Summary

Auxiliary Unit Operational Base

Full description

With the expectation of an invasion after the evacuations from Dunkirk, a clandestine organisation was set up to act as a secret “underground” fighting force. Throughout Britain, hundreds of small cells of around six men with knowledge of the local countryside were recruited into this “resistance” army. Their role was to stay hidden until the fighting had passed them by and, coming out at night, to create havoc behind enemy lines. Each cell was quartered in a hidden “operational base” (O.B.) usually built underground. They were equipped with the latest weapons and were trained in all aspects of subterfuge and sabotage. To maintain secrecy the force was given the innocuous title of “auxiliary units”.

There is very little, if any, contemporary documentation on the location of these “Auxiliary O.B.'s”. Any which come to light now are through ex-members of the force or which are discovered accidentally. The “bible” of Auxiliary Unit history, organisation, training and equipment, is “The Last Ditch” by David Lampe, a book which was written in 1968 at a time when the wartime secrecy around these units was still being maintained.

Capt. Keith Seabrook, a man who played a significant part in the organisation of Auxiliary Units throughout East Anglia, was a farmer at Little Leighs. He controlled a network of cells across the countryside, as many as 70 by the disbandment of the force in 1944. His own O.B. is well-known locally. It was built below ground in a huge pit which was surrounded by trees to the S of Goodmans Lane. The construction gang were billeted for two weeks in a cottage in Goodmans Lane. It is thought that perhaps more than one room was built and these typically would have been equipped with bunks, table, stove, toilet, etc. for the troops. During the war, it was discovered by local children who were subsequently sworn to secrecy. Keith Seabrook was awarded the MBE for his wartime services and died in 1977.

Visited in 2006, the pit is some 250 yards S of Goodmans Lane, high on an open hillside. Some of the trees still survive around the edge. The pit itself is c. 80’ in diameter at field level and c. 30’ deep. Since the war a considerable amount of rubbish has been tipped in. There is no indication of where exactly the hideout would have been. Logically, it should have been in the side of the pit rather than the bottom although whether it still survives to any extent is not known. There are a great many rabbit and/or fox holes in the sides and it is interesting to conjecture whether any of these breach through to the O.B. chamber, providing shelter for a new set of inhabitants 60 years after those of its secret wartime past. <1> <2> <3>

Five photos of site. <4>

SITE ASSESSMENT:

It is not known whether anything of the original operational base still survives below ground. If anything should come to light in the future it should be assessed for statutory protection as an important historical WWII site.

<1> Lampe, D, 1968, The Last Ditch (DESC TEXT). SEX62465.

<2> Torry, G, 1985, The Book of Chelmsford (DESC TEXT). SEX65562.

<3> Wright, I, 1995, Auxiliary Unit Operational Base, Gt. & Lt. Leighs (Verbal communication). SEX65561.

<4> Nash, Fred, 2006, Auxiliary Unit Operational Base, Gt. & Lt. Leighs, 5 frames Feb 2006 (Photograph). SEX65560.

Monument Types

• AUXILIARY HIDE (WWII, Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Associated Events

• Visit by Fred Nash - Feb 2006 (Ref: Nash CHL Feb 2006)

Protected Status

• Historic Environment Character Area: Chelmsford 14
• Historic Environment Character Zone: Chelmsford 14.5

Sources and further reading

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