1

Flowerdown Military Base 1912 – 2021

British Army

1912 – 1919

1967 – 1976

1983 – 2021

Royal Navy

HMS Flowerdown

1930 – 1977

Royal Air Force

1919 – 1929

Mr Churchill in March 1921….. “At Flowerdown, there is an electrical and wireless school. I need scarcely say that it is the head of an extremely elaborate, complicated, and mentally dominating study and art, which has its relation to the general purpose we have in hand”.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard in 1925 …. “I consider Flowerdown as the backbone of the ”.

During the second world war, HMS Flowerdown was a vital listening post (Y station) passing top- secret Enigma coded messages to for de-cyphering.

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Contents Flowerdown Military Base ...... 1 Preface ...... 6 Why these notes? ...... 8 Sources ...... 11

Where is Flowerdown? ...... 15

Land ownership of Flowerdown ...... 18

Flowerdown, Morse code, Enigma and GCHQ ...... 25

An timeline overview of Flowerdown during the 20th Century ...... 30

An incomplete chronological account 1912 – 2020 ...... 43

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Personal memories and accounts ...... 129

British Pathé & Reuters silent film records of Flowerdown in the 1920s...... 169 Photographs HMS Flowerdown ...... 170 Bletchley Park - Neptune Project...... 178 An incomplete list of those who served at Flowerdown during WW2...... 181 Some aspects of the technical operations at H.M.S Flowerdown ...... 186

Nearby military sites associated with Flowerdown ...... 203

National Archive Flowerdown references ...... 207

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Preface

After many years collecting information about the Flowerdown Military base at Littleton in , these are my edited notes. The web has proved to be an invaluable source for stories of important events and of the men and women who served there but, alas, over time many of these links are now broken but their voices can still be heard through these pages.

A printed copy of the document has been deposited with the Hampshire County Council Record Office (Accession Number 11A20dl 30 January 2020) and is available on request to local history researchers.

The books and publications that I have read are listed. The Littleton Local History Group (LLHG) maintain an archive of Flowerdown related material and I acknowledge the use of that source. Some of my material was edited and used in an LLHG publication called ‘Littleton 1900 – 2000 The Growth of the Village’ and that is included. The chapter dealing with personal recollections comprises some of the correspondence between the late Mr. Dennis Holman (past Chairman of the Littleton Local History Group) and those who served at Flowerdown during WW2 and I gratefully acknowledge the use of their recollections. Mr Stephen Buster Johnson told me about his Grandfather’s job as a Wireless Mechanic at the RAF Wireless School. The BBC People’s War series provided some interesting stories and, among these, the son of Mr Dermod J. Kirwan contacted me to provide information about his father’s life at the Flowerdown Y Station during WW2. Major (Retd) Dennis Williams MBE gave me a detailed account about the construction of Sir John Moore Barracks (see 7.33.1)

My lay understanding is that these notes should be judged as ‘fair use’ of the extracts or quotations that I found. It is a ‘not for profit’ research paper, its sole purpose is to tell the story of Flowerdown before it closes for good in 2024. My hope is that others will be able to add to or correct the account. I am certainly no expert on military matters and it is likely that some dates and events are incorrect.

These are “not for profit” notes and were created solely for educational and historical purposes. I do not claim copyright or ownership of any of the photographic images or text contained herein. As for the photographs and other images, I believe all of them to be taken more than 70 years ago (1951). The images are reproduced in low or medium resolution and consist principally of unclaimed or "orphan" images where the copyright owner is presumed deceased, untraceable or unknown. If you believe you own any copyrights for materials in this paper and do not wish them to be viewed, then please ask for them to be removed.

The National Portrait Gallery kindly gave me permission to use the studio photograph of Lady Warmington. The copyright holder of ‘The Flowerdown Link’ gave permission for me to freely use text from the book. I read extensively about Flowerdown and the books that I used are acknowledged and recommended but I include very few extracts from them.

If you have any material that could be added or find mistakes then please send them to [email protected]

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A post-WW2 view of H.M.S Flowerdown Y station showing the giant aerial masts.

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Why these notes?

Flowerdown military base is to be closed after 105 years of use by the military. Thousands of men and women from many nations passed through its gates to serve our country. In 2018, the then Defence Secretary, Tobias Ellwood, announced in Parliament that the Sir John Moore Barracks (Flowerdown) would close by 2021. Plans to close many bases in the Ministry of Defence’s estate were revealed in MoD 2016 publication "A Better Defence Estate". This proposed disposing of 91 military sites across the UK. Later, the MoD confirmed that the date for the closure of Sir John Moore Barracks Flowerdown is now to be 2024. The MoD propose to sell the site for development. I believe that the northern part of Flowerdown should remain in public ownership and be dedicated (The Flowerdown Heritage and Country Park) to the countless thousands of people who served there. For further information please see https://lhpc.org.uk/wp- content/uploads/2021/05/Flowerdown-Heritage-and-Country-Park-Land-Ownership-Usage-and-a- Flowerdown-Park-land-proposal.pdf and related documents.

As far as I know, there has not been a written account of the history of the Flowerdown military base and there are now very few people left who served there during its heyday. The story of Flowerdown needs to be told and a permanent memorial (see above link) set up on the site when it closes.

The following chapters are an attempt to record the story of Flowerdown between 1912 to the present day. There are many gaps that, hopefully, others may fill. The only resources used were the web, the National Archives (in part) and a few books but the general flow of its story is here with tantalising gaps. Further research will no doubt yield even more stories. Hopefully, others may feel inspired by this account and add further material or correct any mistakes or misinterpretations.

There are references to the relationship between nearby Worthy Down and Flowerdown and a chapter showing their proximity to each other.

Flowerdown military base has a distinguished story spanning the two world wars and beyond. In WW1 it was used by British and American troops (Air service) and between the war years, in collaboration with the nearby RAF Worthy Down air station, it trained RAF radio staff. During WW2 it played a pivotal role picking up coded signals from the German Army and Naval Enigma machines immediately passing them on to Bletchley Park for decoding. These notes attempt to record part of this distinguished and honourable story together with the memories of some of those who worked there.

In 1964, the tall radio masts of Flowerdown were standing clear and visible from the roads around the site. An RN rating on stood on guard duty at a sentry box whilst a White Ensign flew from a flagpole inside the camp entrance at the end of Chestnut Avenue. This entrance had been known locally as ‘The Yankee Gate’ from its use by US troops during WW1. Concrete street lighting columns from before WW2 can still be seen along Chestnut Avenue.

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The Yankee Gate would have been at the far end of today’s Chestnut Avenue (off Kennel Lane). This road provides limited access from Flowerdown base into Littleton. The photograph was taken just after the RN Water Tower was demolished.

Local people were always curious about the massive aerial towers on Flowerdown but at that time little was known to the general public; former employees or service people would not discuss their role or the purposes of Flowerdown. You should remember that codebreaking operations at Bletchley Park came to an end in 1946 and all information about wartime operations was classified as ’top-secret’ until the mid-1970s. But even then, people involved would not talk about their work. The site continued in use for a few years as a wireless station staffed by 248 Signal Squadron Royal Corps of Signals billeted at Bushfield to the south of . They had a single large aerial and a central group of buildings, well-lit at night and surrounded by barbed wire on a small area near the centre of the Flowerdown site.

In 1993, Bletchley Park (BP) opened its doors to the public and its role was revealed along with that of Flowerdown and other wireless telegraphy (WT) ‘Y’ stations. Inevitably, more and more references to Flowerdown began to appear on the web and in popular literature, and its story became clearer.

The Bletchley Park website tells us…… https://bletchleypark.org.uk/our-story/the-path-of-a-message/intercept-y-stations

“Enemy messages were obtained by the ‘Y’ Service, a chain of wireless intercept stations across Britain and in a number of countries overseas. Thousands of wireless operators, many of them civilians but also Wrens, WAAF personnel and members of the ATS, tracked the enemy radio nets up and down the dial, carefully logging every letter or figure. The messages were then sent back to Bletchley Park (Station X) to be deciphered, translated and fitted together like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle to produce as complete a picture as possible of what the enemy was doing. The main sites were at Scarborough and Flowerdown, near Winchester, the army site was at Chatham in Kent and the RAF site was at Cheadle in Staffordshire. A number of new sites were set up around the country at the outbreak of war. There were also several British intercept sites overseas in Malta, Cairo, and Sarafand in Palestine, and for Japanese traffic at Abbottabad and Delhi in India, in

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Singapore, and later at Colombo and Mombasa. These intercept stations all worked closely with Bletchley Park. There were also intercept operators based on ships and mobile army intercept units with British forces on the ground in the various theatres of war around the world. A lot of intelligence could be worked out from what the radio operators were saying to each other and their locations could be tracked down using radio direction-finding equipment. But most of the important messages were in code or cipher and had to be decrypted.”

My approach to the Flowerdown story was simply to collect and organise any information that I came across, admittedly, in a rather haphazard manner and when the fancy took me. In the art world they call this sort of thing objet trouvé – ‘found’ objects that when arranged together tell a story!

These research notes are my collection of such random gatherings indexed in a way that makes sense to me! I have not systematically used public resources, but the following gives a taste of what is or was available on the web and in literature. Apart from these introductory chapters, none of the chronological text was written by the author but is mostly given as found. I understand that the historian has two roles: -

1. To organise data and analyses and to interpret their authenticity, meaning and significance. 2. To gather historical data from sources such as archives, diaries, newspapers, and photographs, as well as collecting data from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.

I have not attempted the first of these roles but noted in books such as The Puzzle Palace that such an analysis could be done to explain the governmental policy and security issues that lay behind the military history of Flowerdown.

I have not drawn on overseas sources such as the Library of Congress and DoD archives.

The research notes include a short summary written by the late Mr. Dennis Holman (past Chairman of the Littleton Local History Group). Then follows my collected notes in chronological order and a summary of Flowerdown related memories recorded in an excellent book called The Flowerdown Link’ by Squadron Leader.L.L.R. Birch. There is a description of the present Sir John Moore Barracks originally built to train entrants to The Rifles (Green Jackets) and now serving as an Army Training Regiment (ATR) base. But perhaps the most moving accounts are the personal memories of those Wrens (WRNS) and ratings who served at Flowerdown during WW2. The remaining chapters deal with technical matters.

The sole purpose of the notes is to provide a record of what went on at Flowerdown over the past century and to deposit it into the Hampshire Record Office archives for scholarly use. It is a simple collection of notes and must not be used for financial benefit unless copyright permission has been obtained from the copyright holders. Some of the stories are extracts from printed publications and these are acknowledged.

This account is an incomplete start and I urge those interested, to further this research by adding their findings.

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Sources

Littleton Local History Group (LLHG) Archives

The following folders are kept in the Littleton Local History Group (LLHG) Archives and are used or referenced in these research notes: - They are indexed by the LLHG as 845.x

845.1 Light Division Depot, Sir John Moore Barracks including-,

Purchase of Flowerdown land by MOD. Map and history from PLL 1/3/2010.

Plan of L.D.D. 1982 (part) showing conservation areas. ‘Sanctuary’ (M.O.D. Conservation Bulletin 14(c) Spring 1985) p36 Flowerdown. Passing Out Parade Programme 26/5/89.

Sounding the Retreat, July 1991.

Conservation Areas - correspondence, notes, reports, etc.

Sir John Moore Barracks: flooded entrance Feb/Mar 1995 (photo 103.2.3)

Cutting Hants Chronicle 16/7/04 re 1979 Protest meeting.

845.2 Royal Air Force, Wireless Receiving Station including: Correspondence / notes re’ The Flowerdown Link’ by Sq/Ldr. L.L.R. Birch.

Various notes about Flowerdown (mostly included here).

