COLESHILL HOUSE - Key Persons
The most famous Intelligence Officer in the Auxiliary Units was the actor Anthony Quayle.
Born in Ainsdale, Lancashire. On leaving school he went to RADA to train as an actor. The Second World War intervened and the young Quayle joined the Royal Artillery in 1939.
He was Intelligence Officer in Northumberland. Here he was to select men for the Patrols though some were already formed. Most of the men Quayle picked were chosen during the very snowy winter of early 1941.
His time with the Auxiliary Units in Northumberland stood him in good stead for a later posting in the war when he was in Albania with the SOE. Quayle was very impressed by the commitment and skills of the Patrols. Some of the men under him he thought had some of the finest field craft skills he had ever seen. There are several well documented stories about exercises that took place and the confusion caused to their regular target, the 51st Highland Division.
A one-armed mole catcher called Robson was one of Quayle's favourites. He was a top marksman winning one of the Coleshill competitions. Quayle said of Robson "that man could kill a Jerry everyday for the rest of his life and never get caught". One of the Group Commanders, Alan Carmichael, had Quayle stay at his farm at Todburn where he showed his softer side, bathing the Carmichael's son. The housekeeper for the family confirmed Quayle's visits and that no questions were asked when the pair disappeared for a few days at a time. Another stopping off point for Quayle was the McBride's farm at Pegswood near Morpeth. Here he would always make an entrance by climbing in though a window rather than the door. He was very popular with the Patrols and was always known as "Tony". He returned several times after the war to visit his men; these visits usually coincided with acting roles at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle.
Quayle ruffled a few feathers in the higher command of the AU and eventually left in November 1941 returning to the Royal Artillery in Gibraltar. He continued to monitor the Northumberland men through contacts with the next Intelligence Officer Captain Victor Albert Gough.
On leaving the army he returned to his acting career, becoming a household name.
It appears that Archie Hubbard's commission is recorded with a single b in his surname, however it appears this was an error, though is how he is recorded in many official military records as a result.
He was born in Bedford. His father was a naval architect involved with the R101 airship which tragically crashed, ending the British airship programme.
In April 1939 he was with his widowed mother at Seaford. His occupation was given as a Tea Planter in India. He was also registered as a Merchant Seaman in 1939 so possibly had worked his passage home. However, his daughter believes that he never actually became a Planter due to the outbreak of war.
One of his older brothers, Pilot Officer John Ralph Hubbard, was killed when his Manchester bomber, predecessor of the better known Lancaster, was shot down over Germany.
In December 1943 he married his fiancee, Rachel S Hubble, sister of his friend John Hubble from Wye Agricultural College. Their son was born in Sherborne in Sep 1944, named Ralph for his his late uncle. Ralph tragically died at the age of 72, as the result of a crash on the Cresta Run, on which he had completed over 200 descents.
After the war the family lived on the Isle of Sheppey for a period and Archie then became a hop farmer, managing his father-in-law's farm in Kent. He then moved to Sussex, his death being recorded in Ticehurst where he ran the Post Office, though he is also noted to have lived in Wadhurst where they had a smallholding. He was a member of the post-war Home Guard in the early 1950s.
Beeston Hall was the Headquarters for Norfolk Auxiliary Units between May 1941 and 13th August 1943.
In the 1940's the Hall was owned by Sir Thomas Preston who spent most of his time overseas. He was succeeded by his son Sir Ronald Preston who served as a Major in the Intelligence Corps and was a member of S.O.E.
Born to Captain Charles Harry and Lilian (nee Everett) Fenwick in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, the family home being in Market Overton, Rutland. He is remembered as being 6 foot 4 inches.
With cricket and Cambridge behind him Ian moved on to follow his other great interest, art. He furthered his talents by studying at Leicester and art college in Berlin, where he was Hon. Attache at the British Embassy. He concentrated in perfecting his natural talent for humorous drawings and became a professional cartoonist. During the 1930's his drawings appeared in many magazines including Punch, and Men Only. He also illustrated many books. Travel was another interest. During his visits to Austria and Switzerland he became a competent skier. In 1937 he produced "I'm Telling You" - a comic guide to winter sports - written and illustrated by himself. He was in America, returning as war broke out.
