List of SOE establishments

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.

Numbered Stations

Establishments concerned with experimental work, storage and production were given Roman numerals (mostly in Herfordshire). Training schools had Arabic numbers (paramilitary schools around Arisiag, "finishing" schools around Beaulieu and operational schools various places including around Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Oxfordshire).

Experimental Stations

• 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 despatch
• 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 despatch. [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, for development of booby traps.
• 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 Kensinghton - Camouflage Section, photographic and make-up section.
• Station XVII - Brickendonbury, Hertford - Explosive trials
• Station unknown - Spartan factory, North Circular Road, Wembley - Unknown

Training Schools

• 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
• Station 17 - 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 - Glasnarcardoch Lodge, Morar, Inverness-shire - foreign weapons training
• STS23 - Meoble Lodge, Morar, Inverness-shire
• STS23b - Swordland, Tarbet Bay, Morar, Inverness-shire
• STS24a - Inverie House, Knoydart, Mallaig, Inverness-shire
• STS24b - Glaschollie, Knoydart, Mallaig, Inverness-shire
• STS25a - Garramor, Morar, Inverness-shire
• STS25b - Camusdarach, Morar, Inverness-shire
• STS25c - Traigh House, 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 - ??? - training in use of EUREKA, REBECCA and S-Phone
• Station 43 - Audley End House, Essex - Polish 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

Other sites

Other stations, whose code numbers are unknown, included:

• Gaynes Hall near St Neots in Cambridgeshire - Norwegian section.
• The Firs - Whitchurch, near Aylesbury - explosives testing.
• Arisaig, Inverness-shire - finishing school (STS21 to STS25c) [4]
• Henley-on-Thames - quartermaster
• Fawley Court, Henley on Thames - S.O.E. Signals section training facility
• Bellasis, at Box Hill, outside Dorking

• ISRB Workshops - Inverlair, Inverness-shire. Also known as "The Cooler"

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