845.3 VE/VJ Celebrations (1995 Exhibition including 4 cartoons by Michael Hickey) Photographs Ref 108.3.

845.4 Personal memories of Flowerdown.

Flowerdown in literature

I found many useful references and personal stories about Flowerdown in the following books all of which I recommend to the reader. Copyright considerations prevent me from directly quoting extensively from these books but I have used a few short extracts from one or two and will withdraw these on request:-

1. The Flowerdown Link 1918 – 1978 - Squadron Leader L.L.R. Burch. Privately Published by Sherrens Granby Industrial Estate, Weymouth, Dorset.DT4 9UX – (Copyright permission granted 1st March 2021) 2. Littleton 1900 – 2000 The Growth of the Village (General editor Mike Lupton) (Copyright permission granted) 3. The Secret Listeners – How the Intercepted German Codes for Bletchley Park – Sinclair McKay Published by Aurum Press. 4. Secret Allies in the Pacific: Covert Intelligence and Code Breaking - Roland H. Worth Published by McFarland & Company,

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5. The Emperor's Codes: The Breaking of Japan's Secret Ciphers - Michael Smith Published by Biteback 6. Enigma – The Battle for the Code Hugh Sebag Montefiore Weidenfeld and Nicholson Seizing the Enigma – David Kahn Published by Frontline Books 7. The Puzzle Palace - James Bamford Published by Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd 8. : Geopolitics, Radio Industry, and Ionosphere in the... British Empire, 1918-1939 by Aitor Anduaga Published by Oxford University Press 9. (The Life and Times of Alan Dower Blumlein By R. W. Burns Published by Institution of Engineering and Technology 10. Churchill's Secret War by Robin Denniston Published by Sutton Publishing Ltd 11. Military Communications “High-Frequency Direction Finding” by Ralph Erskine(Google Books perhaps originally published by Cryptologia) 12. An Operational History of the Volatile War at Sea’ by Malcolm H. Murfett’ Published by Routledge 13. Colossus: The Secrets of Bletchley Park's Codebreaking Computers by B. Jack Copeland (Editor) Oxford University Press, USA 14. Wireless and Empire: Geopolitics, Radio Industry, and Ionosphere in the... British Empire, 1918-1939 by Aitor Anduaga Published by Cambridge University Press: 15. Novel by Daniel Silva The Unlikely Spy Published by Signet.

The Web

Wikipedia and Web searches over many years but, alas, some of these links are now broken or behind paywalls but the information could, perhaps, be found in one of the many web archives e.g., https://archive.org/web/web.php . The loss of these web sites almost always occurs because of the associated cost of maintaining them and also, of course, the gradual disappearance/loss of interest of those who set them up! Where I have recorded the text, then at least their stories will live on here (for a while!).

BBC ‘The People’s War’

Between June 2003 and January 2006.The BBC asked the public to contribute their memories of World War Two to a website

Imperial War Museum (IWM) – not yet fully referenced.

An online search for Flowerdown yielded a single hit ‘Flowerdown Link’ (see page 38 Flowerdown Link 1918-1978’)

Bletchley Park – partially used.

Hampshire Chronicle – not yet referenced.

Wireless World https://worldradiohistory.com/Wireless_World_Magazine.htm

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National Archives See Chapter 15: for full list. I have read HW 8/97 thoroughly but there is a lot more information at Kew.

H.M.S. Flowerdown. History of 'Y' Station during the years 1939-1945. 1939 Sep 01 This Admiralty 'Y' Station was mainly tasked with interception of Italian HW 8/97 to and Japanese Naval Communications, but also intercepted German, 1946 Jan 24 French and Russian Naval high frequency Morse communications.

Also, at the National Archive:

• Bowen collection of wartime poetry HF/LEEWW: 2001.1617.2 2001

• Parodic verse and poetry, many written on the backs of W/T Red forms used in the monitoring of enemy radio transmissions. Many were posted on the notice board of the Operations room at 'HMS Flowerdown', the wireless intercept station in Winchester, Hampshire.

• 'More of the Poets Come to Flowerdown' HF/LEEWW: 2001.1617.2.7 2001 Conditions of copying: View by appointment. Copyright restrictions apply on archive material. Contents:

• A poem by Ken Bowen entitled 'More of the Poets Come to Flowerdown', written during the Second World War as a pastiche of Rupert Brook (1887-1915) and John Keats (1795-1821). The poems are written on the back of Admiralty W/T Red radio transmission forms!

Hampshire Record Office https://calm.hants.gov.uk/advanced.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog

A search of the catalogue yielded 89 occurrences of Flowerdown’

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Where is Flowerdown?

Outline of Flowerdown Camp*

Outline of Littleton village

* Flowerdown Camp/Sir John Moore Barracks occupies about ⅓ of the area of Littleton village.

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Maps of Flowerdown

1735 map of Littleton with Flower Down with annotations Flower Down (sic) extended across what today is called Kennel Lane to the old Pumping Station on the other side of Main Road. Interestingly, apart from the area close to Andover Road, this is now defined in the Winchester Local Plan as part of the Littleton Local Gap. Flower Down appears on Taylor's 1750 map of Hampshire and on the 1844 Littleton Enclosure Map, but it was not until 1919 and later that 210 acres of Flower Down was purchased by the War Department.

Taylor’s 1750 map mentioned in the Flowerdown Link below

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19th C Map of Flower Down Note Harestock Farm bottom right.

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Land ownership of Flowerdown

As a result of the Littleton Enclosures Act 1843, Flowerdown, of approximately 179 acres, was lost as common land. Villagers no longer had general rights of grazing.

The main part of the site, shown on the map below and coloured pale green, was acquired from Samuel Bostock of Lainston House and James Wood & Others were party to the Deed of Transfer as Mortgagees.

The acquiring authority was the President of the Air Council and the transfer was dated 21st September 1920. The site amounted to 115 acres of Flower Down.

Later, a small part of in the SE corner was sold to BT for the Harestock (880) telephone exchange. It is interesting to note that a tall microwave radio tower looms over the exchange as though paying homage to the past importance of Flowerdown in radio communications.

The second largest part of the site shown coloured pale yellow and amounting to 77 acres was acquired from Gerald Deane of Knightsbridge, London and the acquiring authority was the Commissioners for executing the office of the Lord High Admiral of the of Great Britain and Ireland. The date of transfer was 11th January 1949.

A small part of this pale-yellow land to the western boundary is shown hatched red which denotes a disposal out of the MoD estate. This land amounting to 10.3 acres was previously leased to Littleton Parish Council but was, on the 26th February 1988, sold to them. There is a restrictive covenant to only use the land for recreational purposes which would include erecting buildings for that purpose.

To the eastern end of the pale-yellow land is a small area of purple land. This amounts to 1 acre and was acquired from the Trustees and Mortgagees of Mrs E G Browne, again by the Commissioners for executing the office of the Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland", on the 24th January 1950.

Finally, there are 3 plots of land to the south of the original purchase fronting Harestock Road.

The larger one in a darker yellow amounted to 7 acres and was acquired from Richard Algernon Andrews on the 30th October 1937, again by lithe Commissioners for executing the office of the Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland".

The middle one coloured blue amounted to 4 acres and was acquired from The Ledger Hill Trust Company Limited by the President of the Air Council on the 2nd December 1921.

Finally, there is the land coloured green amounting to 1.75 acres and was acquired from Samuel Bostock of Sparsholt Manor (probably the same person who sold MoD the main site) on the 24th February 1925 by the President of the Air Council.

This indicates that it was originally a RAF site comprising the main pale green site, the green

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site and the blue site. It then became a Royal Navy (H.M.S Flowerdown) site with the addition of the two yellow coloured sites and finally the purple site.

The MOD at one time owned a property in Littleton (shown coloured brown) (Glendale 3 Main Road) but this was sold. During WW2, many Flowerdown Commandants & senior staff were accommodated in Flowerdown House (Deane Down Drove) see below.

Note that the MoD land is bordered in the South by Kennel Lane although the older Flower Down pre-enclosure Acts extended across Kennel Lane to Main Road and the Old Pumping Station

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Flowerdown Cottage and its involvement with H.M.S Flowerdown

This house still stands in Deane Down Drove in Littleton and over the years served as the residence of a number of Flowerdown senior staff. The information was provided by the current owners.

FLOWERDOWN COTTAGE Date Name(s) Information Source 1914 No Record 1915 No Record 1920 No Record 1922 Sold to . No records of residents 1923 No Record Kellys Hampshire Directory 1927 No Record Kellys Hampshire Directory 1928 Arthur and Ivy Godman Electoral Roll 1931 No Record 1932 Gillespie Lt Col Edward Warrens Winchester Directory DSO RM 1933 Edwin Gambba Fautley DOB 16/07/1909 at 44 St Electoral Roll, Registry Office. and Lilian Frances May Marks Road Kennington – Fautley DOD Nov 1997 Winchester. 1933 Minter Lieut Cmdr J H C Kellys Hampshire Directory RN 1934 Minter Lieut Cmdr J H C Appointed commander Warrens Winchester Directory, RN Flowerdown Shore Station Navy List 06/08/34 1935 Minter Lieut Cmdr J H C Warrens Winchester Directory RN 1936 Gillespie Lt Col Edward Retired 1936. DSO awarded Kellys Hampshire Directory DSO RM WW1 Warrens Winchester Directory 1937 Gillespie Lt Col Edward Warrens Winchester Directory DSO RM 1938 Gillespie Lt Col Edward Warrens Winchester Directory DSO RM 1939 Hilary Simon Lewis DOB 8th Dec 1898 died Sept Registry Office. Kelly’s Directory. Ewart (Lt Cmdr RN) and 1982 and married Amy Bath Navy List Amy Bath (Amy Frances 1923 Portsmouth. Ewart) Appointed commander Flowerdown Shore Station 19/04/39 1941 Minter Lieut Cmdr J H C Warrens Winchester Directory RN 1942 Minter Lieut Cmdr J H C Warrens Winchester Directory RN 1945 Patricia Boissier Electoral Roll

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1949 ***Lady Eileen Mary DOB 13 May 1912 died 1969 Registry Office. Warmington and Winchester. Chief Officer Navy List Elizabeth Dunn WRNS 1951 No Record 1954 Kelly Lt Cmdr Appointed Flowerdown Warrens Winchester Directory Shore Station 15/07/54 Navy List

From Kellys Hampshire Directory

1939-Lieut Cmdr Ewart H S L RN 1936 - Gillespie Lt Col Edward DSO RM 1933 - Minter 1927 no 1923 no 1931 no 1915 no 1920 no

From Warrens Winchester Directory

1939 - Miss Amy Bath and Ewart 1940 - above 1930 - no 1931 - no 1935 - Minter 1937 - Gillespie 1936 - Gillespie (Retired 1936) 1929 - no 1934 - Minter Lieut Cmdr J H C RN 1932 - Gillespie 1914 - no 1942 - Minter 1941 -Minter 1951 - no 1954 - Kelly Lt Cmdr F D (House)

OS Map 1909

Shows two plots in DDD 95b 0.362 acres and 95a 0.506 acres no buildings.

OS Map 1933 shows Buchanan’s (a now demolished house in Deane Down Drove) on 95b and FDH on 95a expanded to 1.281 acres has outbuildings where bungalow now is placed (no names but can tell by shape, veranda shown etc) Semis and Eve’s Stores (Corner of Deane Down Drove & Main Road) shown plus bungalows and end house at Stockbridge Road.

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Navy List 1934

Gillespie supernumerary

1939 Ewart appointed Commander Flowerdown Shore Station 19/04/39

1934 Minter appointed Commander 06/08/34 also 1941/2

1949 Lady Eileen Mary Warmington (Chief Officer WRNS)

1954 Kelly appointed Commander 15/07/54.

Lady Ethel Graham Warmington (née Gillies)

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp63516/lady-ethel-graham-warmington-nee- gillies Lady Ethel Graham Warmington (née Gillies) by Bassano Half-plate glass negative, 31 May 1923 Given by Bassano and Vandyk Studios, 1974 Photographs Collection NPG x33929

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Sitter Lady Ethel Graham Warmington (née Gillies) (died 1957), Wife of Sir Marshall Denham Warmington, 2nd Bt; daughter of John Lawson Gillies. Sitter in 3 portraits. Artist Bassano (active 1902-1979). Artist associated with 40953 portraits.

National Portrait License/Order: 1885928/04/2021 download_order_18859_npg_1619627639.zip1 item

From THE LONDON GAZETTE, 26 MARCH 1943 p1427

WOMEN'S ROYAL NAVAL SERVICE. 10th March 1943. The following Chief Officer, W.R.N.S., is promoted to the rank of Acting Superintendent, with seniority of date shown: — 22nd February 1943. Miss Jessie Frith. The following First Officers, W.R.N.S., are promoted to the rank of Acting Chief Officer, with seniority of dates shown: — 24th January 1943. Lady Eileen Mary Warmington. 25th January 1943

Lady Warmington and Sir Marshall George Clitheroe Warmington http://www.thepeerage.com/p60547.htm#i605465

During 1949, Lady Warmington was Chief Officer of the WRNS at HMS Flowerdown. In 1942, she had married Lieutenant Sir Marshall George Clitheroe Warmington whose extraordinary tale at the 1940 naval action at Lofoten is related in the link below. During this action, he retrieved Enigma rotor wheels and documents from an enemy vessel and immediately passed these to Bletchley Park. https://issuu.com/navynews/docs/201103/12 https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/92716822?mode=transcription

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London Gazette 14th January 1955

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Flowerdown, Morse code, Enigma and GCHQ

Flowerdown’s wireless mission Flowerdown was an important Army camp during WW1 but later it was at the heart of military radio/wireless communications that continued through both world wars. The following explains some of the things that went on there.

