Butleigh village is situated near to Glastonbury and Street.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant Leonard Bond Haimes | Highways foreman SCC |
31 May 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Frederick Charles Ball | Boot & shoe maker |
27 May 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Robert Charles Burrough | Farm worker - general milking |
08 Nov 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private William Harding | Water works plumber |
Unknown | Unknown |
| Private Stanley Jesse Higgins | Bricklayer's labourer later grocer |
09 Feb 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Henry George Marsh | General farm labourer |
08 Aug 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Herbert James Whitehead | Cycle dealer |
Unknown | Unknown |
The Operational Base was located in Catwell Wood, on the Granville Estate, Butleigh Wootton. “Cedar Walk” is a well known local landmark of a mile long avenue of Lebanese Cedars which runs through the Wood.
It is known the Operational Base was destroyed and dug out after the war. There are two possible sites within Catwell Wood, the first being a 22 foot by 11 foot depression filled with loose soil. This is in the far west corner away from Cedar Walk. The other possible site is a 20 foot by 12 foot depression on the north east side of the wood, close to the ditch on the edge of the wood and 280 foot from the nearest tree making up Cedar Walk.
Harold Lane of Ebbor Patrol remembered helping to dig the OB site and his son Mark remembered waiting in the car near the “avenue of trees”, most likely while it was being destroyed.
In the past a possible OB site was recorded at Combe Hill (other side of the road to Butleigh Wood on the map) but upon investigation of the site these remains are most likely connected to the pre-existing rifle range in the same area. The site has been documented so if any further evidence relating to this as being an OB comes forward, this can be reviewed. (Somerset Historic Environment Record ref 15636).
Butleigh Patrol
Obvious local targets would include the roads A37 Fosse Way from Dorchester to Bristol, the A39 and A361 from the North Devon coast along with the B3151 from south towards Street and the B3153 east to west.
Other targets could have included railway lines around Somerton and Glastonbury and military camps in Street and Glastonbury.
Group 11 were trained by the Scout Section for North and East Somerset based at the stables of Southill House, Cranmore under, initially Lt John McCue (Wiltshire Regiment) and later Lt Keith Salter (6th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry).
The regular Home Guard units used a pre-existing rifle range and training area on the bottom slope of Combe Hill on the Compton Dundon side. This could have been used by the Patrol also.
Home Guard records show the men were “transferred to Aux Unit - 4th April 1941” and a note made at a reunion after Stand Down records Haimes, Burrough and Ball all served “since formation”. Whitehead and Harding are noted as “former members”.
This appears to indicate Butleigh was a later Patrol, formed after Baltonsborough Patrol was disbanded in April 1941.
Lieutenant Edward Harrison was a geography teacher and assistant Headmaster at Wells Cathedral School and seems to have recruited quite a few ex-pupils into the Patrols under his command.
The Patrols of Group 11 under Lieutenant Harrison: Dinder Patrol, Green Ore (Wells) Patrol, Ebbor Patrol and Butleigh Patrol met at The Bekynton Cafe in Wells on Friday 15th December 1945 for a reunion meal. The men enjoyed steamed cod and parsley sauce with peas and Brussels sprouts. Pudding was damson pie and custard and they were each presented with a letter of thanks from the Commander in Chief Home Forces, General Sir Harold Franklyn.
They met again on Thursday 19th December 1946 at Wickenden's Restaurant where the Wells Journal openly calls them Aux Units.
TNA ref WO199/3390 and WO 199/3391
Hancock data held at B.R.A
Donald Brown Research for “Somerset vs Hitler” and Defence of Britain Database.
Mr Charles Rendell
“The Somerset Home Guard, a Pictorial Roll Call”, by Jeffrey Wilson.
Somerset Heritage Environment Record ref 11293, 15636, 16671, 42393
Newspapers and 1939 Register
Mrs B Butt – daughter of Sergeant Haimes