Identifying RA officer-cadet location

Discussion in 'Royal Artillery' started by Capt.Sensible, Dec 14, 2015.

  1. Capt.Sensible

    Capt.Sensible Well-Known Member

    'Evening chaps,

    I've been asked by a colleague to help identify the locations where a group of photos were taken in the early 1940s. The photos appear to be of RA officer-cadets and it is thought that the photo with the balustrade was taken somewhere in the West Country. The other locations are a complete mystery. I know it is a bit of a tall order but the photos - especially the colour one - are really quite distinctive and perhaps they might ring a bell with someone on this august Forum.

    The Blacker Bombard shown in the colour photo suggests a date after late 1941 and perhaps before the middle of 1942. To me it has a sort of Home-Guard 'Battle School' look to it but I know nothing really.

    Nothing more is known about these photos.

    Any help would be gratefully received.

    CS

    RA Officers and cadets, where is it a.jpg
    RA Cadets and officers-2a.jpg
    RA Cadets, group photo.jpg
    Spigot mortar from Grant  Maddren 1975a.jpg
     
    Guy Hudson likes this.
  2. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    Ian Grant and Nicholas Maddren (in the photograph title) authored a book called, The Countryside at War in 1975 - getting hold of a copy of that or writing to the publishers may solve the colour photograph location. It's currently available on Abe Books for the bargain price of £2.80, plus the same for postage.
    http://www.abebooks.co.uk/Countryside-Ian-Grant-Nicholas-Maddren-Jupiter/16590665350/bd

    I'm not an architect, but the background looks like it might be Osterley Park, which was a Home Guard Training Centre to the west of London, set up by Tom Wintringham, the Spanish Civil War veteran whose experience fighting the fascists in Spain had led him to the conclusion that guerilla warfare was the best chance the coiuntry had in the event of invasion.

    Wintringham wrote several pamphlets about army reform, was consulted by several generals on the subject including Sir Ronald Adam, the Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Sir John Brown, the Deputy Adjutant-General and Major General Augustus Thorne, the Commander of the Brigade of Guards. Wintringham was the Daily Mirrror's military correspondent as well as writing for Picture Post. He was appointed Director of the School of Irregular Warfare at Osterley on 10th July 1940. The Marie Curie website (they use Osterley for charity events) says, "In 1940, the grounds of Osterley Park were used for the training and teaching the theory and practice of modern mechanical warfare, guerilla warfare techniques, camouflage, street fighting techniques, knife fighting and hand to hand combat. However in 1941 the school closed and relocated after being disapproved by the War Office and Winston Churchill."


    I have been following with much interest the growth and development of the new guerrilla formations ... known as 'Auxiliary Units'. From what I hear these units are being organised with thoroughness and imagination and should, in the event of invasion, prove a useful addition to the regular forces.'
    (Churchill to Eden, 25 September 1940.)


    Spartacus Educational has this to say: "The War Office became concerned about the activities of the Osterley Park Training School. The Inspector's Directorate of the Home Guard reported in July 1940: "While approving of the school in principle, the London District Assistant Commander did not think the Instructors were of a suitable type because of communistic tendencies. On 10th September General Pownall informed the Inspector's Directorate that "the school at Osterley was gradually being taken over by the War Office." In the spring of 1941 Wintringham was dismissed from his post as director of the training school. http://spartacus-educational.com/Jwinteringham.htm

    Which is ironic given that Churchill was creating the Auxiliary Units at the time. The history of that formation is largely unrecorded, but in Arthur Ward's book, "Churchill's Secret Defence Army" it is clear that Churchill was talking to Thorne and others who had and were talking to Wintringham about guerilla warfare. Not that it comes as any surprise that Churchill and his followers should claim credit for the ideas of other people of course.
     
  3. Capt.Sensible

    Capt.Sensible Well-Known Member

    Hello Brian,

    Thanks for that. I was aware the colour photo was on the cover of Grant and Maddren but I don't think any picture location or details are given in the book.

    Osterley Park is a certainly a candidate for the Home Guard photos. I have had a close look at various useful photos online and consulted my slighty shaky memory from a visit a few years ago. In short, I don't think this is Osterley as the spacing and proportion of the windows is wrong, as is the apparant portico structure. It doesn't seem to fit with any of the other buildings on the estate either. I've also had a look at some of the other large battle-school locations, such as Barnard Castle School but none seem to match the architecture visible in the photo.

    I've tried searching online for HG Battle School locations but the water is slightly muddied as any size of establishment were apparently used for this purpose, ranging from village halls to large estates.

    Wintringham was certainly a character! Shame he died so young - it would have been interesting to have seen his influence on post-war politics.

    CS
     
  4. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    Sorry if I was teaching my grandmother and all that, but thanks for posting and replying - I find such things most interesting and will have another think!
     
    Capt.Sensible likes this.
  5. Capt.Sensible

    Capt.Sensible Well-Known Member

    Not at all, Brian, all contributions welcome!

    CS
     

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