Morse code messages Up to and beyond the end of WW2, most long-distance wireless (radio) messages, including those secret messages produced by the Enigma cypher machines, were sent and received by radio operators using Morse code. This was called Wireless Telegraphy or W/T. Telegraphy was the technology used to send telegrams over telephone wires. So naturally, the term Wireless Telegraphy was used when such messages were sent over the airwaves rather than by wire. Enigma messages, although encoded, were sent and received by highly trained Morse operators. The benefit of sending a message in Morse code is that the messages can be sent (transmitted) with less powerful radio equipment than would be required for voice messages. Morse code was universally used by the world’s navies and merchant shipping up to the end of the 1990s. The International Morse Code gives codes for the 26 English letters A through Z, some non-English letters, the Arabic numerals and a small set of punctuation and procedural signals (prosigns). There is no distinction between upper- and lower-case letters. Each Morse code symbol is formed by a sequence of dots and dashes e.g. A = dot dash, B = dash dot. The dot duration is the basic unit of time measurement in Morse code transmission. The duration of a dash is three times the duration of a dot. Each dot or dash within a character is followed by period of signal absence, called a space, equal to the dot duration. The letters of a word are separated by a space of duration equal to three dots, and the words are separated by a space equal to seven dots. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code

A Typical WW1 Morse . Basically, it is an On/Off switch with a spring return to Off. The operator pressed and released the key briefly for a dot and longer for a dash. Good operators exceeded 20 words per minute. But to reduce the chance of errors, enemy Enigma messages would be sent at about 20 wpm. HMS Flowerdown ‘listeners’ would be listening for these signals coming from the giant aerials for hours on end, and without losing their concentration, tuning and retuning their receivers often without any results. But when they had a found a ‘contact’ they had to record it accurately and indicate when they were uncertain of the Morse letter received.

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WW1 This is a brief account of the use of radio by the during WW1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Flying_Corps#Wireless_telegraphy_and_photo-reconnaissance Before 1915, the ’ Air Battalion had pioneered experiments with wireless telegraphy in airships and aircraft. Impracticably, these early transmitters weighed a massive 75 pounds and filled a seat in the cockpit! This meant that the pilot had to fly the aircraft, navigate, observe the fall of the shells and then transmit the results by Morse singlehandedly! To make matters worse, the wireless in the aircraft could not receive messages! Later when the RFC was formed, a dedicated special ‘Wireless Flight’ attached to No. 4 Squadron RFC had sole use of the wireless equipment. But eventually this flight was expanded into No. 9 Squadron under Major (later Air Chief Marshall Lord Dowding). By early 1915 the Sterling lightweight spark transmitter became available and was widely used. In 1915 each Corps in the British Expeditionary Force was assigned to an RFC squadron solely for artillery observation and reconnaissance duties. The transmitter filled the cockpit normally used by the observer and a trailing wire antenna was used which had to be reeled in prior to landing. An important development was the ‘Zone Call’ procedure of 1915. By this time, maps were 'squared' and a target location could be reported from the air using alphanumeric characters transmitted in Morse code. Batteries were allocated a Zone, typically a quarter of a map sheet, and it was the duty of the RFC signallers on the ground beside the battery command post to pick out calls for fire in their battery's Zone. Once ranging started, the airman reported the position of the ranging round, the battery adjusted their firing data and fired again, and the process was repeated until the pilot observed an ‘on-target’ or close round. The battery commander then decided how much to fire at the target. The results were mixed. Observing artillery fire, even from above, requires training and skill. Within artillery units, ground observers received mentoring to develop their skill, which was not available to RFC aircrew. There were undoubtedly some very skilled artillery observers in the RFC, but there were many who were not and there was a tendency for reporting ‘on-target’ rounds that weren't! The procedures were also time consuming. The ground stations were attached to heavy artillery units and were manned by RFC wireless operators. The wireless operators work was often carried out under heavy artillery fire in makeshift dug outs. The artillery batteries themselves were important targets and radio aerials were a lot less robust than the guns, and prone to damage that required immediate repair. As well as taking down and interpreting the numerous signals coming in from the aircraft, the operator had to communicate back to the aircraft by means of cloth strips laid out on the ground or by a signalling lamp to give visual confirmation that the signals had been received. The wireless communication was one-way as the aircraft didn’t have a receiver and the ground station could not transmit! But by May 1916, 306 aircraft and 542 ground stations were equipped with wireless and Flowerdown was paired with Worthy Down RFC airfield to train the men and women developing and using this new technology.

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The Royal Flying Corps was established in May 1912. Major Herbert Musgrave was placed in charge of RFC’s experiments. https://spartacus-educational.com/FWWairwireless.htm and http://marconiheritage.org/ww1-air.html

These included research into how wireless telegraphy could be used by military aircraft. By the start of the war in 1914, Musgrave and his team had devised the system, described above, whereby pilots could use wireless telegraphy to help the artillery hit specific targets. The aircraft observer carried a wireless set and a map and after identifying the position of an enemy target was able to send messages such as A5, B3, etc in Morse code to the artillery commander.

Pilot officers of the RFC listening to Morse code.

The Royal Flying Corps also began research into how wireless telegraphy could be used to help home-defence aircraft during German bombing raids. In 1916 the RFC developed a lightweight aircraft receiver and a Marconi half-kilowatt ground transmitter. These transmitters were located on aerodromes in raid-threatened areas. The aircraft receiver was tuned in advance, and the pilot had to unreel a 150 ft. aerial from its drum and switch on.

Trials started in May and pilots reported that signals were clearly heard up to ten miles but at longer distances they weakened. Further adjustments were made and by November clear signals could be heard over twenty miles. Pilots could now be informed about enemy aircraft & Zeppelin movements and therefore had a far better chance of successfully engaging with them before they dropped their bombs.

In August 1917, a memorandum was written reviewing the principles of fighting adopted by the Royal Flying Corps since the Battle of the Somme. The operations of that year confirmed the lessons of the past, and soon fighting extended to low-flying machines equipped with wireless co- operating with ground troops, and attacking men, guns, trenches, transport, and hostile aerodromes.

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WW2 In preparation for their Blitzkrieg warfare, the Germans recognized that their troops would be advancing too fast for land-line communications, and that short-wave radio was needed.

Because anyone with a suitable radio can hear Morse code, a new and seemingly unbreakable encoding system had to be developed. They called this Enigma, and the Germans believed right to the end of the war that it could never be broken. Their Italian allies also used Enigma machines to code their secret messages.

The German Army Enigma had 3 rotors, and the order of these rotors was changed each day according to an instruction sheet. Next, the order of 26 double-ended plugs in a plugboard was changed and then the three rotors set to specific letters. All of the Enigma machines on a network had to be set up initially according to the top-secret instruction sheet.

If the instruction sheet was captured along with an it would compromise the code, so a further fool-proof system was devised whereby each message had its own code set up using two sets of three random letters chosen by the sender. A description can be found at https://museumofworldwarii.org/collection/enigma/

During the war, the basic settings of the rotor order and the plug boards of the Enigmas was changed every eight hours and then every hour. The rotor settings, the individual letters, were changed for every message. The number of possible settings on the three rotor Enigma is 210 x 10145 an impossibly large number (represented by 67 bits in binary code)!

But, the Enigma codes were broken, in part, because it was thought to be unbreakable! The sending operators, disobeying strict orders, saw no need to send arbitrary random letters. So, the most common six random letters chosen by the operators were HITLER, BERLIN, LONDON and one operator used TOMMIX for the entire war. These casual practises helped Bletchley in eventually deciphering the incoming messages.

During the Second World War there were two major high-grade cipher systems being worked on at Bletchley Park: Enigma and the Lorenz (also known as ‘Tunny’). I found no evidence that Tunny codes were handled by the Flowerdown Y station.

Flowerdown played a crucial role in receiving the Enigma messages sent by enemy forces and then passing them immediately to Bletchley Park by motor bike and teleprinter for decoding and use by the Allied military. Many of the personal stories of the women and men who served at Flowerdown tell of listening in and faithfully recording day and night 24/7 to the Enigma messages in groups of four letters that meant absolutely nothing to them.

Post WW2

Following the end of the war and the end of the Enigma period, Flowerdown’s attention turned to receiving messages from the Soviet Union and other countries using highly encoded Morse messages that would be of interest to HM Government. But in 1977, the government moved the entire staff and responsibilities of Flowerdown to a new secret facility known as GCHQ

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Cheltenham. By the end of the 1990s, Morse code had ceased to be used although it still lives on among radio amateurs.

Today, most communication, both government and public, are done through the Internet. Highly confidential top-secret messages are still encoded using a mathematical code and are very difficult to break. We say that the messages are encrypted rather than encoded and, of course, Morse is no longer used! If you log into your bank account you will notice a small lock symbol in front of the web address. This assures you that your messages to and from the bank are encrypted using the Advanced Standard (AES) which is impossible for non-governmental parties to decipher.

At the present time, GCHQ and the National Security Agency (NSA) in the US together with others together form ‘The Five Eyes’, an Anglophone intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the . These countries are parties to the multilateral UKUSA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in . They almost certainly monitor and, where necessary, decipher the world’s Internet traffic to ensure our security.

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An timeline overview of Flowerdown during the 20th Century

This extract is from a publication of the Littleton Local History Group (LLHG) entitled “Littleton 1900 – 2000 The Growth of the Village” (General editor Mike Lupton). The excellent chapter below on Military Flowerdown was written by the late Mr. Dennis Holman the, then, Chairman of the LLHG. Dennis put considerable effort into contacting those who had served at Flowerdown during WW2. Copies of the publication may still be available through the LLHG.

The important point to understand when considering the history of Flowerdown as a military base is that there were three key periods. First the presence of British & American troops during WW1, second, the RAF Electrical & Wireless School from 1919 to 1929 before they moved the establishment to Cranwell and then the third period from 1930 through WW2 when the Royal Navy established a W/T (Wireless telegraphy station) or ‘Y’ station named H.M.S. Flowerdown that proved so crucial in providing Bletchley Park with the coded messages picked up on its giant aerials. Following closure, this top-secret work was transferred to GCHQ (Government Communication Head Quarters) Cheltenham. The following provides a potted history of these periods.

Military Flowerdown

(Copied from pp 34 – 44 of Littleton 1900 – 2000 The Growth of the Village” Flowerdown - or Flower Down as it was titled on Taylor's 1750 map of Hampshire and on the Littleton Enclosure map of 1844 - was an area of downland, rich in wildflowers. Many of these (81) have been recorded by local botanists in surveys in the 1980s and again in 2000. It was one of the two areas of common land available to residents of Littleton from mediaeval times and as such would never have been ploughed, being used principally for grazing.

Following the Enclosures Act, in 1843 the land was allocated to one of the local landowners and the villagers were left with only a small area of common land incorporating the pre-historic barrows (now under the care of English Heritage adjacent to Main Road near Kennel Lane. Although the land was alienated, it was not fenced and was probably open for regular foot- travellers. A footpath ran across the Down from Deane Down Drove to the Andover Road.

A copy of the Enclosure papers reveals that Edward Fitt was allocated most of the Flowerdown land, but by the end of the nineteenth century it formed part of the Lainston estate which had been purchased by Samuel Bostock. It was one of the several lots offered for sale at the aborted auction sale scheduled for 28th July 1914. Soon after, it was acquired by the War Office, either by negotiated agreement or by compulsory purchase, and has remained in the possession of the Crown ever since, having been used by all three services.

During the early 20thC, there are accounts of aircraft regularly landing and taking off from an open grassed area - no doubt in association with developments at nearby Worthy Down. The issue of the Hampshire Chronicle dated 10th May 1912 reported a "new and novel holiday attraction" in the form of an exhibition of flying at Flower Down by Mr. Sidney Pickles. Technical problems apparently postponed the take-off, but Mr. Pickles managed to impress a small gathering the following day with a different plane.

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This civilian activity no doubt attracted official interest and soon after the beginning of the1914-18 war a number of Royal Flying Corps aircraft were using the field in the south-east corner near Harestock Farm. These mostly seem to have been Bleriot planes, but a variety of activities followed.

