The Auxiliary Units or GHQ Auxiliary Units were specially trained, highly secret units created by the United Kingdom government during the Second World War, with the aim of resisting the expected occupation of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany, after a planned invasion codenamed Operation Sea Lion. Having had the advantage of seeing the fall of several Continental nations, the United Kingdom was the only country during the war that was able to create such a resistance movement in advance of an invasion.
The units, sometimes referred to as a part of the British Resistance Organisation, were initiated by Winston Churchill in the early summer of 1940. He appointed Colonel Colin Gubbins to found them. The Auxiliary Units answered to GHQ Home Forces, but were organised as if part of the local Home Guard.
Gubbins was a regular British Army soldier, who had acquired considerable experience and expertise in guerrilla warfare during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War and the Anglo-Irish War. Most recently, he had returned from Norway, where he headed the Independent Companies, the predecessors of the British Commandos. Subsequently, he would move to the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
just outside dover lives this aux hide, friend of mine found the entrance shaft in some woods so we went to take a look, had to carry a ladder up to the site but it was worth it.
the entrance shaft
at the bottom of the shaft was a small alcove on the right wich was proberly where the toilet was
unlike the zero staions this hide had only one chamber, sadly the left hand side had collapsed, leaving a small tunnel on the right
at the other end of the chamber a small escape tunnel led out on the side of the bank
These hides were designed to be hidden from an invading force, sixty odd years on they are very hard to find, I have found a handfull but there were loads biult.
lastly a pic of the alkham valley home gaurd who would have manned this hide
The units, sometimes referred to as a part of the British Resistance Organisation, were initiated by Winston Churchill in the early summer of 1940. He appointed Colonel Colin Gubbins to found them. The Auxiliary Units answered to GHQ Home Forces, but were organised as if part of the local Home Guard.
Gubbins was a regular British Army soldier, who had acquired considerable experience and expertise in guerrilla warfare during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War and the Anglo-Irish War. Most recently, he had returned from Norway, where he headed the Independent Companies, the predecessors of the British Commandos. Subsequently, he would move to the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
just outside dover lives this aux hide, friend of mine found the entrance shaft in some woods so we went to take a look, had to carry a ladder up to the site but it was worth it.
the entrance shaft
at the bottom of the shaft was a small alcove on the right wich was proberly where the toilet was
unlike the zero staions this hide had only one chamber, sadly the left hand side had collapsed, leaving a small tunnel on the right
at the other end of the chamber a small escape tunnel led out on the side of the bank
These hides were designed to be hidden from an invading force, sixty odd years on they are very hard to find, I have found a handfull but there were loads biult.
lastly a pic of the alkham valley home gaurd who would have manned this hide
