Ian Macdonald was the joint owner of a Kent hop farm when war broke out in 1939. As a young farmer he could not join the Armed Forces because his was considered a ‘Reserved Occupation’. When he expressed frustration about this in his local pub one night, he was overheard and received an invitation to join a secret Auxiliary Unit. In a wood on the north Kent downs, hidden underground bunkers had been built in preparation for a possible invasion. These were camouflaged and filled with food, weaponry, ammunition, and explosives. Mr Macdonald willingly signed up, even though this meant concealing everything from friends and family as he was bound by the Official Secrets Act.

Every Sunday he and the other members of his small unit were taken for secret training sessions and taught skills for resistance against enemy invaders: these included unarmed combat, night patrol, and even how to plant explosives in a lavatory. On one occasion, a bunker was flooded and Mr Macdonald had to brave the icy waters to rescue the expensive equipment – the first time he ever tasted brandy was when some was brought from the local pub to restore him afterwards! Another bunker was built on land near Mr Macdonald’s farm, and every Friday he would be involved in secret training sessions there too.