Pimperne Patrol

Locality

Pimperne is a village a civil parish, and lies on Cranborne Chase 2 miles north-east of the town of Blandford Forum.

Peter Shiner recounted how his father Bill and uncles John Shiner and Eric Lucas were all in the Patrol together.

Patrol members
Name Occupation Posted from Until
Sergeant Harold George Legg

Iron Moulder (Barber)

Unknown 03 Dec 1944
Private Leonard Archibald Scott Bastin

Farrier (Blacksmith)

01 Jun 1940 03 Dec 1944
Private Frederick Harry Berry

Farm Labourer

11 Jan 1943 03 Dec 1944
Private Harry James Duffett

Cowman

09 Aug 1942 03 Dec 1944
Private John Hall

Motor driver and mechanic

19 Oct 1940 1944
Private Harold Levi Joyce

Farm Carter

01 Jun 1940 03 Dec 1944
Private Walter Eric Lucas

Builders Labourer

01 Jun 1940 03 Dec 1944
Private William Edwin Arthur Shiner

Tractor driver

16 Jun 1941 03 Dec 1944
Private Stephen John Shiner

Farm Carter

01 Jun 1940 03 Dec 1944
Operational Base (OB)

Leonard Bastin described the OB as an "elephant shelter" suggesting it was of standard construction. Bill Shiner pointed out to his son a location in a wood at Stourpaine. This was confirmed by a record of an underground structure identified by the Defence of Britain Project from a list of claims made post war for wartime constructions on private land. This described the site as in a small copse, 100 yards off the main Shaftesbury Road. The location was alongside the original showground for the Great Dorset Steam Fair, though in recent years the copse has been developed for a caravan site. The report said that there was a shaft down, a Nissen hut like underground structure and a concrete pipe tunnel, presumably the escape tunnel. In the 1949 report it was described as being in a dangerous condition.

In the past, attempts to gain access to search for the OB have been unsuccessful.

OB Status
Destroyed
Location

Pimperne Patrol

Training

The Patrol trained with other Patrols in the same group and on occasion they visited other OBs in the area. Bill Shiner knew the location of the OBs of the Child Okeford and Stourpaine Patrols.

Weapons and Equipment

Leonard Bastin's son reported that he had a rifle with telescopic sights, most likely to have been a .22 rifle as known to be issued to other Patrols. He also had a Commando knife, the Fairbairn Sykes dagger.