‘Gone to Ground’ – the first-hand account of Churchill’s secret army in action

July 26, 2011 - PRLog -- CART has today announced that it is launching a new book based on the experiences of a member of Churchill’s secret army. ‘Gone to Ground’ describes how after the successful German invasion of Britain in 1940 the Auxiliary Units, which were set up by Churchill to remain behind the lines and disrupt the invading army, sprang into action.

In 1940 personnel of the Home Guard and local volunteers were formed into these top secret patrols throughout the entire country. Trained in all aspects of explosives, booby-traps, time-fuses, mines and unarmed combat, these ‘Auxiliary Units’ had approximately 3,500 members around Great Britain. They would operate from specifically prepared underground bases set up countrywide.

‘Gone to Ground’, written by Bill Watson, describes the actions of one such unit after the successful invasion of the German forces. Set in the Scottish border town of Duns, Bill brings the story to life and paints a vivid picture with a true depiction of life during those dark uncertain times under occupation, and what Britain would have been like if the worst had happened in 1940.

Born in 1924 in Edinburgh he spent his early years in Duns, going to school there before joining the Scots Guards as a volunteer, serving as a regular soldier in the Middle East and Italy until 1943 before he was captured and imprisoned in Germany until 1945.

Bill sadly died in 2004 aged 80 before his book was published and it was not until his manuscript and background had been looked at by members of the Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team that it became clear that before joining up, he had served as a member of the Duns Auxiliary Unit. Like many of his compatriots he signed the Official Secrets Act upon joining the Aux Unit and did not breathe a word of it to any of his family or friends.

This means that the book takes a new significance as it gives one of the very few first hand descriptions of what life was like, and could have been like, if Operation Sealion had succeeded.

Tom Sykes, founder of CART said. “It was only after speaking to Bill’s son that we discovered that he was in the Aux Unit itself during the early part of the war. This is an incredible story written by someone who was involved in and trained to take part in the action the book describes. It gives us a unique view of what the units were expected to do and the possible ramification of their actions.”

The book can be reserved here www.gonetogroundnovel.com and will be available to buy online in the next few weeks. 15 per cent of the profits will be donated to the Red Cross, to whom Bill owed so much during his time in captivity in Germany.

The book will be officially launched at Duns Library (Scotland) on August 29th 2011.

www.gonetogroundnovel.com


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PR: Written by Andy Chatterton.
For further information please contact Tom Sykes at hq@coleshillhouse.com or on 0872 045 9940


Additional Info on the Aux Units

70 years ago, during the darkest days of Britain’s lone fight against Nazi Germany, the threat of invasion was a very real one. With the army in utter confusion after Dunkirk, the recently introduced LDV (later renamed the Homeguard) was a key part of Britain’s defences. This Dad’s Army has been portrayed since the war as an unorganised group of elderly veterans, which stood little chance of making any impact on highly trained, experienced German soldiers.

However, amongst some of those that wore the uniform of the Home Guard was a ‘secret army’ each of whom were trained killers and demolition experts. The troops called Auxiliers were trained as ‘stay-behind’ units in the event of an invasion. Going to ground as the church bells sounded, the units would enter their underground bases and only come to the surface after the initial invading troops had passed over them. Usually at night, the Auxiliers would then disrupt the enemy supplies and reserve troops, helping to cut off those in the front line that were facing whatever defence the regular British army could put up.

These civilian volunteers were made up of all layers of society most of whom had an intimate knowledge of the local countryside; gamekeepers and poachers suddenly found themselves on the same side along with vicars, doctors and schoolteachers. They were all willing to leave their families, and give their lives - the average life expectancy of an Auxilier was predicted to have been two weeks after going into action - in order to defend their country. However, because of the secrecy of their mission not one of them got any official recognition and no public thanks. Many veterans never even let their closest family members know what they had been trained to do, so seriously did they take their signature on the Official Secrets Act.

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About The Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team (CART)

The Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team (CART) is a non-profit making organisation set up in June 2009 by Tom Sykes. The aim of CART is to research, document and preserve the important history of the Auxiliary Units.

Since June 2009 its website (www.coleshillhouse.com) has seen over 23,000 unique visitors and has attracted TV, Radio and national press attention and the group has many expert members. Most of these are authors on the subject or have a direct relation to the Auxiliary Unit.

For further information about the Auxiliary Units and how you can help CART please go to the website, call 0872 045 9940 or email hq@coleshillhouse.com .