Seventy-five years after World War II ended, and seventy-six years after Great Britain disbanded its secret underground army, historians are searching for their history and the networks of hidden bunkers they operated from.
Research teams from the British Resistance Archive and others are trying to recreate their history and are looking for help from the public in learning more about their operations and their locations; perhaps, post-Covid, this could be a great trip for avid walkers.
The British Auxiliary Units, known as 'scallywags', were formed while France was falling and British troops were being evacuated from Dunkirk. They were ordered by Churchill as a sort of last line of defense, capable of destroying bridges, railroads and buildings, attacking bases of invading Nazis, and even assassinating British officials thought likely to give up secrets under torture.
The units, originally concentrated in areas near the coast but then spread across the nation, were recruited from those who knew the land well, including farmers, gamekeepers and even poachers. They were warned that once in action they would likely have a life expectancy of less than two weeks.
Because they operated in secret, even from near neighbors and had to sign the Official Secrets Act and wore no official uniforms, much of the information about them is lost, including the locations of many of their bunkers. When the units were disbanded in 1944, many were filled in or dismantled, but many, like the one above recently found in Suffolk, were simply abandoned. Or, perhaps, put to other uses by those who knew them.
For a longer discussion of this fascinating history from the Telegraph (UK) click HERE
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