When he was killed Fenwick was engaged to be married to The Honourable Mrs Robert Dundas (born Margaret Connell Ross) Melville Castle, Midlothian. Her husband Robert Dundas, had been reported missing, then killed in June 1940 in France. Fenwick and Margaret met when she served him tea after a practice parachute jump. He remarked; "My advice to despairing bachelors is to take up parachuting and all will be well !"
He is buried at Chambon-La-Foret Communal Cemetery (right of entrance, rear far corner).
Pre-war John was a Mining Engineer.
The family were very well known in the New Forest. Crosthwaite-Eyre was a name created by Royal Licence by application of his parents. His brother Oliver Crosthwaite-Eyre was also in the Army and post-war was Member of Parliament for the New Forest. Oliver's son, also Oliver, was until recently Official Vederer for the New Forest. He married Susan Elizabeth Sowerby (born 29 Sep 1918, who also worked for SOE) and they had children, Charles and Flops.
Job Titles:
- Captain
- Officers Book and Dog Tag
Biography
The son of Major John and Ethel Dingley of Eagle House, Launceston. John Sn was also in banking. In 1922 John was a branch manager for The National & Provincial in Calstock and by 1930 he was the manager in Launceston. Historically the Dingley family of Cornwall owned their own bank so John was following in the family tradition. A reluctant banker he enjoyed rugby, was capped for Bath and played for National and Provincial Bank and helped to form Launceston Rugby Club.
He was married to Margaret Mycroft Boncher 4 July 1931 in Long Ashton, Somerset and the couple had a daughter Anne. His wife Margaret died in 1955 aged only 47. He died from his home, Dingley Dell, in Crackington Haven and is buried at the church there along side Margaret.
His army records record him as being 5 foot 10 inches tall with dark hair, green eyes and a fresh complexion.
Job Titles:
- Captain
- Intelligence Officer
Hugh Frostick sponsors this page, Hugh's father Charles, from Little Bromley, was in the Mistley Patrol in Essex. Hugh has written the life story of another Essex Auxilier, Peter Louis Potter, from Fingringhoe Patrol. This book, "Tales of Peter Potter", is available on his website at www.frostick.co.uk along with the tale of a Suffolk Auxilier, Ivan Potter (no relation).
Job Titles:
- Captain
- Captain George Robertson "Mac" McNicholl
- Kent 's Intelligence Officer
Job Titles:
- Captain
- Intelligence Officer
Job Titles:
- Captain
- Intelligence Officer
Fortunately researcher Stewart Angell interviewed many survivors in the 1990s providing much of the information about who was in each Patrol.
Job Titles:
- Member of the London Scottish
Sergeant William Patrick Duffy gave his evidence; "We left the village of Nancray and proceeded to the forest of Orleans to pick up these said articles [wireless set and code book]. 'We' were Major Fenwick, Serjeant Dunkley, Corporal Meginou, a Frenchman and a F.F.I Officer....We reached the forest without any mishaps. We never saw any Jerries or anything, and we collected the kit we had set out to collect. On the way back we ran into two truck loads of Germans. The truck was similar to our kind of troop carrier and we shot them up. Serjeant Dunkley was on the rearmost and I was on the foremost. I think we pretty well wiped them out, I should imagine, and we set off home by the village of Chambon. It was there that everything happened so quickly. I remember we ran into a party of Germans...Firing commenced... Major Fenwick was driving with Corporal Meginou and the French chap sat either side....Then I remember seeing three Germans running across the road and diving into a ditch and I shot at them. The last thing I remember quite clearly is that I looked down at the speedometer and we were doing sixty miles per hour. At that moment Major Fenwick fell across the wheel. I felt the blood, which I found later was his... like water sprinkling on my face." It is thought the Jeep then struck a tree.