This underground chamber in Scadbury Park appears at first glance to be an Operational Base (also called a hide or hide-out) for the Auxiliary Units. The Aux Units were to be a guerrilla force �to act offensively on the flanks and in the rear of any German troops who may obtain a temporary foothold in this country�. Their bases were usually hidden in woodland, to store munitions and to occupy in the case of invasion; it was envisaged that the patrol would lie up during the day and emerge at night to carry out its activities. However, a visit by Nick Catford of Subterranea Britannica points to other uses.
His report follows:
"I went to have a look at it this morning and after an inspection I have
come
to the conclusion that the underground structure is not an AU hide.
The
shaft entrance is indeed very similar to the entrances found on many AU
hides but the chamber itself is far too small. An AU hide would have
been
home to a patrol of four or more people. A hide would need to be big
enough
for them to live and sleep. I guess you could just about fit a double
bunk
in there but there would be little room left for anything else. See
for a typical AU hide.
So what is it ? It could be a small buried air raid shelter and
internally
it does resemble a Stanton. Scadbury Manor House certainly had some
kind of
WW2 use and in the 1980's there was a basement room there that was
still
full of ventilation and filtration plant. The structure strikes me as
a bit
too small for an air raid shelter and too far from the manor house to
be of
use.
It could be an 'out station'. These were linked to auxiliary units and
were
designed for one man looking after a hidden radio set. There is a
suitable
tree alongside for a long wire aerial. Proof of this would have been a
slot
cut in the trunk of the tree to take the aerial cable. A looked right
round
the tree but there was no evidence of such a slot. Another dead tree
near
by might have had such a slot but all the bark has fallen away so
there's no
way of telling.
The structure could also be part of an AU hide. If you take a look at
This Aux Unit Hide
you
will see an underground room of similar size which was part of a larger
structure. Close by there is a fairly large depression with a
partially
filled trench leading from the depression in a semi circle to the main
entrance of the underground chamber. This trench could be a collapsed
tunnel. There is no evidence of any lining in the depression or in the
trench but this could have been removed, or, if the linking was timber
it
could have rotted away over the years.
Close by in the undergrowth there is a battered Elsan which must have
come
out of the structure.
Perhaps further local research might turn up some more evidence of what
the
structure was. Whatever it was I found it very interesting and I would
like
to know more.
Nick Catford
Subterranea Britannica
This shows the entrance shaft at Scadbury Park which if it was an Aux Unit OB would have been concealed by a camouflaged trap-door. TQ 453 697
The bunker is on the south side of a track way(that has now been covered with tarmac).The vertical entrance is about 5 metres from this road. A map produced in 1938 shows the area around the woods as still very rural(there is a relatively large council estate there now about half a mile to the south. This photo shows the postion of the vertical entrance in relation to the track.(it is just to the right of the dead tree).
This shows the view up out of the entrance.
This is the view from the bottom of the entrance shaft to the emergency exit.
This is the view Back to the entrance shaft.
The emergency exit.
Closeup of the emergency exit. (Photos Andrew Parker)
To see a map or aerial photo of this location.