Saturday, 11th October 2025 – plaque and information board unveiling to commemorate STS 1, Brockhall.

This project was initiated by Ashley Barnett, Trustee and Treasurer and subsequently supported by Paul McCue.

The first part of the day involved an 11am commemorative service and the unveiling of a small (required as
such to be in keeping with two existing plaques) plaque at St Peter and St Paul church, Brockhall, Northampton NN7 4JY. The church is immediately adjacent to the hall, where all participants were kindly allowed to park – and to be group-photographed.

An excellent church service was given by Rev. Stephen Burrow.

We enjoyed military representation from the British Army’s Intelligence Corps, the defence teams of the US
Embassy (Colonel Mike “MB” Brown, USAF and his wife, Rebecca) and the French Embassy (Lieutenant de
Vaisseau (r) Thierry Ferrus) and Dr John Luckit, Volunteer Consul of the Royal Thai Embassy, London and
member of the Anglo-Thai Society. Dr Luckit was joined in representing Thailand by his wife, Frances, also
a member of the Anglo-Thai Society and its Chair, Steve Buckley. Padej (Pad) Kumlertsakul, Adviser for
Overseas & Defence at The National Archives, Kew, London was a welcome addition and expert on matters
Thai – a first group of 35 or so ‘Free Thais’ were recruited by SOE and most received initial training at STS
1, Brockhall in 1942. Kay Walker represented the FANY (PRVC).

SECRET WW2 attendees were (Chair and Trustees) Louisa Russell, Paul McCue and Ashley Barnett, together
with volunteer Meryl Jones, Rachelle Barnett, Ray Windmill and (also representing the Harrington Aviation Museum) Clive Bassett.

After the church service we relocated three miles to The Depot, Weedon Bec as it is here, in the site’s Visitor
Centre, that our information board will be displayed, in order for it to be seen by the many visitors to the
Centre – in contrast to the isolated location of Brockhall itself. See: The Visitor Centre – The Depot

We were very grateful to Doreen Addicott, leading light at The Visitor Centre, for agreeing to host our
information board and supporting leaflets, of which a supply was also provided for the church. The history of
STS 1 is set out further on in this newsletter.

Doreen mentioned that the Centre had recently had a return visit from someone who, several years ago, was
in the C5 television team that conducted a dig on the site of The Depot. Their finds had included a German
machine pistol and a container of the type dropped into occupied Europe. As they seemed to have no relevance
to the main history of The Depot, they were reburied on site. But the depot was used throughout WW2 and,
being only a short distance from STS 1, may have held arms, ammunition etc for the SOE establishment.