The parents of Kath Mullet (née Flux) had a bungalow with an acre of land adjoining Flowerdown. "I remember seeing the pilots in their helmets and goggles in the open cockpit, and I received many a wave and a smile as I stood watching; all very exciting for a five -year-old." This was an area close to the present Caravan Park. Her father (like many others) kept pigs and kitchen waste from the Royal Flying Corps canteen contributed to the pig-feed.

In October 1914, the 80th Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Division was billeted in the Winchester area before moving to and it may safely be assumed that at least one battalion would have been located here. There is a documented Light Division connection with Flowerdown in May 1915, when the 7th battalion of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry staged through Flowerdown on a march from to Odiham. Early volunteers for Kitchener's army drilled here - initially in their own clothing before uniforms were available for issue - and villagers were asked to accommodate some until transfers could be arranged to the emerging huts under construction. Later the used the area for training non-flying ground personnel.

Part of the Flowerdown military land was used as a re-mount depot (perhaps near to today’s Littleton Stud?). Horses were collected and held before being issued for military use to cavalry regiments and others. Many animals came from Ireland, but they were also collected from local gentry and farmers. Often they were tethered on the down and a number died there from exposure.

After 1917, American soldiers were briefly billeted here and the entrance to the camp on Chestnut Avenue, opposite the well-known Eve's Stores, was known as Yankee Gate. Towards the end of the war the site was run by the Royal Air Force, which had itself been formed in April 1918 by the amalgamation of the RFC (Royal Flying Corps) and the RNAS (Royal Naval Air Service). (This marriage had been achieved in the teeth of opposition from both the admirals and the generals by the forward-looking persuasive power of Gen. J. C. Smuts).

At the end of WW1, it was used by the RAF as a demobilisation centre, as well as a transit camp for Indian soldiers and Serb and Croat combatants, until July 1919.

After this RAF personnel continued to be stationed on the site and at this stage it may have been used for some flying (perhaps as an ‘emergency’ air strip), or in collaboration with the aerodrome at nearby Worthy Down. Permanent buildings and a "Main" wireless station were constructed.

Air Marshall Hugh Trenchard, the visionary founder of the RAF, conceived the idea of an Air Apprentice scheme to provide the future technicians for the service and the Electrical and Wireless School commenced operating at Flowerdown in 1919. "The Flowerdown Link 1918 - 1978", privately published by Sqd-Ldr L.L.R. Birch RAF, provides great insight into life at Flowerdown, especially from the viewpoint of the RAF apprentices. In May 1919 before the inception of the - apprentice scheme a number of boys aged 16 or 17 were transferred to Flowerdown for training as

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radio operators. At this time WRAF (Women's Royal Air Force) personnel were still stationed at Flowerdown and were, it is claimed, told to mother them. At this time one 16-year-old boy wrote "we really enjoyed our introduction to Flowerdown - splendid food and everyone seemingly anxious to help us". This situation did not continue, as evidenced by most apprentices who underwent training there.

In 1922 the Royal Air Force expanded its training activities at Flowerdown with the establishment of the Electrical and Wireless School as part of the Air Apprentice scheme. From January 1922 a succession of 15 - 16year old boy entrants - some 745 in all - were trained by the Air Ministry for the trades of wireless operator, mechanic, electrician or instrument maker. A report of an inspection carried out on the 7 - 9th July 1924 provides a detailed picture of the apprentice scheme.

Entry was by open competition in the subjects of Mathematics, Experimental Science, History, Geography, Literature and Essay. Successful candidates, who were drawn from all classes and would have been of more than average ability, were attested for 12 years’ service from the age of 18. During their three years' training the boys were lodged, fed and clothed at the expense of the Ministry, receiving pay at the rate of 1/6d per day, increasing to three shillings from the age of 18.

Instruction lasted for about 33 hours per week, of which four were dedicated to physical education, eight to scholastic work and the remainder to training and workshops. Wednesday afternoons were devoted to games and homework was regularly set; the school "held in a healthy and pleasantly situated building, on the whole suitable for the purpose, with classrooms commodious, lofty and well-lighted and ventilated." However, domestic accommodation was Spartan: cold, damp and uncomfortable huts, concrete floors covered with brown linoleum and a small "tortoise stove" at each end of the rooms, plus an ablutions area.

The Air Apprentice scheme required a high level of competence and standards at the entrance examination were high. Training, which lasted for three years, was initially for the position of W.O.M. (Wireless operator mechanic); although later other trades were trained. The syllabus was extensive and embraced both mechanical skills and technical training. The apprentices provided a crucial nucleus of technical personnel to the war effort in WW2, many branching out into radar and other aspects, with the majority achieving promotion to commissioned rank.

The Electrical and Wireless School remained at Flowerdown until 1929 when it was transferred to RAF Cranwell. Birch's book includes reminiscences from many apprentices over those years, which paint a consistent picture of a life under harsh discipline and strict NCOs, but one which produced a great esprit de corps and an excellent standard of work at passing out after three years. All constantly refer to the poor and (as we would now think) inadequate diet for growing active boys in their teens. With frequent fatigues and a full programme of activities there was no time for leisure except for organised sport. This combined with PT ensured good physical development. PT always started the day at 6.30 am for half an hour, and many refer to the early morning runs to Three Maids Hill whatever the weather in singlet and shorts. (No track suits then!) This would probably be the only sighting of the apprentices by inhabitants of Littleton, for they were permitted to leave camp only between 1715 and 1915 hrs on Wednesdays and Sundays (when all the shops in Winchester were shut). On a weekly pay of 10/6d (55p) until the age of 18, there was little incentive to visit the city. The apprentices were granted home leave three times a

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year for a total of six weeks, and even at home they were required to wear uniform all the time. All carried a silver-topped swagger cane (which had to be purchased for 1/6d out of their own funds) when out of camp. Occasionally their training took them for a flight in one of the aircraft at Worthy Down airfield, where two bomber squadrons were stationed. In 1927 the two squadrons (Nos 7 and 58) were commanded by W/C Charles Portal and W/C "Bomber" Harris, later both famous WWII Air Marshals.

The apprentice school formed a separate unit within the camp. Their home was "the Hostel", where the WAAFs had previously been accommodated. Each dormitory held about a dozen boys, with an ablution area supplied with cold water. The boys had one bath per week, for which they had to sign the bath book. Competition was intense to get in early, while there was still a supply of hot water. Latecomers found at best tepid water! The two "tortoise" stoves were fed with coal which the boys had to bring from a central fuel depot in 1-cwt bins, though this sometimes did not last the week.

The verdict of one young man was “pay and food poor, uniforms rough and ill-fitting with a weekly round of instruction, drill and fatigues.” So, there were few frills and even the inspectors' report suggested that social and recreational activities for this "somewhat isolated community" could be improved. Perhaps there could be English studies possibly "leading to dramatic performances" or "evening courses of popular lectures to obviate the effects of this isolation." Nevertheless, the quality of the apprentices was high.

There were brighter moments, as the reflections of those who passed through the system confirm. There was a weekly cinema show in camp for the price of sixpence and the station possessed a full military brass band. The bandmaster, Flight-Lt East lived in a house on Deane Down Drove, where his daughter, Muriel East, continued to live until well into the twenty-first century. There must have been an extraordinary wealth of talent on the station, for a symphony orchestra was formed.

Sergeant Miller, whose father was an instructor in the electrical section, was the inspirational conductor and indefatigable organizer. He borrowed instruments from the military and directed a varied programme of musical activities on camp and in the wider community in Winchester. Some boys were already musically skilled, but others volunteered to learn an instrument, in order to be excused some fatigues.

At Cranwell in Lincolnshire the Royal Air Force had developed their College with other facilities and in 1929 the Electrical and Wireless School was transferred there from Flowerdown, thus ending the RAF connection. Negotiations were held between the Treasury and the Air Ministry for the sale of the site. Progress was slow, but eventually the Admiralty expressed interest - if a suitable price could be agreed. Agreement was reached in May 1929 for Flowerdown to become a Royal Navy Signal and Wireless Station. It was to be a wireless receiving station only, where no transmissions were to be made; the maximum height of masts permitted was 150ft. Finally, on 30th September 1929 Flowerdown was transferred to the Royal Navy. It was controlled by the R.N. Signal Station, Forest Moor and was eventually renamed H.M.S. Flowerdown on 10th December 1942 and formal~ commissioned on 10th January 1943. It was closed down and paid off by the Royal Navy on 6 May 1960. Many members of the civilian staff were transferred to GCHQ at Cheltenham.

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The various military establishments on Flowerdown during these inter-war years were inevitably separate from the general life of the village. Flowerdown was in advance of Littleton, for it had its own water supply and sewage works and generated its own electricity, at a time when Littleton houses were still lit by gas or paraffin lamp. However, many of the civilian staff at Flowerdown lived in the village and took a full part in the social activities; and the homes of some senior staff were supplied with power by cable from Flowerdown.

For a period after there were three cafes operating in the village, which must have catered principally for Flowerdown staff. One was run by Mr. Hall in Ratcliffe House (on the corner of Bercote Close and Main Road). Another was in a bungalow on the site of the present Littleton Mobile Home Park, while there was a third at Eve's Stores, almost at the entrance gates. At this time, the gymnasium in Flowerdown was open to village residents on two evenings a week and its cinema on Friday nights. There was a sizeable coal store, tapped by the village, and a cobbler named McKee served both civilian and serviceman. Stan Herridge, whose family settled in Littleton in 1932 when he was seven, remembers that, as his father was employed by the naval establishment, he was one of the locals able to make use of the camp's sports and social facilities until after the end of the war.

Children of civilian staff living in Littleton would have attended local schools, leading to a high degree of integration. The more relaxed regime of the thirties meant that it was still possible to walk through the Flowerdown site on the path shown on the Enclosure map, and regular village dances were held there. The annual cricket match was a fiercely contested local Derby and major events, like the Jubilee and Coronation celebrations in 1935 and 1937 would have kept the communities close. There was no chapel on the site and worshippers were drawn to St. Catherine's Church, while on occasions a Guard of Honour was provided for important events like the opening of the old Memorial Hall. The Royal Navy was always acutely conscious of the need for secrecy concerning communications and little has been made public about Flowerdown's activities during this thirty-year period. Service personnel during the Second World War were bound, and continue to be bound, by the Official Secrets Act. Some of those who served here have been questioned but declined to reveal any details except personal reminiscences. However, the story of the Government Communications Headquarters, Bletchley Park, during the Second World War reveals that Flowerdown intercepted encrypted Japanese naval messages and forwarded them to Bletchley by courier. Indeed in 1942 it was stated to be the only source of intercepted Japanese naval traffic available to Bletchley. At the start of the war the station had 50 Admiralty Civilian Shore Wireless Service (ACSWS) operators and 18 receiver positions, covering German, Russian, Italian and Spanish naval communications and was the main UK intercept station for Italian naval activity until the Italian armistice in September 1943. Uniformed personnel were re-introduced in May 1942, largely replacing civilians. By March 1945 Flowerdown had 220 WRNS and 125 male RN personnel and 30 ACSWS civilians with 80 positions divided equally between German and Japanese. H.M.S. Flowerdown was bombed during the war and it is believed that German radio reported it as the sinking of a naval frigate. It was undoubtedly a vital listening post in the conduct of the Second World War, making a significant contribution to the ultimate victory. The recent Hollywood film "Enigma", which concerns activities at Bletchley Park, includes references to messages from Flowerdown.

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‘WRNS’ (Women’s Royal Navy Service) who served at Flowerdown during the war, have been persuaded to put down some personal reminiscences (Chapter 8). One, from Texas, recalled "H.M.S. Flowerdown was one of the biggest wireless stations in the world, partly because the reception was very clear. It gave one an uneasy feeling to stand among those huge pylons and feel the vibrations of the Morse. You could actually sense the pulsating rhythms in the air. I will never forget the sound of high frequency Morse coming in and going out from dozens of WIT sets. It was all very exciting. The station was for wireless traffic and it included both allied messages and enemy interception - German and Japanese."

Another Wren from Cornwall: "My job at Flowerdown was to read high-speed Morse off a paper tape. I was among a new category of Wren AIM (Automatic Morse), one of the first fifteen to train for it. We were taught to do the transmission tapes as well as read the reception ones. We followed a system based on sea-going watches, which meant I worked all the hours on a 24-hour clock over four days. Our work was with bases or, on special occasions, ships at anchor at shore bases. The trans-Atlantic ones mostly dealt with convoys, I imagine - not that we knew any more than the place of origin, since the messages were all in code (letters) or ciphers (figures). Later I learnt to de-code the headings of the messages, which made it more interesting. There were about five messages on a tape; always a second run and the "sparkers" - telegraphists - wound each run on a separate reel. If reception was good, they would come in at about 100 words a minute, but one crackle of atmospherics could wreck several groups of five letters. Poor reception would spoil up to half a dozen runs of the tape when the weather was bad. High winds through the various aerials would make them hiss like fighting cats. I remember freezing nights, but also going on middle watch in summer with glow worms scattered on the grass and nightingales singing in the hedges.”

