Kirby Bedon Patrol

The site of the OB is located on strictly private farmland belonging to the Crown Point Estate. The land was accessed by kind permission of the owner.

The OB was located in a shed used for storing apple boxes and crates, in one of the extensive orchards adjoining The Grange in the 1940s. It was accessed through a trapdoor in the floor which opened to a drop-down shaft with rungs serving as a ladder. The main chamber adjoined at the bottom of the shaft, with a short passage leading into it. The OB had no emergency exit.

The Grange was razed to the ground at sometime after 1946. No buildings remain. The farm, outbuildings and sheds and the surrounding orchards can be seen on an aerial photograph taken by the RAF in 1946 (Norfolk County Council’s E-map Explorer). The land is still being farmed but the orchards have long since been turned into arable.

Mr Simon Mitchell - son of Group Commanding Officer Captain Mitchell, who farmed The Grange in the 1940s - kindly assisted us in finding the location. With the aid of an old detailed map of the area and thanks to Mr Mitchell’s guidance, we were able to establish the exact location of the OB, currently in the corner of a field. Although the shed that housed it has long since been removed, along with all other buildings on the property, it is possible that the underground structure is still in place. Apart from a slight depression no trace remains on the ground.