secret Auxiliary Units WW11

[pandora]

This is a query for a neighbour of mine, his father was in this unit, although it was not a militry unit as such, I did'nt know where else to post. The following photo is of  "The secret Auxiliary Unit"  4 patrols of seven men, were Botley Grange, Chandlersford, Stoke Park Woods Baddesley Patrol, all near Southampton in Hampshire. The following photo was taken at Flemming Park sports centre in Eastleigh nr Southampton.
A few names have been traced are as follows==
_____Bottom Row______
1st left Freddie Kilford
6th left Bill Adderley
2nd right Bob Lewry
-------Middle Row-------
2nd left Bob Taplin
5th left Monty Dymott
2nd right Sid Randell
--------Top Row-------
1st left Bill Diaper

Any help or information would be much appreciated.
Pandora

[sillgen]

A recent book called "Secret Sussex Resistance" by Stewart Angell might be helpful to you.    He does talks about it too.  If you google it there are several hits.
Andrea

[kyt]

The following files may help:

WO 199/3391 Home Guard Auxiliary Units: nominal rolls-Southern counties: register

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=3219598

WO 199/1955 HOME GUARD Transport: Auxiliary units - Stores

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=697282

[Bala1913]

GHQ AUXILIARY UNITS was at Coleshill House near Highworth, near Swindon.
See www.coleshillhouse.com for more information.

[ainslie]

All appear to have a revolver lanyard - unusual for private soldiers and even NCOs.

[scrimnet]

The Home Guard Auxiliaries were a special group of covert operatives who were to go to ground should the invader come.

They were trained in sabotage, and other covert ops to disrupt the enemy.

They were indeed a military unit, and VERY few pics such as this have survived. As they came under the same auspices of the Official Secrets Act as Bletchley Park, most of the records were destroyed at the end of the war. They were not even spoken of until very recently. In fact this is the first pic I have seen of Auxilliers

All Home Guard were given bn numbers with their county designations, such as NN9 for Northampton, and Brixworth.

All the Auxilliers (as they were known) had the number designations 201, 202 and 203, for the South, Midlands and North of the country respectively.

They were armed mainly with light arms and explosives and as such, to have so many armed with revolvers is not unusual at all...They were part of the Home Guard...

[scrimnet]

Actually this is a quite historic picture...

The Imperial War Museum would I expect be VERY interested in it...

[scrimnet]

Some more int on this pic....

Apparently,this photo appeared on the History Channel's series a couple of years ago about the Auxunits...The chap in the photo top row, second from left was interviewed in the programme...He had by then, a white beard and glasses...

[ra1383]

Hi There,

 I wondered if you were still looking into this.
I'm a part time student at Bristol Uni, and the aux units are one of the subjects I am studying for my archaeology masters degree.
I have a full transcript of the Hampshire Nominal Roles - so I could help you with national registration numbers, addresses and dates of birth for at least some of these people.
Also, would be really grateful if I could use the picture in my research (giving full credit of course - and sharing with you anything interesting I find)

Rich