Those involved in this work obviously retain vivid memories of that period and they seem to have enjoyed themselves too. On 5th June 1941, the minutes of the Parish Council record that there was "trouble with the Wrens at Flowerdown". Sadly, no further detail of the complaint is given. There were weekly dances in the old Memorial Hall and later in the war, American soldiers were stationed nearby; maybe further trouble occurred, but disappointingly there are no details recorded.

At one stage two men arrived in Littleton and lodged with Mr. and Mrs. Conway at 13, Main Road. An air of mystery surrounded them, particularly as they were often seen wearing mackintoshes and slouch hats. Were they spies interested in HMS Flowerdown? Later it was rumoured that they were carrying out secret work there. The truth is that they were the radar pioneer Robert Watson-Watt (later knighted) Sir Robert Watson-Watt and Bainbridge Bell (see 7.22.2 below). Watson-Watt died in December 1973 and a Memorial service was held for him at St. Catherine's Church in February 1974.

With the closing of the Royal Navy Wireless facility in May 1960, responsibility for Flowerdown was transferred to 248 Signals Regiment at nearby Bushfield Camp, but this unit was disbanded in 1976 and many civilian staff were transferred to GCHQ at Cheltenham. The site lapsed into limbo. The towering radio masts, for so long dominating the area, were taken down and sold for scrap and the land returned to wildflowers and rabbits. Some organizations leased buildings, the Winchester Civil Service and Social Club occupying what had been the Officers' Mess. A number of single storey lecture rooms along the crest of the hill were converted into dwellings and occupied

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by retired employees. Some married quarters at the entrance to the site on Chestnut Avenue were sold to sitting tenants, but most of the site was unused.

The Parish Council took advantage of this situation and in 1977, to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee, leased a large area as an extension to the Recreation Ground. This trebled its size~ and was named the Jubilee Field. Ten years later the Parish Council took a far- sighted and- courageous decision and was able to negotiate outright purchase of that land. Before the land could be used for sports pitches numerous huge concrete foundations which had anchored the steel guys for the radio masts had to be excavated and removed. Some were carted away. while a number were buried and created interesting mounds in the Littleton playground.

Before the purchase had been finalized the Ministry of Defence decided to develop the site in order to replace the historic, but outmoded, Peninsular Barracks in the centre of Winchester and provide a new depot for the Light Division. There were fears that the Ministry might yet decide to utilize the Jubilee Field as part of the development site and deprive the Parish of its new increased recreation grounds, but fortunately this did not happen.

Much discussion and argument took place before construction was able to commence. Strong opposition was voiced by the local community against concentrated development in the jealously guarded strategic gap which divided Littleton from Harestock. The prospect of the introduction of licentious young soldiery into the village was, unpopular; parents feared for the virtue of their daughters. The Flowerdown Action Group was formed with the slogan "Keep Flowerdown Green", and members lobbied the local council and MPs. One member of the group claimed to know the then Minister of Defence, Michael Heseltine, having been at school with him, but all was to no avail. Crown construction was not subject to normal local planning permission, so that in effect the Ministry had carte blanche. It was, however, prepared to mollify local opinion to a limited extent and some modifications were achieved. A new entrance was created on to the main Andover Road (even though local advice that the particular spot flooded was ignored - which it did later and the barracks were cut off for several weeks) and no traffic was to be allowed through the village entrance in Chestnut Avenue, except in an emergency. The Rector, Richard Johnson, pointed out that the small-bore rifle range was aimed at the centre of the village. For safety it was agreed to turn the orientation through 90 degrees; too late it was realized that this directed the line of firing straight at the Rectory. In the event the new development was well designed and screened by massive planting and named the Sir John Moore Barracks, after the famous general who developed the concept of light infantry in the Napoleonic Wars. A statue of him greets the visitor at the entrance to the camp.

When construction was completed, the first intake of 105 recruits arrived on 20th January 1986. H.M. the Queen, Colonel in Chief of the Royal Green Jackets, performed the official opening ceremony on 2ih November of that year. A new chapter had opened for Flowerdown. The new barracks were used only for preliminary training of all entrants into the Light Division, which encompassed both the Rifle Brigade (traditionally based in Winchester) and all the county light infantry regiments. Generally training lasted for a period of twelve weeks, during which the recruits were rarely permitted to leave the barracks. Recruits for other corps including the Army Air Corps and the armoured cavalry regiments were added and after some year’s infantry training was removed completely to other sites. Instead, a number of the Adjutant General's Corps was added and these included female personnel. For some reason, the barracks later reverted to an all-male

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establishment. However, the band of the Light Infantry is still based at Flowerdown and can at times be heard practicing on the morning air, while groups of recruits often pass through the village on road training runs. Now the use has again changed to the training of junior leaders with intake at the age 16. In a sense the wheel has come full circle back to the 1920sApprentice School. One of the concessions offered by the Ministry at the planning period was that local civilian inhabitants would be permitted to use the excellent sports facilities at Sir John Moore Barracks. Although some use was made of the swimming pool for a while, security considerations greatly curtailed any opportunities. There is little interaction between the service personnel at Flowerdown and the inhabitants of Littleton, but cordial relations are preserved, except when firework displays from the Officers' Mess bombard the roofs of nearly properties or loud pop music from summer balls disturbing early morning slumbers.

Over the century Flowerdown, covering a large area of the village, has caused little disturbance to the community. It is hoped that it will remain as a benign neighbour, in spite of oft- recurring rumours about the Ministry seeking to sell the whole site for development in 2023-2024. This will have a huge impact on Littleton in the twenty-first century.

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Flowerdown Link 1918-1978’

1918-78: The Story of Telecommunications and Radar Throughout the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force

With kind permission from the publisher, extracts from ‘The Flowerdown Link 1918-1978’ by Squadron Leader L.L.R. Burch (R.A.F. (Retd) published in 1980 ISBN 0 9507349 0 X. photoset by Sherren & Son Ltd Weymouth. Printed by Dewberry Printing Ltd. Lowestoft. Members of the Anglian Wessex Print Holdings Group. This highly recommended book is still available in the second-hand book market. (e.g., Abe Books).

Squadron Leader Burch exchanged letters with the late Dennis Holman former Chairman of the Littleton Local History Group. These are held in their archives. I have included some extracts from the book that are pertinent to Flowerdown but there are many more to be found therein.

Notice that the motto on book jacket is as follows:-

ELECTRICAL & WIRELESS SCHOOL 1922 RAF FLOWERDOWN 1929

Squadron Leader Leslie L. R. Burch served in the Royal Air Force as a Signals/Radar Officer throughout the war. He enlisted into the Royal Air Force as an Apprentice W.O.M. in September of

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1924, from King’s School, Peterborough. As a past member of the Institute of Radio and Electronic Engineers, a Fellow of the Association of Technical Publicity and Publications, a Fellow of the Radar Association and an Associate of the R. Ae. Society, he is well qualified to write on the subject of this book. He served in the R.A.F. from 1924 to 1953 when, holding a Permanent Commission in the Technical Branch he was invalided from the Service with Tubercular Meningitis.

The book has many interesting photographs of Flowerdown camp but they are small and of poor quality. But it provides compelling anecdotes from people who trained there with the RAF during 1921-1929. There are some references to Littleton.

It is absolutely essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the depth and complexity of the RAF presence at Flowerdown before they moved to Cranwell in August 1929.

The book tells us that Flowerdown was used as an RFC demob centre Jan - July 1919. It was considered to be an ideal site for the RFC/RAF because of its proximity to the airfield at Worthy Down*. It mentions that the RFC Brooklands workshops transferred to Flower Down in 1918 and the to Worthy Down in 1919. It mentions that 1919 - 1921 has little relevance to the account to be written (but what was it used for at this time?). Permanent buildings and the main wireless station were built in 1921 and the first intake of ‘Boy Entrants’ arrived in January 1922. Pilots from Flowerdown continued their training at Worthy Down. What was going on there when the Littleton Memorial Hall was dedicated?

*Prior to 1917 Worthy Down contained a racecourse known as “The Worthy Downs”. In September 1917 the Royal Flying Corps took up residence. Thereafter it was a Royal Air Force station until 1939 when it became a shore-based establishment of the Royal Navy. It remained as such until the Royal Army Pay Corps arrived in December 1960. In 1992 Worthy Down became the home of the Adjutant General's Corps on the amalgamation of the RAPC with WRAC, RMP, MPSC, RAEC and ALC to form this new Corps.

Flowerdown Electrical & Wireless School 1921-1929

Flowerdown Apprentices Association - met until the late 70s? - where are they now?

Some extracts from the book......

The book mentions (page 5)...... “My first objective was to ascertain how the name of Flowerdown came about and after considerable help from several sources mentioned in my acknowledgements and the assistance of the retired gentleman who owned much of the land in that area during the years concerned, I find that the name Flower Down existed as far back as 1750, it probably became hyphenated and, shortly prior to the take-over by the Royal Air Force (or even during the take-over) the hyphen had been dropped and the name Flowerdown brought into general usage. Although Worthy Down, a closely related airfield has still retained its separate words. The word Down of course refers to the Downs on that part of Hampshire and one can well imagine that in earlier days the Downs were in fact covered with wild flowers - of course many are still to be found in that part of the country, it is quite possible therefore that the more imaginative of those days added Flower as a prefix to that part of the Downs. It is certain that the name Flower Down is attached to the site of the R.A.F. Station on both the Enclosure Award map of 1844 and on

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Taylor's map of Hampshire of 1750, in the majority of other instances the area is simply referred to as "farmland".

One of these informatives has kindly told me the following concerning his early childhood recollections when living at Woodhams Farm, adjoining Worthy Down when his Godfather farmed at Harestock around 1914 to 1924. "My first recollection," he states, "is going there with my nurse in a pony and trap accompanied by my governess to see, one Sunday, Pickles giving a flying display on what I now know to have been a Bleriot monoplane of the cross-channel type, I seem to think it had a rotary engine as it was "blipped" on the approach to landing. That would be around 1912/13 at the latest. Pickles, on account of the gusty weather did not take any passengers but made one flight only. It was of course a great event and one had to pay to enter the "field" which was in the South East corner of the downland almost opposite Harestock Farm ; it is no wonder that I no longer recognise the area! My informant continues - "My next recollection was at the commencement of the 1914/18 War when a number of R.F.C. aircraft used the place. But l think they actually landed and took off further "Inside" the "down" than did Pickles. These aeroplanes were for the most part Bleriot monoplanes fitted with what I now know to be a fairly large engine : probably a Renault 8 cylinder as in the B.E. 12's(?). But what I do clearly remember of the Bleriots was that they did not carry "Roundels" for identification, but small Union Jacks painted on the wings. They also had a large piece of the mainplane cut away at the port-side root, to allow the pilot, or observer, downward vision. I don't think they were there for more than a month or two and no more flying took place (I can remember that) except once or twice after Worthy Down came into being, odd aircraft landed there such as the RE 8. There was not a lot of room. Clearly there was an association between Flowerdown and Worthy Down and later ; from personal contact, many 'aircrew' Officers flying from Worthy Down, lived at, and made use of, Flowerdown. I remember having lunch in the Officers Mess and then going on to Worthy Down with my host. That was definitely in 1924, and by that time Flowerdown was beginning to sprout radio masts in plenty. The R.A.F. had long before absorbed the R.F.C. It was said to be in communication with any part of the world."

In 1919 Flowerdown was mainly concerned with demobilisation of R.F.C. men from Jan. 1919 to July 1919. Two courses known as "commercial courses" were held during this period, made up of W/Operators back from overseas who wished to make wireless their profession in civil life. There were 96 airmen all told in these courses. 92 of them obtained P.M.G. 1st Class Certificates in W/T, 2 of them obtained 2nd Class Certificates and a further two failed to make the grade. In July 1919 Flowerdown became known as the Electrical and Wireless School. In 1922 aircraft apprentice training commenced and in 1925 the principal changes in the characteristics of the School were to replace temporary short courses introduced during W.W. 1 and the short intensive courses of 1919. On the 25th October 1926, a training wing was formed within the Unit, its function being the Technical, Administrative and Educational matters of individual training of AIA'S. S/Ldr. F. W. Trott O.B.E., M.C. took command of the Wing. This then brings us up to the demise of the R.F.C.”....

