. The Patrol members usually operated in pairs during an attack, but would then split and return individually. George Raymond recalled coming across two regular soldiers set as guards for the exercise while coming home. He managed to convince them that he was a farmer on his way to milk the cows at this early hour and was commended by his Patrol leader for doing so successfully. This of course indicates that they were operating in civilian dress.
On one occasion, Frank Ivory, who was less familiar than the others with travelling across country, was making a lot of noise trying to come through a hedge. Patrol Sergeant John Wakely lost his temper in the darkness and shouted at him, only to discover that he was stuck and couldn’t get loose!
The Patrol also attended a weekend course at the local Aux Units HQ at Melcombe Bingham for further training and assessment. Frank Ivory borrowed Dr Hope-Simpson’s well known sports car for transport, which due to a late start, was driven at a frenetic pace across the county. Since Dr Hope Simpson was a Quaker, pacifist and registered contentious objector he was perhaps unaware why the car was being borrowed! At Bingham’s Melcombe they practised with revolvers and slept rough. They were taught how to silently despatch sentries. George Raymond remembers being deaf for several days having done so much firing (no ear defenders on the ranges in WW2!)
John Wakely apparently attended a course at Coleshill House.
In an audio recording held at Beaminster Museum, George Raymond described how the Patrol went for training 'lectures' at Whitchuch Canonicorum which he refers to as the local 'HQ'.
There are stories that the Patrol 'messed' with the American tanks in the run up to D-Day.
Each Patrol member was issued with a Fairbairn Sykes fighting knife, revolver and hand grenades. The advice was to use these as a last resort as they would better survive by creeping away from a target. They also used plastic explosives, made up into a string, just like sausages, so it could be easily wrapped around an object, like a tree or lorry axle.
George Raymond donated his battledress blouse and side cap to Beaminster Museum in 2001 (a super little museum that has limited opening hours and is normally closed between November and March). This is one of only two locations where a genuine Auxiliary Units uniform can be seen on display (the other is at Parham Museum in Suffolk).
Patrol formed 1940 / 41
John Wakely of Cherry Cott Farm was the first to be recruited and chose the other Patrol members. George Raymond, his brother Ernest, Frank Ivory, Stanley Bale from Axnoller and Doug Perkins were the initial members. When Frank and Doug left to join the Army, Vic Downton and Henry Higgins, who both worked at Northfield Farm, replaced them.
Jim House believes his father was in the Patrol. While there is no record of him in the nominall roll, he may well have been an early member.
Steven Lewins
National Archives WO199/3390, 199/3391
Jim and Margaret House of Beaminster
Remembering World War II: West Dorset at War, Bridport Heritage Forum 2005
www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/celebrating/9732165.The_golden_wedding_of_George_and_Eileen_Raymond/
http://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2005/05/beaminster-at-war/
http://www.hannfamily.org.uk/hannfamily-o/p119.htm#i26448
http://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/10149500.display/
Douglas Beazer (Personal communication & OB drawings)
Martyn Allen
Bob Pearson ('Bygone Beaminster' (2019) pubished by Millfield Books)