Bath Area Auxiliary Units - Bob Millard

Foreword

In August 1940 I left the Civil Defence where I was a messenger with the Fire Service to join the Bathampton Platoon of the L.D.V., later the Home Guard, and here I met Anthony Bentley-Hunt. In October he suggested that if I was interested in joining something more exciting than the Home Guard I should go with him to meet a Jack Wyld who lived in Bathwick Street. On meeting Jack Wyld I was questioned in detail about my family and knowledge of the local area and told to come back in a week. When I returned I was sworn to secrecy and told about the Auxiliary Units. Due to the clandestine nature of these units information was limited and very much on the "need to know" basis. It was not until a reunion at Coleshill on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of their stand-down in November 1994 did the true nature of the organisation become apparent.

Recorded information on the Auxiliary Units is scarce so the information about their activities in the Bath area in these notes is mostly based on my recollections and those of other local members met at reunions. Unless doubt is expressed these facts are as accurate as memories can be. For anyone desiring a wider picture I have attached a bibliography of current publications and the address of the British Resistance Organisation Museum.

Fortunately the Auxiliary Units were never tested but were, in the words of their motto, "Ready to serve if called".