The book also mentions the Flowerdown Church Orchestra (p55)

...also the highly qualified scientific staff D.Sc. and B.Sc...weekly cinema shows complete with pit orchestra!...borrowed instruments from an army unit in Winchester and eventually a fully formed symphony orchestra that broadcast from Bournemouth (p77)...they played Elgar frequently...full , and large trumpet band....camp concert parties...polished knee

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length boots worn by officers until late 20s (could the officer in the Littleton Memorial hall dedication service be from Flowerdown?)

...talks about 3-mile walk to Winchester (p82)

.....mention of the rugby pitch situated by the road to the Yankee gate (p87), the preferred exit to Winchester or the village of Littleton in the other direction, for it presented a far prettier walk than that from the Main Gate and the Andover Road...just inside and on either side were two short rows of houses for married families (this probably refers to Chestnut Avenue)....

...(p89) a taxicab ran to the camp at 6d/head, a small wagon driven at reckless speed with half a dozen passengers as it met trains and brought relatives..

..de Lunns tea rooms mentioned and also Norman Tea Rooms close to the Cathedral.

Bullgrove swimming and Winchester on a hot summer’s day (p167)

..further mention of Yankee Gate (p189) during General Strike

...active football teams playing in Southampton Minor League and Hampshire Minor Cup (p208)

..cross country runs to Three Maids Hill before breakfast (p244)

The late Mr. Philip Lloyd of the Littleton Local History Group corresponded with Squadron Leader Burch and was given permission by him to publish extracts from his privately published book “The Flowerdown Link”. These letters are held in the archives of the LLHG.

Philip Lloyd wrote these observations after reading the book:- p4: “Yet, without the few who passed through the RAF Elecrical & Wireless School during the years 1922 – 1929, the whole outccome of World War 2 could have been different.” (Superior telecommunications and radar services) Boys entered between 15½ and 17 years. p5: Flower Down is shown on:- Enclosure Award Map 1844 Taylor’s map of Hampshire 1750

Pickles flying a Bleriot monoplane (1912-1913) from the SE corner of the downland almost opposite Harestock Farm. During 1914-18 war RFC used Flowerdown but further inside but further “inside the down” p6: 1919 – Flowerdown mainly concerned with demobilisation of RFC men (June – July)

P18: “The origins of Flowerdownare pretty nebulous for, although RAF Stations generally added the name of the nearest village, Flowerdwon or Flower Down is not mentioned on 6” OS maps of the area in 1910 and 1932 where the area is plainly marked farmland. Possibly this

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is in view of the ‘confidential’ nature of the work carried out there at the School both prior to 1911 and after 1922. From J.E.Glover’s typescript ‘Hampshire Place Names’ the name is believed to be a ‘late place name and indeed is shown on Isaac Taylor’s map of 1759’. p19: Work begins on erecting a new School at Flowerdown in October 1917 (++ over on to p20) p31: Flowerdown 1918 – 1922 p32 The American later known as the “Yankee” gate leading to Littleton. p42: Flowerdown Apprentices Association ..and on Flowerdown better than Cranwell etc etc. p50: Runs up Three Maids Hill for P.E at 06.30 p50 – 53: Life for an apprentice at Flowerdown p55 – 56 The Band, the Church, Instructors etc etc. p58–59 continued & note on aerial photo and list of instructors p139: “but were allowed in the village – Littleton – for ½ hour 7 to 7.30 on Fridays” p189: I came back from a jaunt one night and the whole of the hill was ablaze with glow worms . p244: (4) Cross country runs up Three Maids Hill before breakfast (Author’s note – this was a normal run for the Rugger & Soccer teams).

P275: (6) The extreme cold winter ’27’ or ’28’ – when we had only one tap working in the whole of the Hostel & the freezing of the water in the 70 ft masts outside the W/T Block caused them to bend into distorted “S” shapes.

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An incomplete chronological account 1912 – 2020

These notes were collected from various sources and are arranged in roughly chronological order. Many were found through web searches. Some of these web sites are now unavailable although the information perhaps may be found elsewhere on the web or in web archives.

1912 The Hampshire Chronicle records the 1841 summer manoeuvres of the Hampshire Yeomanry taking place across the Flowerdown, the site of the new Sir John Moore Barracks. However, it was not until 1914 that the site was purchased by the War Office from the Deane family of Littleton Farm. It was first used as a military camp by the Royal Flying Corps.

Report found in Hampshire Chronicle 2012? The article was prefaced thus….Bank holidaymakers inspect an Avro biplane at a Hampshire air display circa 1912. Though it was less than a decade since the Wright brothers first flight at Kitty hawk, the aeroplane had already evolved enormously. The Great War was to expedite the process still further so that by 1919, the Atlantic Ocean was crossed in a single bound. Picture from Ivor Hilliker’s book, A Solent Flight, published by Kingfisher Publications, Southampton.

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In 1912, with the Titanic disaster still so fresh in the memory, there was a special diversion during the bank holidays. For the new craze for the well-to-do was taking a spin in that wonderful invention, the aeroplane. The arrival of an aeroplane created great excitement and frequently hit the news-and the crashes made even bigger headlines. The May 10th, 1912, issue of the Hampshire Chronicle reported: “A new and novel holiday attraction is being provided through the enterprise of a number of gentlemen of the city for the inhabitants of Winchester and the county for a wide radius by the exhibitions of flying at Flower Down, near Winchester, by Mr Sidney Pickles.” The plane had been transported to Hampshire by rail, but typically, the elements threatened to postpone the flight, with a strong wind and heavy rain. “In spite of this weather,” the report con- tinued“. A considerable number of persons made their way to Flower Down, the statement having gained currency in the city that Mr Pickles would fly if the rain ceased and the wind had a tendency to moderate. Mr Pickles brought his machine out of the hangar and among the interested spectators who inspected it were the Mayor and Mayoress (Councillor and Mrs Howard Elkington), who were introduced by Mr Percy Crowther to the intrepid aviator, with whom they conversed.” People were starting to drift away when it was announced-by a "bomb" discharging in the air-that a flight would be made. The report continued: "The machine was pulled out of its hangar and moored to stakes driven well into the ground. Donning his woollen Eskimo-pattern hat, Mr Pickles was soon in the pilot's seat and the powerful engine was tested as a preliminary. Expectations ran high among those assembled, especially as the weather was improving. "But, sadly, there appeared to be something wrong with the engine and the flight had to be postponed once more. "Indeed, Mr Pickles headed off to to acquire a different machine, which he then flew to Flower Down. He was first spotted at 8.20 the next morning by a group of 20 enthusiasts. His arrival on the Down was witnessed by about 25 persons who expressed their great admiration at the splendid manner in which the aviator approached the end of the Down, and then, after a bank to the left and a short dive, recovered his balance a few feet from the turf. "He ran up the course amid resounding cheers. These he acknowledged, by a wave of the hand just before the machine had pulled up. "On getting out, there were loud shouts of 'Bravo Pickles!'"

Pre-1914

The Hampshire Chronicle records the 1841 summer manoeuvres of the Hampshire Yeomanry taking place across the Flowerdown.

A “reported” flight of a Bleriot monoplane from the fields opposite Harestock Farm (see above)

Flowerdown as an Army Horse Remount Depot

The Flowerdown camp postal service - camp “cancels” have been seen on picture postcards?

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1915

6th July 1915

The earliest recorded Light Division connection is May 1915 when 7th Battalion The King's Shropshire Light Infantry staged through Flowerdown on its way via Southampton to the battlefields of France.

8th Battalion South Staffs were at "Flowerdown Camp" at the start of their War Diary, July 1915. (6th July 1915 to 14th August 1915, before crossing from Folkestone to Boulogne on the 15th July. http://www.kivetonwaleshistory.co.uk/uploads/pdf/blackwell.pdf

An account by 14732, Pte Walter Blackwell, Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby) that mentions Flower Down 1915. I have included this in its entirety as it tells of the ordinary soldier’s hard life. Flowerdown is mentioned towards the end of his account.

“Serving with the Colours”

Enlisted on the 3rd of September 1914, at the recruiting meeting held in St John’s rooms, joining the Lincolnshire Regiment. There were eighty-nine of us who enlisted on this particular day, and volunteered into the same regiment, all from Kiveton Park and District. On the 5th September, Saturday, we had instructions to proceed to Derby Barracks, and we all marched to the Kiveton Station, headed by the band, leaving about 2pm and having a good send off, but little expecting such a cool reception when we arrived at Derby. On arrival at the Barracks, we found them crowded out. The Sergeant Major came up to us in a very sarcastic manner and wanted to know where the ****** we had come from, he told us to go where we liked, as there was no room for us. Well, some slept on the station, others in fields, or anywhere they could get. I for myself got lodgings in Derby and did not go near the Barracks anymore until Monday morning. We then received instruction to prepare for going to some unknown destination. About fifteen hundred men left Peartree Station, Derby, on the 7th September, Monday, about 7 o’clock at night. We travelled by special train through the night and arrived at Wool, in Dorsetshire, about 5 o’clock in the morning, and it was raining in torrents, no doubt about it, it was a lively spot about twelve miles from nowhere. We then marched about three miles from the station and arrived at Bovington Camp. It appeared to us nothing less than a wilderness, being more or less surrounded by large woods and plantations. Here we began to realise the first hardships of a soldier’s life, we slept on the grass for two nights before receiving any tents to sleep in, and to mend matters nothing much to eat. We gathered some blackberries and nuts from the woods and feeling the pinch of hunger several of us from Kiveton Serving with the Colours Marching to War: Kiveton Park, September 1914 Kiveton Park and Wales History Society Internet Copy Reproduction Prohibited 13 set out on an expedition to see if we could find any houses. After tramping several miles, we came across a small cottage, then we began to think we had struck it lucky, but much to our surprise, it was the house of a farm labourer. After a little conversation we found out that they could not supply us with anything to eat, for they only received sixteen shillings a week in wages, and it was only a matter of a mere existence for the people who lived down there. Anyway, the good lady told us they had plenty of potatoes in the garden, and we could have some if we only dig them up, so we eagerly set about digging up the potatoes, and the lady of the house boiled them for us. There’s no

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doubt about it, we all enjoyed them, having had a good fill we paid her well for her trouble, and they had our sympathy in only just managing to keep themselves. We stayed at Bovington Camp about a month, then we removed to Lulworth cove, being under canvas. Here we had a gruelling time, we had a Sergeant Major who had no human feeling, using nothing but obscene language whenever he spoke to the men. Our travelling here became very trying, the weather being terrible, raining mostly all the time, it was nothing to go without breakfast as the cookhouse was often washed away. We had now been in the army about four months, and had not received any clothing of any description, some of the men had to stay in their tents because their boots had given out, all our clothing in fact was in a shocking condition with marching through the mud and water, and the ordeal here had got to a most trying nature. One night during the beginning of December 1914, the Border Regiment, who had been stationed nearby, had broken out in disorder. They came across our tents and let them down, demanding the Notts and Derby to stand by them against the conditions they were all up against. Anyway, this uproar finally brought things to light for we received orders to move back to Bovington Camp, where huts had been built, and no doubt we had been under canvas longer than the Army Regulations allowed. Here again, our training became more severe, and it was nothing to set out early in the morning about seven o’clock and have a full day skirmishing over the Plains, a matter of about eighteen miles a day, and mostly arriving back at five o’clock. Our first course of firing was at a place called Morten, being about three miles from Camp. We stayed at Bovington until April 17th, 1915, and then going back to Lulworth Cove, and again under canvas. We had not been long stationed here when men were picked out who were to have khaki, having now been in the Army seven months, and only receiving our first issue of clothes. There were odd ones who had worn their civilian clothes out and had been given Kitchener’s Blue. We stayed here until 26th May 1915. They then found out that a portion of Kitchener’s Army, which we termed ‘lost and strayed’, as we had not seen much of civilisation for about eight months, being in an unknown part of , and about twelve miles from nowhere.

