The Patrol was known by the name Snapper which is a small, scattered hamlet 2 miles from Barnstaple.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant Hedley Harris | Forest nurseryman |
20 Jul 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Corporal Norman Hastings Grey | Drapery salesman |
10 Jul 1942 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Frederick George Ewens | Bread maker |
12 Sep 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Claude Gould | Cabinet maker. |
08 Jun 1942 | 16 Apr 1943 |
| Private Frederick Harding | Farmer |
31 Jul 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Frederick Michael Harding | Farm worker |
23 May 1943 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private William Joseph Lerwill | Butcher |
14 May 1940 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private William Richard Shapter Libbey | Foreman - Pastry cook and confectioner |
10 Aug 1942 | 26 May 1943 |
| Private Arthur Ambrose Seymour | Motor engineer |
01 Jun 1940 | 21 Jan 1943 |
It is thought the OB was in a hedge at Shirwell built in a hollowed out hedge, somewhere on the high ground behind Shirwell Mill. It also had a phone line from it to the farmhouse at Shirwell Mill. After the war they dumped the remains from the OB down a old mine shaft nearby.
Snapper (Barnstaple) Patrol
Many Auxiliers from Group 1 have recounted the story of a practice raid on RAF Chivenor.
Road and rail targets around the Barnstaple area including the A39, A361 and the A377 would have disrupted all supply routes from the town and the River Taw.
Two (possibly three) bridges on the previously-closed Lynton & Barnstaple Railway near Snapper were blown up during World War Two, as well as a similar number further along the line near Bratton Fleming. The war diary of the 3rd Chemical Warfare Group of the Royal Engineers, which was billeted on Exmoor for a while, records cryptically: "9-12 January 1941 - Company night shoots on Exmoor and Bridge demolition on Lynton Barnstaple railway." Frustratingly it doesn't say which bridges or why. Locals remember hearing explosions and being told that the military were "practising" but it is wondered whether some of the bridges might have been demolished by Auxiliary Units.
In his memoirs Bert Verney (Tawstock) recalled he trained with 4 Patrols in Group 1.
It is assumed they had access to the standard kit, arms and explosives.
TNA ref WO199/3391
Hancock data held at B.R.A
1939 Register
The late Auxilier Bert Verney from his book “Reflections – A trilogy of memories” ISBN 1 874448 20 5
The memories of the late Auxilier Geoff Bradford
Preston Isaac