It appears that the South & West Somerset Scout Section moved wholesale from Somerset to Northumberland in June 1941. It isn’t clear why this happened and it doesn’t appear to have occurred elsewhere in the country. So far as is known there was no other Northumberland Scout Section.
The OBs were built by the Royal Engineers from the north to Alnwick, the southern ones were completed by the Patrols as the Royal Engineers moved to Southern Command late 1942. The builders were 4th Special Tunnelling Engineers of the 184th (S) Special Tunnelling Company.
Both Lieutenants Gough and Thouron were remembered by Doxford Patrol member Hedley Dixon. The latter was considered an expert with firearms.
The Operational Base for the Scout Section is said to have been behind the Blue Bell Hotel. They may also have used one in woods near Shillbottle.
The attached are photos from a contact who found this OB close to the Kyloe OB in Northumberland. It is known Kyloe Patrol used the one cut into the crag face. The Scout Section under Intelligence Officer Quayle were based nearby and we think this must have been their OB. The escape tunnel end is quite good, the entrance end is collapsed. There is no sign of any corrugated tin so that must have been recycled by local gamekeepers or farmers or it was never completed. The site is higher in the woods away from the Patrol OB within Kyloe Woods. The ground has been dug out to form a small valley to drop the elephant shelter into and then recovered to form the hilly ground. The escape tunnel route is out from the wall and veers off to the right into the trees.
| Name | Occupation | Posted from | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant Victor Albert Gough | Mechanical Engineer for Imperial Tobacco |
01 Jun 1941 | 09 Sep 1942 |
| Lieutenant John Rupert Hunt Thouron | 07 Sep 1943 | 08 Nov 1943 | |
| Sergeant John Charles Delany | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Lance Corporal Joseph Noel Potterton | Joiner (1939) |
03 Dec 1941 | Unknown |
| Corporal Robert Stephens | 1941 | 1943 | |
| Private Louis Henry Baker | Painter & decorator (1939) |
01 Jun 1941 | 1943 |
| Private Christopher Charles Joseph Edwards | Builder |
Unknown | Unknown |
The complete Scout Section would consist of a Lieutenant and his driver-batman and twelve other men including a Sergeant, Corporal, driver for the Section truck and a cook.
The precise transport for the section is not known. Most Scout Sections had a 15 cwt truck and an Austin 2-seater car for the officer. They were normally issued with bicycles as well.
Tim Wray correspondence
Stephen Lewins and Simon from Thompson's garage
The old coleshill-house-forum