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22.20 hrs.  Visit from Company Commander.
23.45   Patrol contacted searchlight unit who reported crew standing-to.
00.25   Yellow warning.
00.40   Planes overhead; posted additional sentries.
01.25   Planes still overhead. Searchlights trying to locate.
01.45   Sirens sounded.
02.10   Visit from Orderly Officer.
02.50   More planes overhead.
03.20   All clear.
03.30   Mounted second guard.
03.40   A.F.S. report rifle shots in direction of Forge Lane, also two shots
reported at 03.50 by Wardens in Aston Wood direction. Surrounded wood with searchlight crew and later discovered that the two shots were fired accidentally, one by a Sutton mobile patrol and one by a searchlight sentry. The police were also present.
06.00   Signed off. A very exciting night.


August 23/24th, 1940

21.14 hrs.  Guard mounted. O.P. manned. Weather cloudy, wind N.W.
22.40   Visited by Company Commander and 2 i/c. Issued with
sixteen blankets.
23.15   Visited by Orderly Officer.
   
23.50   'Phone message received from Deputy Warden :
   "Flashing lights reported by occupant of 164, Rosemary Hill Road,
in direction of
    Shenstone and Lichfield."
Two men sent to investigate. Found to be flares used by Military at Owlets Farm,
 1½ miles from Shenstone.
23.45   Patrol contacted by searchlight unit.
02.45   Sirens sounded. 'Planes very active. Bombs and A.A.
fire.
03.00   O.P. re-manned. Clear sky.
03.30   Visit by Orderly Officer.
03.50   All clear.
04.05  Sirens sounded. 'Planes over.
05.15  All clear.
06.00   Guard dismissed.

 

The "flashing lights" keep our Guards busy and frequently involve long journeys and long and patient investigation before being cleared. Each report is investigated: one concerned a report of a local inhabitant that each night intermittent lights resembling signalling were visible from Rookery Wood in a north-westerly direction. It takes the whole platoon two hours and an organised scheme with three observation posts and with synchronised watches recording each flash to determine that the lights were masked headlights of cars topping a rise on the Chester Road a mile and a half away.

 (......continues.....)

32
(Images of the Platoon can be seen on this page)

 

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