On the 26th May a memorable day for us, we commenced on a seventy-eight-mile march to Winchester and on to Flowerdown Camp. We marched roughly about fifteen miles a day and slept in the open fields at night. The Brigade all joined forces here and it was a wonderful sight to behold. We marched through Ringwood, Swanage and the New Forest, then on to Luton (sic) three miles from Southampton. Our stay at Winchester did not last very long, only a few weeks and then we received orders to proceed to France. The time spent at Winchester being of a most cheerful nature. We were allowed to go into town every night, except when doing guard or picket duty. When the order came through for us to go to France, trouble arose in camp, for we were dispatched, all our equipment, and everything in readiness for going, but the soldiers did not let that come about. All the battalions surrounded the headquarters and demanded to see the Colonel, and we had no more parades until someone came down from London and we finally got forty-eight hours leave, not much time when you have to travel 150 miles each way to your home. On 27th June 1915, we held our last church parade in England in Winchester Cathedral. On 14th July 1915, we left Flowerdown Camp, Winchester, for France. We embarked from Folkestone and arrived at Boulogne in the early hours of the morning on the 15th where we stayed until night-time. We then went forward up the line to St. Omer, the journey done in cattle trucks, about forty in each truck, very uncomfortable, for when we got into a position we had to stay until arrival at St Omer, and some found it very difficult to walk after the journey……………….

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Three amusing drawings by Soldier Artist Howard Roberts 1915

Camp Life at Flowerdown Camp – 129th Field Ambulance.

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Postcard entitled “At Mud Down Camp”

15 Apr 1915 An unseen letter from Tom Graham Brown [Thomas Graham Brown (1882-1965), neurophysiologist and mountaineer] describing the camp life of the 77th Field Ambulance.

University of Manchester’s John Rylands library Letter (15 Apr 1915 ) Reference GB 133 ALEX/A/1/1/42 Physical Description 1 piece; 1 sheet. Scope and Content.

Dated at Flowerdown Camp, near Winchester

6th June 1915

An extract from The Corian (the journal of the Geelong Grammar School, Melbourne, Australia) found at:- http://issuu.com/geelonggrammarschool/docs/vol.xxxix-no.2-aug-1915

AUGUST 1915 No. 2 VOL. XXXIX.

6th June 1915 Flower Down Camp, Winchester This time I write from a new camp. We marched up from Lulworth (Dorset) last week. We came via Bovington, Beer Regis, Wimborne, Ringwood and Totton.

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The whole division came through and we have our Brigade camps at Flowerdown, Romsey and . We swung in here in great style on Sunday afternoon, with our band playing the “Lancashire Poacher”. We had a gorgeous march, 12 or 14 miles a day. The roads were somewhat dusty and we carried our packs on our backs so we did not feel inclined to prowl around on arrival at bivouacs. The men all thoroughly enjoyed their march. At Totton they were all allowed out for the evening and as they behaved themselves remarkably well, no doubt they will soon be allowed out again. They were getting a little stale, being so long away from towns but are smartening up tremendously now that they can go into town occasionally. We have a very comfortable camp here, buildings for ordnance, munitions, stores, cook- houses, bathrooms, marquees for officers and sergeant’s messes with tents for all hands to sleep in. I have a tent to myself now. This is not actually a mobilisation camp; it is known as a test camp. Many troops have left for the front from here, whether we shall do so or not no one knows. There are so many rumours and possibilities that I keep my mind open on the subject, and simply await orders. We all feel that this is nearer the real thing and all hands feel it is about time their turn for a go at real fighting came along. Tomorrow, we are to start our final musketry course on the range here. We are practically camping now, with clothing, equipment and arms and could go out at any time. The Battalion is quite an imposing sight when it goes on the march. No longer are the men clad in blue and mixed clothing, but in khaki with proper equipment, and all their gear about them. Yesterday, I took D Company for a route march through Winchester. We went by the High Street, along Paternoster Row and the Cathedral grounds past the statue of King Alfred and back to the camp by the Road. All hands enjoyed it. Old England is truly a lovely place in the summertime. Some of our marches took us through most glorious green woods and through the New Forest which we saw about at its best: it was exceptionally beautiful. The Australian troops have done wonders in the Dardanelles. They have caused the admiration of all here to be showered upon them. Their charge of a few days ago was one of the finest things yet done in this war. C.F.D

10 July 1915 http://raoc.websitetoolbox.com/post/Military-History-2488140?trail=219

Notes on MGC(M) (Motor Machine Gun Batteries) units taken from various sources. No 12 Left Bisley and joined 17th Division at Flowerdown Camp, Winchester on 10 July 1915. Disembarked Le Havre 16 July 1915, 7 May 1916 transferred to X Corps and joined on 10 May 1916. Attached to 1st Division between 19 July and 17 October 1917, to Italy October/December 1917. F/F till June 1918. Disembarked in UK March 1919.

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http://www.cpgw.org.uk/craven_herald_articles.cfm?sID=093-01

11 June 1915 Craven Herald & Wensleydale Standard article

BARNOLDSWICK SOLDIER'S TRAGIC DEATH IN LONDON - RUN OVER BY A MOTOR BUS

Early on Saturday morning a telephonic message was received by Mrs. Ormerod, residing at 1, Leonard Street, stating that her husband, Lance-Corporal Benjamin Ormerod, of the 77th Field Ambulance, R.A.M.C., had met with a serious accident in London, whilst on his way home for week- end leave from Flowerdown Training Camp, Winchester, the previous evening….

Also, but unseen…. Hot Air in Cold Blood by Brigadier-General Guy Livingston, C.M.G. Late Director of Air Organization, War Office, and Deputy-Master-General of Personnel, Air Ministry.

6th July 1915

8th Battalion South Staffs were at "Flowerdown Camp" at the beginning of their War Diary, July 1915. (6/7/15 to 14/7/15, before crossing Folkestone to Boulogne 15/7/15)August - December 1915

September 1915

130th (St John) Field Ambulance http://www.130thstjohnfieldambulance.co.uk/index.php/ct-menu-item-9/ct-menu-item-15

The day that the Unit arrived at Avington Park Camp, the men were left to sort themselves out but, on the following day, training commenced again with reveille at 5.30am, drill from 6.30 to 7.45, further drill and instruction from 9.00am to 1.00pm and 2.00 to 4.30pm, after this the men were free with lights out at 10.00pm. On Thursday 26th August, a 38th (Welsh) Divisional Eisteddfod was held in the Y.M.C.A. tent and the Unit choir was competing but as they ascended the stage, it suddenly collapsed which put them off their stride and the prize was won by a choir from one of the other brigades. On Friday 3rd September, Col Davies took the Unit on a 20 mile route march starting at 8.00am and not returning until 2.00pm. 48128 Sgt Francis B Sumption remarked in his diary 'the colonel (as usual) lost his way'! The same thing happened on Friday the 17th September with Col Davies getting the Unit back near the starting point at 9.00am after marching only a few miles and so they had to set off again taking a different route.

New recruits continued to arrive from Wales and elsewhere, seeking admission to the Unit. The number of R.A.M.C. men in the Unit increased as did the number of A.S.C. men attached to the Unit and by 13th September, with the Unit now based in Winchester, the number of attached A.S.C. had risen to 1 sergeant and 17 other ranks. Lt T J Buckley reported for duty on 3rd ,

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bringing the number of officers of the Unit to a total of 8 but by 29th November, this had further increased to 10. While based in the various camps around Winchester, once dismissed for the day, the men were able to travel into Winchester and even Southampton where they attended the cinema or theatre and very importantly obtain food to make a change from army cooking. To eat at a table off a plate with a knife and fork was much more pleasant than eating out of a mess tin squatting on the ground. A favourite dish amongst the men was sausage and mash, known as zeppelin on a cloud.

Towards the end of September, a number of men in the Unit were attached to serve in infantry battalions and artillery batteries of the Division on water duties, being responsible for the water cart and the purification etc of the drinking water for the unit to which they were attached. (This has caused difficulties in identifying these men who joined and trained with the Unit as these men sailed to France with the units to which they were attached and so arrived on dates other than 4th December 1915 so unless other information such as service/pension records or mentioned in private papers, we have not been able to identify them and so there are some men missing from the Unit's nominal roll.

On Friday, the Unit took part in a Divisional field day and as part of the attacking force, wore white bands around their hats. 48128 Sgt Francis B Sumption did not go with the unit as he had to remain at headquarters indenting for medical supplies but he did record in his diary, "About 5 o'clock our Unit returned, they had been totally annihilated though getting right into the line of fire! I don't know what will become of us when we get abroad. The way we get on to the wrong track and get cut to pieces is too dreadful to contemplate."

On the 27th September, the Unit took part in a Divisional march prior to moving to Pitt Corner Camp a few miles away on the 28th September. A further Divisional route march was held on the 30th September with the various units of the 38th (Welsh) division converging from various directions to march past the General. The Unit marched behind the Pioneers whose mules caused many halts.

At the beginning of October, the men of the Unit moved from sleeping in tents to sheds which in the increasingly wet autumnal weather was a significant improvement for them. A Divisional Field Day was held on the 12th October and the Unit was complimented on their smartness and physique by General Sir Ivor Phillips.

There was an increasing shortage of skilled mechanics especially within the munitions industry and an appeal was made to the men of the Division who had such skills to volunteer for this work. On Monday 11th October, these skilled men were called out and marched off to be addressed by Mr A Shirley Benn M.P. and examined by an expert from the Board of Trade who took on only the very skilled workers. Those lost from the Unit in this way could help to explain the some of the numbers in the 48000 series with no medal index card or name.

In his diary, 48072 Sgt John Reeves Davies describes taking a squad of 8 men to the scene of an aeroplane accident near Flowerdown Camp, Winchester on the 14th October and 48128 Sgt Francis B Sumption recorded the same event; thus, "We had a bit of excitement today; an aeroplane flew over our camp when suddenly it descended with a crash. A squad of our men rushed to the rescue and found the machine smashed to bits and the mechanic suffering badly from shock and concussion. The officer in charge however was not much hurt. We had to guard it during the evening so now the popular gag is 'Do you know anything about birds? Yes? Then fall out tonight and guard the aeroplane!'."

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Along with the rest of the 38th (Welsh) Division, the 130th (St John) Field Ambulance moved from North Wales to the Winchester area in Hampshire in mid-August 1915. The overnight train journey from Prestatyn lasted 9 hours and the men were marched from Winchester station to Avington Park Camp where the Unit was placed under canvas co-located with the 129th Field Ambulance. Having to sleep in tents must have come as rather a shock for the men as up to this time, they had been billeted in houses and slept in normal beds whereas now they slept on wooden boards in circular 'bell' tents, 10 men to a tent (the Sergeants being privileged with only 8 to a tent). By the time they left Wales for Winchester the Unit strength was 257 cap badged R.A.M.C. (7 Officers and 250 NCOs and other ranks) with 11 cap badged A.S.C. (1 Sergeant and 10 other ranks).

On Saturday 16th October, the Unit moved to Flowerdown camp where now all three of the Field Ambulance units (129th, 130th (St John) and the 131st) of the 38th (Welsh) Division were located and under canvas again.

Flowerdown Camp 1915 L/Cpl Maunder’s squad

Photograph credit - Ray Maunder, son of 48160 L/Cpl William H F Maunder

As October progressed, the men were issued with active service clothes and an increasing number of men were granted short leave passes. C section returned to Flowerdown Camp near Winchester on the 4th November and the whole Unit was inspected on the 23rd November by Mr Herbert Lewis (the Deputy Commissioner of the St John Ambulance Association in Wales who had originally mobilised the Unit in 1914). A Divisional Bivouac on Crawley Warren was held on the 25th November and on the following day a Divisional March-past and inspection by General Sir Ivor Phillips took place.

An Interesting reference in an ‘unseen’ book sold on eBay containing a chapter titled A siding for Flower Down Hot Air in Cold Blood by Brigadier-General Guy Livingston, C.M.G. Late Director of

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Air Organization, War Office, and Deputy-Master-General of Personnel, Air Ministry. London: Publisher Selwyn & Blount 1933 First Edition 288 pages

Chapter VII contents:-

America in the War — "Chips" Drexel — American co-operation — Colonel Boiling — American flights in R.F.C. units — A visit to France to see General Pershing — Agreement is reached — How Pershing's signature was obtained — The Americans arrive in England — A siding for Flower Down — R.F.C. personnel enlisted without Treasury sanction — General Kenly appointed Chief of the American Air Service — He bombs the Germans — Salmond goes overseas — Trenchard comes to England.

