SOE Establishment - Station XVII: Brickendonbury

Throughout the Second World War (1939-45), Brickendonbury was used by the Special Operations Executive, European Theatre of War, and became Station 17, specializing in training agents and resistance workers in industrial sabotage. Vital operations such as the daring raid to destroy the Norwegian heavy water plant (part of Germany's nuclear bomb programme) and the bombing of the Renault engineering plant in France were launched from the estate. A television documentary The Secret War showed archive film of parts of the estate being used for rehearsing such raids and a reminder of these activities was found during building work in 1973, when unexploded hand grenades and live mortar shells were discovered in the drained moat!"

Station XVII was used for explosive trials during the Second World War.

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Source

• Text: Kaj Metz, Tony Roberts
• Photos: Tony Roberts