Andrew Chatterton

How about this for a quintessential English scene! Taken from the top of All Saints Church in East Budleigh today. Such a lush village (and worth the 98 narrow steps to the top)! #Devon

Remembering my relative Norman Bottoms of the 147th Essex Yeomanry who died during the Normandy invasion 81 years ago today. Surving the initial landings he was killed by mortar fire in a field supporting the infantry moving forward. Just 23. @ww2headquarters.bsky.social

The fear of some form of counter-attack from the Germans during #DDay81 landings was real for the Allies. This was even to the extent that Auxiliary Unit members from across the country were sent to the Isle of Wight to guard various infrastructure.

Some people do talks at lit fests to sell books, others for the adulation, others to gather info for their next book. But being a Westcountry boy I do it for the huge bottles of cider! Thanks Ilminster Literary Festival!

If you’re a history fan and used to watch Time Team can I encourage you to head over to YouTube and watch the new episodes. The latest at Sutton Hoo is amazing, if nothing else than Tony Robinson is back, but also the incredible finds including a Byzantium burial bucket!

It’s a beautiful morning here & a chance to look for the remaining Second World War defences on my doorstep. Interesting beach defences (maybe an OP hut) & a disguised machine-gun post with views of the beach. This stuff is still all around us - I’d love to see what’s near you!

I love doing local talks on Aux Units etc. Not only do you gems of local info but when the slide pops up with local names the murmur around the crowd as names are recognised is awesome. Altho last night’s outburst of ‘F**k me that’s Uncle Dick’ is a complete highlight!

Final post in VE Day post. Here is Lt Richard Wraxall who was an early trainer of Aux Units at Coleshill House celebrating victory. He went on to land at Juno & the pics include one of the lads having a wee on a certain flag…

Remembering the unrecognised Auxiliary Units in East Anglia this VE Day. Check out this link to search via county and see what was happening secretly during WW2 where you live! www.staybehinds.com/counties

I think we forget what ‘ordinary’ people went through during the SWW. Just look at part of my grandad’s shrapnel collection. A piece of massive oil bomb on the right, shrapnel that was raining down on left, plane & incendiary bomb tail top & left @almurray.bsky.social @thehistoryguy.bsky.social

This is Mollie Phillips MBE, Olympic skater & SD operator. Her father sent a letter to Churchill asking for recognition.
staybehinds.com/article/letter…

Her & her father were here staybehinds.com/station/pencar���

But we don’t know where the radio actually was - can anyone help?

Another rabbit hole. Foyles War & the 1st of the 3rd series is a cracker. Mentions of Section D, a Fairbairn/Sykes character, dead-letter drops, SOE. I mean not particularly accurate but just the mention of Section D is really interesting - not well known esp at time of filming

The trouble with having a historian father is that there’s no such thing as an ordinary dog walk! Pillbox (with attach for camo still visible), a corrugated circle (prob farm related but might be assoc with Observer Corps) & various worked flints! What a lush day @thehistoryguy.bsky.social

Can I get some big love for Auxiliary Unit vet Ken Welch (the good looking chap on the right in the two pics). I was lucky enough to be part of the brill team that took him to his Operational Base for the first time since November 1944! All part of a History Hit doc coming soon!

What a awesome few days. I won’t say too much but there’s going to be a brilliant documentary coming up on History Hit in the near future! Thanks to @thehistoryguy.bsky.social for the opportunity to tell some incredible stories about the reality of Britain’s defences in the SWW!

An incredibly exciting and moving day. More soon…!

Really good fun chatting with Angus on the WW2 Podcast. We talked through the reality of Britain lane defences in 1940 and how it was not all Dad’s Army but a proper, joined up, effective strategy #ironsidewasright open.spotify.com/show/0mResZkn1…

We’re not sure what the conversation was but luckily they agreed not to kill each other. They also couldn’t tell people how the met as they had both signed the Official Secrets Act!

2/2 At the bottom he felt a pistol in his ribs & a soft voice told him to drop the gun and hold his hands up.
What he had discovered was Hollingbourne Special Duties Station & the soft voice was the "delightful" Airlie Campbell ATS. They married in Jan 1944, later having a son!

1/2 Want a Second World War valentines story? Auxilier Clive Gascoyne was patrolling the woods around his area Kent. He was shocked to come across an entrance hath of an OB. Thinking it was an traitor’s base he drew his pistol went down the ladder.

Do not buy this! This is not a Aux stand down lapel badge but a fake from a well known faker. Stay away!

My youngest was asked to write a piece on ‘staying safe’. She could have chosen anything but went for the Home Guard during the SWW & added some Aux related bits too! I blame WeHaveWays - def not my fault… #afflicted

There can’t be any ‘undiscovered’ OBs right? So long after the war they must have been all found/destroyed. Not the case I’m delighted to say! This, found’ by CART in the SW England! Bunks in place, hatch mechanism still there & even poss rum jar!

I hear that a lot from families - because most didn’t say anything these badges ended up in drawers or in with spare buttons and subsequently lost.

A genuine Auxiliary Units stand down lapel badge on sale on eBay. Still cheap (at the moment) if you want a piece of Britain’s Second World War secret defences! Also as an added bonus there’s an image of me in the sale details!

Both daughters having a quick swim, just enough time for a coffee & to crack on with book three! ‘The Last Recruits’ is out in Summer 2026 & tells the remarkable story of four men who join Paddy Mayne’s 1SAS from the Aux Units & take part in the liberation of Europe! @headofzeus.bsky.social

Had a great time talking to Tony and Max at the Underground Strategy pod about the secret layers of civilian defence in Britain during the Second World War - so good in fact they’ve had to split it into two eps! First available here undergroundstrategy.com/podcast

Great to be talking at @favlit.org this spring. @historialchats.bsky.social is a great speaker w a fascinating story too!

Thanks Clare! Hopefully catch up there.

A classic Bertie portrait!