Fawley Court (STS54a)

Fawley Court, a seventeenth century mansion, near Henley on Thames.served as a WWII location for SOE operations (STS 54a).

There continues to be much debate as to whether such SOE activities were restricted to the main house or whether some activities also took place in huts or other temporary buildings situated within the grounds.

Extensive research has not revealed traces of any such temporary buildings in the grounds, but despite this various parties continue to insist on this version of events.

The only way to solve this issue would therefore appear to be to draw on the knowledge and experience of the few surviving operatives that may have served in that location.

Would anyone be able to assist our researches please, or could you suggest a way that such persons might be reached?

 

Using an online search: "STS 54a" site: ww2talk.com id'd two previous posts here: Post 17 and Post 22 in: The Training Section of S.O.E. - Special Training Schools Including Their War Establishments

A few more id'd with: "fawley court" site: ww2talk.com Not looked at and some may be duplicates.

Who and what are?

I have not looked online assuming you have exhausted what is there, if anything.

 

Thank you for your your signposting, though we have carefully trawled this website and were aware of the existing references to Fawley Court that it contains. .

The internet is notorious for rapidly spreading incorrect information that people may then rely on believing it to be accurate. This is why we are particularly wary of the real value of d online mentions or comment, especially on generalist sites and unless they are or can be independently substantiated

“Our researches” are academic work currently being carried out on the wider history of Fawley Court and the village of Fawley.

In this context were are trying to source information from amongst what must be a very small number of serving persons whose lived experience there during WiW II could provide us with the reliable information that we are seeking (see original post).

Thank you again for your interest.

 

Thomas,

I very much doubt anyone who served there are now alive. I do not know what age group trainees would have been, but as illustration the age group 20-25yrs in 1940 are now 86-91yrs old. Any instructor in WW2 would have been older.

Have you checked the IWM Oral History collection? There are three readily found: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80011893 , https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80013635 and https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80012398

SOE is not my focus and our in-house expert is no longer active here or responding to emails.

Did anyone from SOE Training ever write a book or article? Try the journal 'Intelligence and National Security' for one.

Do you have access to the British Newspaper Archive (BNA)? It requires a subscription, but most local libraries enable in-person access.

Have you got this? My mum was a spy: Devon woman uncovers her mother’s connection to Norwegian WWII resistance fighters | Great British Life

Likewise this list of sixteen attendees? Who might yield something: Females in the Far East – The Special Operations Executive in Burma 1941-1945

 

Thank you for your helpful comments and suggestions. Though it may take some time I will be following all of them up.

I agree that it is likely to be difficult to identify any survivors that can assist but if one does not try ….. 



That is what historical research is all about and hitting brick walls occurs much more frequently than one might image.