Weapons and Explosives of Churchill’s Secret Army

Produced by Goldeneye Creative for:

Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team.

During WW II a secret underground resistance organisation was formed to disrupt enemy and harass the enemy in the event of invasion and occupation of the British Isles by the Nazis.

There were many cells formed in complete secrecy and based all over Great Britain, information has only just come to light in the last few years about these units and their operational duties during the war years.

The D.V.D. is split into three main sections, dealing firstly with the weapons and explosives and their intended uses. Secondly the Operational Bases described and thirdly the unearthing of the O.B. at Coleshill House. Bob Millard an ex Auxilier and Richard Ashley an ex-Military and Police armourer with 55 years of experience, talk you through the role of the Auxiliary Units and their weapons, Early examples of shotguns, cudgels and many other more sinister weapons including specialist explosives, switches, detonators and fuses are dealt with in this fascinating look at an illegal episode British history,

Sanctioned for development by Winston Churchill and under the direct control of MI5, the video is quick to point out the clandestine nature of the Auxiliary units, who although some were recruited from the Home Guard and who also wore Home Guard uniform in order to throw inquisitive locals of the scent, were in fact a highly trained organisation who would have stopped at nothing to disrupt and destroy enemy equipment and resources in the event of the Occupation of Great Britain.

This video leaves you wanting more, the courage of these men is without a doubt, second to none each knowing that they would have lost their lives in the event of being discovered by enemy forces, the Geneva Convention did not apply to these secret units and they would have effectively been put to death as terrorists in their own country if they had been discovered.

I particular liked the references to Stuart Mc. Crae and Millis Jeffries in the presentation. These two men ran Winston Churchill’s “Toyshop” at the Firs in Whitchurch, where all manner of secret weapons and devices were devised and perfected during WW II.

This part of wartime Britain’s history has been seriously overlooked over the years and thank goodness C.A.R.T. have made this information available to the public, in a simple no-nonsense approach and not as you would expect being delivered by men from this era, it is not without it’s humorous moments.

This D.V.D. makes the perfect accompaniment to John Warwicker’s informative book and both are a must for those you out there who have a feel for clandestine warfare.

For more information and to purchase the DVD please see here (Hyperlink http://www.coleshillhouse.com/weapons-and-explosives-dvd.php )

To learn more about the Auxiliary Units you can visit www.coleshillhouse.com

Churchill's Underground Army

By John Warwicker

Published by Frontline Books London

ISBN 978-1-84832-515-9

This excellent book has at last, brought it home to me what was expected of the Men and Women of the G.H.Q. Auxiliary Units and Special Duties Sections during WW II.

The clandestine operations of these units, working on British soil during WW II, have been held under for far too long.

It has been a joy to read John Warwicker’s account of the preparations that were made to develop an underground resistance movement, which could attack and harass the enemy in the event of a full invasion of Britain, which was expected as imminent around the dark days of September 1940.

From the in-depth look at the characters that were charged with initially setting up the Scout Units, to the designs and ingenuity, of the secrecy and camouflage utilised to conceal underground Operational Bases and their entrances. The problems with supply and with dealing with the regular Army have been well researched and presented in a way which is easily accessible to the reader and is not without humour.

For any individual interested in the development of early radio equipment, or Radio “Ham”, this book is a must, as it shows what was achieved with minimal resources, time, budget and equipment by radio amateurs who designed radio equipment which was way ahead of it’s time and later help shape the way that military radio-systems and communications would be manufactured and employed in later conflicts.

This book is testament to the Secret Underground Army of both Men and Women of Britain, who would have and did, willingly give their lives for their country, under the most severe of circumstances, to then, not be recognised until now.

Laughter - Silvered Wings

By John Pascoe Watson

ISBN 978-1-907235-01-0

Taking its title from the 1941 poem “High Flight” written by Pilot Officer John Gillespie Jnr., of the Royal Canadian Air Force John’s book explores the switch from childhood dream to fully fledged, fighter pilot, in this fascinating account of his life in the R.A.F.

Exmouth at war is the starting point for John’s Journey. He had previously been bitten by the flying bug in 1930, at the age of 5 on an air experience flight with his father, in a De- Havilland Rapide.

At the age of 12, John was presented with a school prize for being top of the form.  The prize was a book about making a career in the R.A.F. as a pilot.  John made up his mind there and then.  It was going to be a pilot’s life from now on!

From joining the R.A.F. on the 4^th June, 1944, John takes you through an incredible journey explaining how he made a career from flying and sometimes crashing, (occasionally through no fault of his own), 26.5 (all explained in the book) different types of Aircraft.

These aircraft ranged from the Tiger Moth and Harvard trainers. Also post-war combat missions in Spitfires and Tempests, through the early years of Jet fighter design (Gloster Meteors and Vampires) to the Blackburn Buccaneer. John eventually emerged from his flying career as a highly skilled pilot, with an Air Force Cross for his troubles.

My own understanding of the dangers that fighter pilots faced on a day to day basis, plagued with constant mechanical problems and unexpected changes in weather, has completely changed my mind about any of my own boyhood dreams.  The author has managed to, in his own quiet way, given the reader a real white knuckle ride in some of the accounts. The unexpected happens on a regular basis invariably for the worst.

John and his fellow pilot’s ability to deal with these problems, with nerves of steel and a cool head, comes across well. Along with the sadness of his personal accounts on the loss of fellow officers.

Coming Soon

A full review will be available here next week.