Chirnside 1 OUT-Station
What defines a secret bunker ?...
After the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk and the remaining British forces by mid-June 1940 the threat of German invasion of Britain increased since the French capitulation gave the Germans access to the whole of the French coast.
Nothing was certain.... the future was not set....Britain believed invasion was imminent.
Operation Sea-lion (The invasion of Britain)was being drawn up by the Germans.
If the operation came to pass,even though the British Navy out classed the German fleet it was possible for Germany to invade and occupy Britain,if Hitler pushed West instead of East the out come of the war could of been very different,a lot of us wouldn’t be here now,while a lot of ethnic minorities would of been wiped from the face of the earth.
On the event of invasion the British government had one plan ....Burn everything.
By the end of June 1940 Churchill and the inner war cabinet had given approval to the Army to set up an organisation named Auxiliary Units.
Their job was to cause mayhem and disruption to the enemies supply and communications network.
Known as Churchill’s secret army the units were made up of specifically trained personnel who’s projected life expectancy was only twelve days and if caught or cornered by the enemy they were under strict orders to commit suicide by any means necessary.
Part of the AU was known as the Special Duties Branch,these were civilians such as vets,farmers or miners etc.
They were trained to spy on the enemy and report back enemy positions and movements to places such as Chirnside 1.
The information was relayed by dead letter drops.
The drop at Chirnside 1 was a hollowed out tree stump North west of the bunker which is still present today.
The personnel in the bunker would collect the information then radio it out to the local Army Hq, Which was Chirnside 0 In-Station which was located at Castle Neroche Somerset.
The Out-Stations construction was started by the Royal Engineers in April 1941 and was completed by the summer of 41 under the watchful eye of Major Douglas Ingrams who was the leader of the East Devon spy network.
The Bunker was hidden beneath two outside privies and operated until 1944 and was still under the blanket of the official secrets act until the 1990s.
The station had been designed and built to have its entrance concealed beneath the pine toilet cabinet,the toilet cabinet could be raised on a counterweighted mechanism following the release of a hidden catch sunk in the lawn nearby beneath some bushes, turning of this hidden handle makes a very satisfying clunk within the bunker.
Once the toilet cabinet is raised access to the bunker is gained by a steel ladder.
Once you descended the ladder you find yourself in a small passageway that leads to the map room.
The map room consists of a fold out table and bench.
The North wall is made of tarred railway sleepers which beyond hides the wireless room.
Access too the wireless room is gained by pulling the far right cup holder on the South wall,A cable runs under the concrete floor and to a latch on the other side of the railway sleeper wall,the centre part of the wall can then be raised and propped to reveal the hidden room.
To broadcast from the wireless room required the use of a tree aerial array (will include a diagram and a photo of these) these are still visible today, feeder cables now encased in the trees.
This was one of the places I visited during the lockdowns of last year, when I was out and about finding the concealed Home guard operation bases, I will include photos from St Isseys Home guard OB also in this report as it doesn’t really merit a report of its own.
Hidden in an disused quarry the base still had the original stove and a 40ft escape tunnel but also lots of machinery left over from the quarry.
Poo anyone ?
Entrance passageway
Map room
Wireless room
Looking out from wireless room
Tree aerial array ( note the feeder wires )
St Issey Home guard O.B
Escape Tunnel
Original Stove
What defines a secret bunker ?...
After the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk and the remaining British forces by mid-June 1940 the threat of German invasion of Britain increased since the French capitulation gave the Germans access to the whole of the French coast.
Nothing was certain.... the future was not set....Britain believed invasion was imminent.
Operation Sea-lion (The invasion of Britain)was being drawn up by the Germans.
If the operation came to pass,even though the British Navy out classed the German fleet it was possible for Germany to invade and occupy Britain,if Hitler pushed West instead of East the out come of the war could of been very different,a lot of us wouldn’t be here now,while a lot of ethnic minorities would of been wiped from the face of the earth.
On the event of invasion the British government had one plan ....Burn everything.
By the end of June 1940 Churchill and the inner war cabinet had given approval to the Army to set up an organisation named Auxiliary Units.
Their job was to cause mayhem and disruption to the enemies supply and communications network.
Known as Churchill’s secret army the units were made up of specifically trained personnel who’s projected life expectancy was only twelve days and if caught or cornered by the enemy they were under strict orders to commit suicide by any means necessary.
Part of the AU was known as the Special Duties Branch,these were civilians such as vets,farmers or miners etc.
They were trained to spy on the enemy and report back enemy positions and movements to places such as Chirnside 1.
The information was relayed by dead letter drops.
The drop at Chirnside 1 was a hollowed out tree stump North west of the bunker which is still present today.
The personnel in the bunker would collect the information then radio it out to the local Army Hq, Which was Chirnside 0 In-Station which was located at Castle Neroche Somerset.
The Out-Stations construction was started by the Royal Engineers in April 1941 and was completed by the summer of 41 under the watchful eye of Major Douglas Ingrams who was the leader of the East Devon spy network.
The Bunker was hidden beneath two outside privies and operated until 1944 and was still under the blanket of the official secrets act until the 1990s.
The station had been designed and built to have its entrance concealed beneath the pine toilet cabinet,the toilet cabinet could be raised on a counterweighted mechanism following the release of a hidden catch sunk in the lawn nearby beneath some bushes, turning of this hidden handle makes a very satisfying clunk within the bunker.
Once the toilet cabinet is raised access to the bunker is gained by a steel ladder.
Once you descended the ladder you find yourself in a small passageway that leads to the map room.
The map room consists of a fold out table and bench.
The North wall is made of tarred railway sleepers which beyond hides the wireless room.
Access too the wireless room is gained by pulling the far right cup holder on the South wall,A cable runs under the concrete floor and to a latch on the other side of the railway sleeper wall,the centre part of the wall can then be raised and propped to reveal the hidden room.
To broadcast from the wireless room required the use of a tree aerial array (will include a diagram and a photo of these) these are still visible today, feeder cables now encased in the trees.
This was one of the places I visited during the lockdowns of last year, when I was out and about finding the concealed Home guard operation bases, I will include photos from St Isseys Home guard OB also in this report as it doesn’t really merit a report of its own.
Hidden in an disused quarry the base still had the original stove and a 40ft escape tunnel but also lots of machinery left over from the quarry.
Poo anyone ?
Entrance passageway
Map room
Wireless room
Looking out from wireless room
Tree aerial array ( note the feeder wires )
St Issey Home guard O.B
Escape Tunnel
Original Stove
:
