Auxiliary Units (WWII British)

Auxiliary units were a formation of partisans set up in 1940 by the British to harass any German invasion.

At the same time as the home Guard were established so was an organisation known as the auxiliary units. an offshoot of section D of SIS that was formed in 1938, only one of these early units has come to light. Formed in feb/May 1940 at Eastborne. They were organised into three battalions 201(Scotland),202(Midlands), and 203(south) Home guard In May 1940 Colonel Gubbins formed the first of the Auxiliary units, their members vetted by the local police. They wore standard Home Guard uniforms, the only distinguishing feature their battalion shoulder flash. However it must be said that these units had no official existence, and were just a cover. Meaning of course that under international law they were not solders and subject to summery exacution.

In August 1940 Coleshill house became both the central HQ and training centre, it was not far from swinden. When arriving new recruits went not to the house, but instead to the local post office. The post mistress would then phone Coleshill house to arrange pick up. Theses units were trained by veterans of the Spanish civil war, and some saw them as the future of war, a true citizens army (this in the end led the army to remove most of the Spanish war veterans). The school later went on to train the SAS and SOE.

How effective the "Aux units" would have been is open to doubt, although dedicated and well trained, a few men (patrols were 6 men strong, with only a few patrols to a county) they would have at best been a brief nuisance. Also German reprisals would have undermined the 'Aux' units morale.