Hampshire was one of the largest Auxiliary Units areas, based on the number of Patrols. It would therefore be expected to have two Scout Sections. The Wiltshire Regiment provided one section that was based in the New Forest. The other, was formed from the Hampshire regiment, at least early on in the war. There is some evidence for the involvement of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Chalton Patrol Auxilier John Budden refers to men of this Regiment being involved in their training and also providing transport to Coleshill House.
The Southwick Patrol Diary contains a couple of references to the Scout Section. On 15 Nov 1942 the Patrol take over their OB from them, with the Scout Section presumably having been responsible for its construction. On 31 Jan 1943 they go to Hambledon for a demonstration by the Scout Section with Lieutenant Alan present.
The Hampshire Regiment Scout Section were based at Wickham near Fareham. The exact location has not been identified. There is a suggestion it may have been Rookesbury Park Farm, on the Rookesbury Park estate. The main house and much of the estate had been taken over by 916 Company RASC who were responsible for distributing rations to much of the surrounding area. It would be the obvious unit for the Scout section to draw their rations from. During wartime it would have been out of the way and with space for training.
In April 1943, the Scout Sections were reduced in size. At this time is seems that at least some of the men left to join the Parachute Regiment. Possibly the Warwickshire Regiment took over providing the Scout Section at this time.
To date we have only been able to identify a handful of the men from this section.
At least four men with Army numbers from the Royal Warwickshire Regiment joined the SAS in 1944/45, though it has not been possible to confirm any links to Auxiliary Units. It is known that the SAS specifically recruited from the Auxiliary Units Scout Sections and very few men appear to have joined from this regiment otherwise.
N Lewis 5111040 1 SAS
J Turner 5111086 1 SAS
D Philips 5117652 2 SAS
C Gaskin 5126401 1 SAS
It has been confirmed that Bill Cooke joined 2 SAS via the Parachute Regiment in 1944.
K Matt 5506755 1 SAS has an Army number 263 higher than Cooke so might have been a member.
Most Scout Sections had at least two operational bases. Terry Daly recalled three OBs at Corhampton Down, Cosham and Hambledon. The Scout Section did help build Patrol OBs as noted above, so it is possible that some of these were part of that process.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant Crawley | 1940 | Unknown | |
| Corporal Brown. | Unknown | 03 Dec 1944 | |
| Driver IC Daniel Sidney Bland | Territorial Army Driver |
Unknown | Unknown |
| Private William James Cooke | Oiler, Southern Railway |
1940 | Apr 1943 |
| Private Terence Edmond Daly | Bricklayer |
1940 | Apr 1943 |
The section would have consisted of a Lieutenant, a Sergeant, a Corporal and 9 private soldiers with a driver batman for the officer and driver for the section’s lorry.
The standard transport for a Scout Section was an Austin 2 seater car and a 15cwt lorry, both with RASC drivers. The men normally also had bicycles. They would very likely have been attached to 916 Company for maintenance of the vehicles. Merrett's Garage in the village was largely taken over by the RASC to service 916 Company vehicles and they would likely have been taken there. It is now a fireplace shop.
SAS War Diary
K Bulman
I Virgo
Southern Evening Echo, 28 Mar 1984