Wickhambreaux is a village 4.5 miles east of Canterbury.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant John Francis Montgomery | Farmer |
19 Mar 1941 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Mungo Barr | Farmer |
29 Aug 1941 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Walter Gibson | Hotelier & caterer |
14 Oct 1941 | Sept 1944 |
| Private John Barfield Henderson | Fruit farmer |
29 Jul 1941 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private Alexander Kinghorn Henderson | Fruit farmer |
29 Aug 1941 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private John Harold Hurst Hirst | Fruit farmer |
24 Jan 1943 | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Private John Cochran Robertson | Mixed farmer mainly dairy |
05 Aug 1941 | 03 Dec 1944 |
There was an OB at Wenderton Hoath just off Wenderton Lane. The land belonged to Patrol Leader Frank Montgomery. It has since collapsed. Phil Evans found it some years ago with the help of the gentleman who had it built but there was not much to see apart from a slight dip in the ground. It was dug into the brick earth bank on the west slope above the Wingham River. During its construction there was a collapse of soil due to insufficient shoring and the Royal Engineers lined it with thick corrugated iron. Earth from the excavation and construction was moved across the river on an aerial ropeway and added to fill that had been begun by the Kent River Board as an anti-flooding barrier long before the war started.
There was another OB at Bramling chalk pits, near Wingham.
A plan for a demonstration tour of OBs for Group Commanders in Kent on 9 May 1943 refers to the Mustard OB originally having been built by a Royal Engineers Tunneling Company. In imminent danger of collapsing, it was then rebuilt by the Patrol themselves as a two room OB using a steel shelter (presumably an elephant shelter) and brickwork.
Wickhambreaux Patrol
Mrs Elizabeth Montgomery (widow of Frank Montgomery): “One of their exercises was a raid against a Regular Army base at Seaton. An officer, Mr Kelsey, had dared the Auxiliary Units to try and get in anytime during a specified week. The sentries were expecting the raid and were armed with live rounds. They got through the barbed wire defences, into the guard room, took a rubber stamp and left a note, and then left; undetected. There was a furious row afterwards".
This event is fully described in The Last Ditch. (pages 118-120)
After the war ended, it is believed the arms were dropped down a shaft and covered with spoil at Wingham Colliery, where grain harvesters operated.
Mrs Elizabeth Montgomery (widow of Frank Montgomery); “Wally Gibson, the landlord at The Falstaff in Canterbury, organised a reunion after the war on November 5, 1948. They drove through Canterbury throwing out thunderflashes.”
TNA ref WO199/3391 and WO199/3390
Hancock data held at B.R.A
Phil Evans, James Dack
Adrian Westwood who interviewed Betty Montgomery
Gardner papers via N Bonney