War and the forces

THE RESISTANCE STORE

When you are children in the war you have the opportunity to go to places that adults cannot.

Brighton seafront was out of bounds to the public. Big concrete blocks about 4ft high were positioned across the road leading into the seafront and the beach itself was probably laid with mines. My gang and I found a way under the barrier and we got to a position where the shops are, under Marine Drive. We managed to enter through a window and, with a torch, set off to investigate.

The first section only went back as far as the top road. There was a large arch and another section going backwards. This procedure happened several times. I should think if my memory serves me correct, We would be past St. James's Street. We were amazed - it was like the catacombs.

Many years later - I was now in my 30s and the war forgotten - I was repairing a garage roof that ran behind Dorset Gardens. This area was a restricted area in the war. A man spoke to me. He was very worried and seemed genuine. He said he was concerned about the construction of a large building on the corner of Edward Street as they were driving in metal piles.

His worry was, in the war as he worked here he had to sign the Official Secrets Act because a road and tunnel had been formed by the garage to what he was told were large caves below. For month after month at night, lorry loads of equipment for resistance workers were stacked on racks in these caverns. When it was full to capacity the ground was filled in and concreted over. His 'concern' now was, he had written to all the authorities, but they denied the existence of this store. He was worried that the pile driving might set off explosives. It did not, and the building was built and the mystery remains.

Later in life I worked for a wealthy man who liked to help the workmen, for his own reasons. When we were having our lunch one day I asked him what he did in the war. He said he was in the Secret Service, appointed to the Home Office. His job was to make maps of new resistance sites, keep an inventory and report back to the Home Office.

All the workmen were generally French Canadian soldiers and did not know the locality and were sent abroad immediately after completion. The store I mentioned he knew nothing of but he said it was all so secret anything could happen.

As recently as November 2000, when talking about this story to a local surveyor, he said you made no mistake in your memory. He told me he had seen one of the original plans of these catacombs 'for want of a better name' and also the plans as they exist today that show the catacombs ending at a much different position.

by Derek Hobbs-Ainley

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