CART Auxiliary Unit Research

County Group

Locality

Westow is a village in Ryedale district on the North Yorkshire Moors, not far from Malton.

Patrol members

Name	Occupation	Posted from	Until
Sergeant Fred Hodgson	Labourer	1942	03 Dec 1944
Sergeant Wilfred E. Parker	Farmer	Unknown	1942
Corporal Herbert Spenceley	Tractor driver	Unknown	1943
Private Charles Edward Cook	Joiner	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private Charles William Cook	Auctioneers clerk	Unknown	Unknown
Private Wilfred Dennis Cook	Joiner with father	Unknown	1944
Private Sidney Hodgson	Farm worker	Unknown	03 Dec 1944
Private Ernest Lee		Unknown	Sept 1941
Private Bernard Reginald Wardle	Farmer	Unknown	1943
Private Leslie Wray	Farmer	Unknown	1943

Operational Base (OB)

The Operations Base is located in Howsham Wood to the west of Westow, on a bank side above the nearby railway line. It was an Elephant type shelter built by the Royal Engineers. The corrugated tin has gone but the end walls and outline of an escape tunnel remain. One rung of a metal ladder is just visible in the remains of the entrance shaft. There may be more if the site was dug out. The OB is within mature trees on a downward slopping bank

They also had a one man Observation Post 200 yards south east of the OB on Spy Hill.

Patrol & OB pictures

Westow O.P. on Spy Hill thanks to Mike Shaw

Westow OP on Spy Hill (from Mike Shaw)

Westow OB (from Mike Shaw)

Group No 3 Westow members Sid Hodgson rear 2nd from left. Dennis and Charlie Cook rear right and Sgt Fred Hodgson front centre next to Lt Bob Sisterson

Group 3. Westow members Sid Hodgson rear 2nd from left. Dennis and Charlie Cook rear right and Sgt Fred Hodgson front centre next to Lt Bob Sisterson

OB Status

Collapsed with few visible remains

OB accessibility

The OB site is publicly accessible

Location

Westow Patrol

Patrol Targets

Targets would have included the town of Malton which is the main cross roads over the North Yorkshire Moors, roads from the coast to the east along with the Scarborough to York railway and the river Derwent crossings.

Military targets would have included RAF Cottam, Firby Manor, the German / Italian POW camp at Norton and Castle Howard, a probable German HQ.

Training

The training was done locally on farms and in Howsham Woods and at Wetherby. Training with other Patrols also took place at Danby Lodge with the Intelligence Officer, Middleton Headquarters with the Scout Section and at a large Home Guard and Regulars summer camp at Guisborough

Some members went to Coleshill House for specialist courses.

Weapons and Equipment

The Patrol were known to have been issued with; Thompson Sub Machine Guns, Sten guns, .38 Smith and Wesson Revolvers, .22 Sniper rifle and a Canadian Ross .300 Rifle. Fairburn Sykes knives and a Cosh.

Other information

The Patrol had a lot of members through it during the war, ending up with a four-man Patrol in 1944. This however went down to three when Private Wilfred Dennis Cook went to the RAF late in the war.

The Patrol were formed late in 1940 or early in 1941. Auxiliary Intelligence Office (I/O) Guy Atkinson picked out Lieutenant Bob Sisterson and Sergeant Henry Milsom from the Wharram Patrol. They were both members of the Home Guard before being chosen to form the Group Patrols.

References

Alan Williamson's "East Ridings Secret Resistance"

Mike Shaw for the leg work and photos

TNA ref WO199/3389

Hancock data held at B.R.A

1939 Register

Andy Gwynne