Ashburnham is a scattered village, 5 miles west of Battle in East Sussex.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant Joe Norris | Farmer (mixed) |
01 Aug 1940 | Unknown |
| Lieutenant William Eric Wilcox | Farm bailiff |
23 Sep 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Victor Harry Dibben | Poultry & pig farmer |
30 Apr 1941 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Ronald Charles Whitfield Hart | Dairy farmer |
Unknown | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Douglas Henry Honeysett | Market gardener |
02 Jun 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Bernard John Honeysett | Market gardener |
02 Jun 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Eric Trehearne Johnson | Farmer, smallholder & hotel proprietor |
15 Feb 1941 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Walter John Parsons | Farmer |
30 Oct 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Harold Percy Edward Pitcher | Pig & dairy farmer |
23 Feb 1942 | Unknown |
The first OB is thought to have been blown up after it was initially abandoned. Built in Pannelridge Wood off Lakehurst Lane it was abandoned due to damp and having been discovered by locals.
The second OB built by the Royal Engineers in Hogstyle Wood is partly collapsed, though the main Nissen structure of the OB is mostly intact. The main body was constructed as an underground Nissen structure. There was a 50 foot long concrete emergency escape tunnel that came out by the bank of a stream.
It is thought there were two small underground stores nearby to contain extra food and ammunition.
Ashburnham Patrol
The Ashburnham and Crowhurst Patrols were responsible for a mock attack on the Canadian Army stationed at Battle Abbey. The sentries were overpowered and the Commanding Officer taken prisoner as well as dummy charges being attached to vehicles and fuel supplies.
The Canadians were not best pleased at being made to look inept and so in revenge beat up the local Home Guard at the Chequers Inn having thought them responsible !
It is assumed they trained at the regional HQ at Tottington Manor.
After the 50th Anniversary of stand down a scheme was proposed to recognise the Auxiliary Units by adopting a Ordnance Survey trig point. As a result there is a memorial plaque on trig point near Ninfield Reservoir
The plaque reads “Trig Pillar Ninfield Reservoir, adopted by Peter and Yevette Wilcox and family, April 1995. Dedicated in appreciation of SX 203 Ashburnham Patrol of the British Resistance Movement 1940-1944, known as Auxiliary Units”
Hidden inside the pillar is a sealed time capsule bearing the names of the Ashburnham Patrol.
TNA reference WO199/3391
Hancock data held at B.R.A
1939 Register
'The Secret Sussex Resistance' by Stewart Angell
Mike Ridley.