THEIRS was a secret war in every sense, with their existence only being acknowledged during the last few decades.
Now a Horndean man is backing a campaign to record and recognise the work of a secret British army that never met the enemy during the Second World War.
“Everyone thinks of the Home Guard when you talk about the threat of invasion in 1940,” said Jon Radcliffe, who has joined the mission to expand the British Resistance Archives.
“But few people know that Churchill planned to use an underground army in the event of an invasion and actually created one.
“Groups like MI6 were tasked with finding people who would be trained to become guerrilla fighters. It didn’t matter if you had a criminal record, if you wanted to do it and take the risk then anyone could.”
Desperate times called for desperate measures and there were plenty of people who answered the call.
Delivery drivers, farmers and even members of the clergy became proficient in arms, sabotage, espionage and sniping but were never allowed to reveal their work due to the Official Secrets Act. Dozens of bunkers, often packed with explosives and weaponry, were also built in readiness for an invasion that never came.
It’s only during the last couple of decades that information about units and bunkers across East Hampshire has started to seep through.
“It’s a fascinating story but little is known about it because of all the secrecy – you have to remember these guys were trained killers,” said Mr Radcliffe.
“It’s like trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle when you don’t know what the final image looks like or how many pieces you’ve got.
“We think there was a unit in Chalton and another one in Lovedean and there were quite a few down the Meon Valley.
“They also used pubs a lot, because it’s not unusual to see lots of people going in and out of them, and we know that one in Petersfield and another in Rowlands Castle were used.”
A bunker connected to the programme was also recently found on the Stansted Estate but members have to be extremely careful when investigating as some are still rigged with explosives.
And while the number of living British Resistance fighters is likely to be very small – as members were usually considered too old to join the Army – investigators are hopeful that memories and records have been passed down to future generations.
Mr Radcliffe said: “What we’re trying to do is preserve their memories because it’s an untold piece of history that’s still not really been acknowledged.”
More can be found at www.staybehinds.com while readers with potential information and stories should e-mail Jon at: mailto:[email protected]