Somerset Group 1 - Admiralty

When war was declared a section of the Admiralty headquarters were moved to Bath. Initially scattered around the city making use of requisitioned hotels, they eventually moved into more suitable locations such as at Fox Hill and purpose built military hutments at Ensleigh, Landsdown Road.

The Civil Engineering Department office had set up in the Domestic Science College at Brougham Hayes in Bath. They had use of the college tennis courts and other facilities. Fortuitously the G.W.R. ran at the rear of the office and the small station halt of Oldfield Park was a few yards up the road. Most of those working with the Admiralty were billeted locally, either with families or in hostels.

The men came from all over the country but as all five Admiralty Patrols were recruited from those working for the Admiralty there was a high turn over of Patrol Members as men were posted elsewhere through work.

Post war they formed an Admiralty 203 Battalion Society and had frequent reunions.

The Admiralty Patrols had a central explosives store in an outbuilding of The Royal School, Lansdown Road, and a second store was built into the bank of the car park on the Ensleigh establishment. Bath. A letter dated 28 Nov 1944 to Spearman reports the Admiralty Patrols trained at Hampton Rocks, Sham Castle, Bath for throwing Self Igniting Phosphorous Grenades. Small arms training was carried out at Ashley Range, Box, Wiltshire.

In Jan 1945 Spearman got into an altercation with a local while he was "engaged in the destruction of redundant training stores at Bathampton Quarry".

A test paper for the Admiralty Patrols is here.

The Admiralty Auxiliary Units were recruited at the time of the Baedeker Air raids on Bath in April 1942 to search bombed buildings for survivors. Captain Aves wrote a report on the men's roles.