List of SOE establishments
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The following is an incomplete list of training centres, research and development sites, administrative sites and other establishments used by the Special Operations Executive during World War II.
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Establishments concerned with experimental work, storage and production were given Roman numerals (mostly in Hertfordshire). Training schools had Arabic numbers (paramilitary schools around Arisaig, "finishing" schools around Beaulieu and operational schools various places including around Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Oxfordshire).
- Station VI - Bride Hall near Ayot St Lawrence, Hertfordshire - the weapons acquisition section.
- Station VIIa - Bontex Knitting Mills, Beresford Avenue, Wembley - Wireless Section Production
- Station VIIb - Yeast-Vite factory, Whippendell Road, Watford - Wireless Section, packing and dispatch
- Station VIIc - Allensor's joinery factory, King George's Avenue, Watford - Wireless Section Research
- Section VIId - Kay's garage, Bristol Street, Birmingham - Wireless Section Production
- Station IX - The Frythe estate near Welwyn Garden City, which began as a wireless research unit (Special Signals), then became a weapons development & production centre, then a research and development station. Now a factory belonging to GlaxoSmithKline. [1]
- Station IXa - P O Box 1, Ashford, Middlesex - Submersibles work at Staines reservoir.
- Station IXc - Fishguard Bay Hotel, Goodwick, Pembrokeshire - Submersibles work in Fishguard Bay.
- Station X - Bletchley Park, a radio station, now more famous for its subsequent use as a code breaking centre. The radio station moved to Aston House when code breaking activities took over.
- Station XI - Gorhambury House near St Albans, Hertfordshire - Accommodation.
- Station XII - Aston House near Stevenage, Hertfordshire - Production, packaging and dispatch. [2]
- Station XIV - Briggens, near Roydon, Essex, contained the Forgery Section.
- Station XV - The Thatched Barn - road house on the Barnet bypass at Borehamwood, Hertfordshire - Camouflage Section. Much of the work of this station involved the final equiping of agents who came through the Thatched Barn prior to going to France. Typical of the work was reproducing French clothing which was copied from newspaper photographs, catalogues etc and had to be perfect down to the last stitch and button. Maps were hand sewn into silk underwear, agents were made up with false humped backs etc to enhace their disguise. Strict anonymity was observed. The station was also concerned with the development of booby traps including very original devices such as bicycle pumps which were swapped and exploded when used. Other work included packing hand grenades into tins labelled as fruit. The labels were reproduced by skilled artists to look like the real thing. Plaster of Paris was moulded and painted to resemble a log and inside was a Sten Gun.
- Station XVa - 56 Queen's Gate, Kensington, London SW7 - Camouflage Section - prototypes.
- Station XVb - The Demonstration Room, Natural History Museum in London. Camouflage Section - A training centre for agents and for briefing officials [3]
- Station XVc - 2-3 Trevor Square, Knightsbridge, South Kensington - Camouflage Section, photographic and make-up section.
- Station XVII - Brickendonbury, Hertford - Explosive trials
- Station unknown - Spartan factory, North Circular Road, Wembley - Unknown
- STS1 - Brock Hall, Flore, Northamptonshire
- STS2 - Bellasis, Box Hill Road, Dorking, Surrey - Interrogation training of ex German PoWs
- STS3 - Stodham Park, Liss, Hampshire
- STS4 - Winterfold, Cranleigh, Surrey
- STS5 - Wanborough Manor, Puttenham, Guildford, Surrey - holding school for Bonzos (ex German PoWs)
- STS6 - West Court, Finchampstead, Wokingham, Berkshire
- STS7 (formerly STS4) - Winterfold, Cranleigh, Surrey - Students Assessment Board
- STS17 - Brickendonbury Manor - sabotage
- STS19 - Gardener's End, Ardeley, Stevenage, Hertfordshire - Bonzos for Operation PERIWIG
- STS21 - Arisaig House, Arisaig, Inverness-shire
- STS22 - Rhubana Lodge, Morar, Inverness-shire
- STS22a - Glasnacardoch Lodge, Mallaig, Inverness-shire - weapons store where weapons services and checked for accuracy.
- STS23 - Meoble Lodge, beside Loch Morar, Inverness-shire
- STS23b - Swordland, Tarbet Bay, beside Loch Morar, Inverness-shire
- STS24a - Inverie House, Knoydart, near Mallaig, Inverness-shire
- STS24b - Glaschoille, Knoydart, Mallaig, Inverness-shire
- STS25a - Garramor, South Morar, Inverness-shire
- STS25b - Camusdarach, South Morar, Inverness-shire
- STS25c - Traigh House, South Morar, Inverness-shire
- STS31 to STS27b - Beaulieu, Hampshire - Finishing Schools
- STS31 - The Rings, Beaulieu, Hampshire
- STS31 - The House in the Woods, Beaulieu, Hampshire
- STS36 - Boarmas, Beaulieu, Hampshire
- STS37a - ??? - advanced photography
- STS39 - (Hackett School), ??? - subversive propaganda
- STS40 - Howbury Hall, near Waterend, Bedford - training in use of EUREKA, REBECCA and S-Phone
- STS41 - Gumley Hall, Market Harborough
- STS42 - Roughwood Park, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks
- STS43 - Audley End House, Essex - Polish section
- STS46 - Chichely Hall, Buckinghamshire - Czechoslovak Section
- STS47 - ??? - advanced training on mines
- STS51 - Ringway - parachute training
- STS51a - Dunham House, Altrincham, Cheshire - parachute training (near Ringway)
- STS51b - Fulshaw Hall, Wilmslow, Cheshire - parachute training (near Ringway)
- STS52 - Thame Park, Oxfordshire - security training for wireless operators
- Station 53a - Grendon Hall in Grendon Underwood, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire - cryptology centre. Now a prison.
- Station 53b - Poundon House, Buckinghamshire, near Bicester - radio listening and transmission station.
- Station 53c - Poundon, Buckinghamshire, near Bicester. - Training American forces in SOE communications techniques. 53b and 53c were physically separate establishments but close to each other. Some of the 53b staff was transferred when 53c opened.
- STS54a - Fawley Court, Henley on Thames - Signals Section (Wireless Operators)
- STS54b - Belhaven School, Dunbar - Signals Section (Wireless Operators)
- STS61 - Audley End, Saffron Walden - packing parachute containers
- STS61 - Gaynes' Hall, St Neots (after April 1942)
- Station 62 - Anderson Manor, Winterborne Kingston, Dorset
- STS101 - Singapore
- STS102 (or ME102) - Ramat David, Haifa
- STS103 - Camp X - Whitby, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada - used to train American agents [4]
Other stations, whose code numbers are unknown, included:
- Gaynes Hall near St Neots in Cambridgeshire - Norwegian section.
- The Firs - Whitchurch, near Aylesbury - explosives testing.
- Henley-on-Thames - quartermaster
- Norseby House, 83 Baker Street, London - headquarters of European country sections
- No 6 Special Workshop School - Inverlair, Inverness-shire. According to the RCAHMS and Major Fyffe but Fyffe writes that within three weeks this was changed to simply "Inverlair". Also known colloquially as "The Cooler" and possibly ISRB Workshops.
- Pictures of many of the sites in the South East of England
- Inside Camp X by Lynn Philip Hodgson, with a foreword by Secret Agent 'Andy Durovecz (2003) - ISBN 0-9687062-0-7
(2003) SOE the scientific secrets. Sutton Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7509-3165-5.