Was a railway siding really proposed for Flowerdown? https://archive.org/stream/cu31924027893126/cu31924027893126_djvu.txt

1916

11th May 1916 https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/251183-170th-heavy-bty-rga-at-avington-park/

In the link above the experts, including Kevin Rowlinson, suggest that this may be the ‘cancellation stamp’ of the 161 Howitzer Battalion although this unit is not listed in the next link https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-royal-artillery-in-the-first- world-war/batteries-and-brigades-of-the-royal-field-artillery/ – but if Royal Artillery troops were posted to Flowerdown as the stamp indicates then what was their role? Could this unit have been testing techniques in support of aerial targeting guidance of ground artillery by RFC planes equipped with radios? (see 5.2)

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Stamp franked - Flowerdown Camp; Winchester dated 12th August 1916.

1917

The Role of the (American) YMCA extracted from “Summary of World War work of the American Y.M.C.A.; with the soldiers and sailors of America at home, on the sea, and overseas; (1920)”

A publication called the "Home News," presenting a resumé of the day's telegraphic advices received by Navy Headquarters, was distributed in troop trains and camps. In the rest camps, especially those at Knotty Ash, near Liverpool, at Southampton, Romsey, and Flowerdown, the work was at first hampered by the small personnel, but in time the same service was extended to these camps as to the large American Camp at Morn Hill Winchester.

December 1917 http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=76646 Now inaccessible!

8th Aero Squadron USAAS HQ* 24.12.1917 Flower Down

1918

July 27th 1918 Hansard report on Flowerdown Camp conditions. http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/people/sir-james-macpherson/1918

2 speeches — FLOWERDOWN CAMP. Commons June 27, 1918 https://www.amazon.co.uk/passing-legions-American-Britain-gateway/dp/B00B6MN6CK

July 1918 Private Joseph P. Santos

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Then in late July 1918, he was detached to the 1107th Aero Replacement Squadron at Flowerdown, which was a ‘Service of Supply’ Squadron. He was still officially assigned to the 210th. At Flowerdown, he not only machined parts for aircraft needing repair, but also trained other machinists destined for France.

The Passing Legions : how the American Red Cross met the American army in Great Britain, the gateway to France by George Buchanan Fife

The Role of the (American) YMCA extracted from “Summary of World War work of the American Y.M.C.A.; with the soldiers and sailors of America at home, on the sea, and overseas; (1920)”

“ALONG THE L. 0. C. 109”

Camp service was active at about fifteen different points, including the great American tank camps at Wareham, the American construction camps at Chattis Hill and Lopcombe Corner, and aviation camps at Andover, Boscombe Down, Flowerdown, Lake Down, Netherhaven, Old Sarum, Stonehenge, Upavon, Yatesbury, and Worthy Down. There were large rest camps at Morn Hill, Romsey, Codford, and Standon. The Emergency Relief Bureau had stations at Winchester, Wevmouth and Portsmouth. Hospital service was active at Winchester, Hursley, Romsey, Portsmouth, Codford, Chattis Hill, Highcliffe and Chichester. Red Cross camp infirmaries were established at Boscombe Down, Old Sarum, Yatesbury, Lake Down and Emsworth. Work on behalf of American nurses was maintained at Winchester, Portsmouth, Romsey and Hursley.

The foregoing is cited as sufficient proof, certainly, of the magnitude of what the Red Cross had to do in one area alone. Its scope of service was all-embracing, unlimited, ranging from helping a casual soldier to get married to building and equipping an entire hospital. " The American Red Cross has been the Fairy Godmother of the army," is what an officer wrote from one of the Winchester camps.

Red Cross work was begun at Winchester in , its first offices, which it soon outgrew, being in an ancient dwelling designed by Sir Christopher Wren for King James II. During the course of the year 1918, the staff dealt with many emergencies in which quick thinking and rapid action were necessary.

During the first stages of the influenza epidemic, when patients were being brought daily into all the available hospitals, accommodations were soon swamped and the Red Cross shared with the medical authorities of the army the task of providing extra beds, pneumonia jackets and equipment of all kinds for the sick men. At one period the Supply Department of the Red Cross at Winchester was called upon to furnish 14,500 fresh eggs weekly over a term of several weeks and in the face of which furnished the turkeys for every hospital in the Winchester area.

Five Red Cross dental officers were assigned to this zone and did a great deal of appreciated work. And, of course, there was a canteen service which met every train and between whiles visited the hospitals throughout the district to distribute comforts and cheerfulness.

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The smaller American camps in the Winchester area, occupied by training and repair squadrons of the air force, were in the open country of and here the first work of the Red Cross was the establishment and equipment of camp dispensaries and infirmaries to obviate the necessity of sending sick or injured men miles away in British motor lorries to the nearest hospitals, which, by the way, were British. So, these institutions were set up in marquee tents, two to a post, to be replaced by portable wooden huts each twenty-five by fifty feet in size for winter use, but these had been installed in only two camps when the Armistice brought further effort to an end. As long hours of manual labour in isolated places, with the excitement of warfare lacking, seemed likely to bring about discontent and consequent inefficiency, the Red Cross devoted much attention to supplying recreation and amusement to the squadrons. In every camp, tents or x barrack huts were erected and fitted with pianos, gramophones, games, newspapers and magazines; orchestras were organized, with instruments given by the Red Cross ; dances were given in the nearest towns and interest in baseball was stimulated by the provision of uniforms and equipment and the arrangement of inter-camp matches. For the comfort of the men, the Red Cross had eighty-one different articles, from sweaters to razor blades, in its storehouses and these were distributed by the thousand at the posts.

" You have filled our coffers with all the needed articles for comfort and health," wrote the commanding officer of the Yatesbury Camp. " You have given us an American flag to float over our camp and a bugle to awaken our boys to the chilly blasts of Yatesbury. Please accept our thanks for these many favours and rest assured that it is our intention to call upon you freely for anything we need, knowing that we will not be denied."

Flowerdown Camp was taken over by the American Army as an aero-squadron rest camp in May 1918, and the initial request made of the Keel Cross here was the provision of bathing facilities for the men. A large building was completed in about a month, serving both enlisted men and officers and nothing in the camp was more appreciated. While the construction of the bath house was under way, the Red Cross also transformed a dilapidated barracks into a clean and attractive recreation centre and mess for the officers. Similar rooms were equipped for the men and there was not a happier camp on the Plain. A band was provided with instruments and concerts were given every night, whether a man liked music or not, and after four months' occupation Flowerdown was evacuated, but men from there have given the assurance that the band had nothing to do with it!

Red Cross work among the other camps of the zone was of like character and was constant from the beginning of their occupancy until the last man was out and on his way home.

In that time not less than 600,000 American soldiers passed through the Winchester area. The supplies, medical, personal, and foodstuffs, furnished them by the Red Cross were measurable in thousands of tons. Among the comfort articles distributed may be noted (for those who like figures) 20,000 towels, 30,000 tubes of toothpaste, 10,000 shaving brushes, 9,000 pairs of socks, 9,000 comfort bags, 779,000 handkerchiefs, 8,500 sweaters, 7,500 razors, 8,000 cakes of soap, 95,000 packages of chocolate, 2,500,000 cigarettes, 40,000 packages of tobacco, and 6,000 pipes. https://archive.org/stream/snydercountyanna02wage/snydercountyanna02wage_djvu.txt

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CORPORAL BRUCE S. WAGENSELLER 841st Aero Squadron, Middleburg, Pa. Bruce S. Wagenseller, son of Mr. and Mrs. A. S. Wagenseller, was born at Selinsgrove, Pa., Feb. 24, 1898, and entered the Air Service Dec 14, 1917 at Williamsport, Pa. Was at Ft. Slocum, N. Y. from Dec. 14th to 19th, 1917; Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 23, 1917 to Jan. 9, 1918; Rich Field, Waco, Texas, Jan. 9, to Feb. 20, 1918, Scott Field, Belleville, 111., Feb. 22, 1918 to Mar 23, 1918; Garden City, L. L, Field No . 2, Mar. 25, to May 2, 1918; American Expeditionary Forces, May 3, 1918 to Dec. 11, 1918; Field 2, Camp Mills, Hempstead, L. I., Dec. 11, Dec. 23, 1918, the date of his discharge

During his services abroad he served at Flowerdown American Air Service Camp, at Winchester, and Lake Down a Royal Air Force base, near Salisbury. . He was engaged as an Aeroplane Motor Mechanic. While in England he enjoyed several air trips over the , the Isle of Wight and different parts of England. He graduated from the Selinsgrove High School in the Spring of 1915,and before his enlistment was manager of the Shirt factory at Kreamer, Pa. http://www.minonktalk.com/ww1vets3.htm

EAIREL ROWE US soldier, Eairel Rowe, attended Minonk High School from 1907 to 1909. At the age of twenty-four, he enlisted in the American Air Forces at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, as a brick- mason, December 11, 1917. He was transferred to Camp Grant, Illinois; then to Kelly Field, Texas, and then to Camp Merritt where he received his overseas equipment. He sailed from Hoboken on the British transport " Mauretania”. He landed at Liverpool, England, and forwarded to Southampton, sailing from there to La Havre, France. He was in France for about three weeks and then ordered back to Southampton and sent to American Headquarters Camp at Flowerdown, Winchester, England, where he was engaged in construction work. After three months he was transferred to Codford Camp on Salisbury Plains, and after thirty days sent to Southbourne, England. From there his company was sent to Tangmere?, England. On December 1 he sailed from England landing in New York City, December 11. He was discharged December 28 at Camp Grant. http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/nellie-browne-duff/the-honor-book-sangamon-county- illinois-1917-1919--official-service-record-ffu/page-54-the-honor-book-sangamon-county-illinois- 1917-1919--official-service-record-ffu.shtml

From: The Honor Book, Sangamon County, Illinois, 1917-1919 : official service record… HERBERT S. HAINES Sergeant, 325th Aero Squadron, U. S. A. Son of Fremont Haines, Glen- arm, 111. Born May 19, 1895, in Sangamon county, 111. Entered service December 11, 1917, in Toledo, O. Received his training at Kelly Field, Tex., Camp Morrison, Va., and Garden City, L. I. Sailed overseas August 8, 1918, on the Empress of . Stationed at Knotty Ash, Camp Flowerdown, and London Colony, England. Was in London, England, when the Armistice was signed. Discharged December 20, 1918, at Camp Sherman, 111.

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US Troops playing Craps at Camp Flowerdown 27th July 1918

August 1918 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/168th_Aero_Squadron

…The 168th Aero Squadron was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I… After spending 11 days at Ramsey, the 168th was assigned to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for training….after five months of training, the squadron was re-assembled at Flowerdown Rest Camp, Winchester on 7 August 1918. A final inspection there was made, and preparations were made for the squadron to be sent into combat in France.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/638th_Aero_Squadron

The 638th Aero Squadron… the squadron travelled by train to the Morn Hill Rest Camp, Winchester, arriving on 1 January 1918. At Winchester, the squadron was detached to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for advanced training. The flights were subsequently sent to several other RFC stations until being re-united at Camp Flowerdown, Winchester on 17 August. There, the men were given a final examination and review by the British before receiving orders for the front. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/93d_Aero_Squadron

…After several more weeks of final training by the RFC, the squadron was ordered to France on 1 June, and moved to the Flowerdown Rest Camp.

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14 August 1918

…By the beginning of August, the squadron was eager to go to the front and on the 14th it departed Montrose for Flowerdown Rest Camp, Winchester, having been ordered to duty in France… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/185th_Aero_Squadron

31 August 1918 ….By July, the men of the 185th were becoming impatient, as it was rumoured the squadron would remain in England on a permanent basis, however orders were finally relieved to report to the Flowerdown Rest Camp near Winchester on 7 August. After a final inspection at Flowerdown, the squadron received a final inspection before boarding a train to Southampton on 11 August. Late the next afternoon, the squadron crossed the English Channel.… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/163d_Aero_Squadron

…After two weeks, the squadron was re-assembled at the Flowerdown Rest Camp, Winchester where a final inspection and overview was made by the RFC.[1] With training completed, on 2 September the squadron was moved across the English Channel to Le Havre, France… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/138th_Aero_Squadron http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/people/sir-james-macpherson/1918

RFC Brooklands workshops transferred to Flower Down in 1918 and the flying wing to Worthy Down (HMS Kestrel),

30th April 1918

Surely not…..!

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September 1918

In September 1918, the No 1 (T) Wireless School moved from Farnborough to Flowerdown. At the same time, a new airfield was also established at nearby Worthy Down so that whatever was taught in the classroom could immediately be put into practice.. Flowerdown became known as The Electrical and Wireless School.

Mr. Steve Buster Johnson https://www.stevebusterjohnson.com/ has written extensively about his Grandfather’s life as a Wireless Mechanic serving with the RFC No 6 Squadron in Belgium. His grandfather was invalided back to England and subsequently served as a Wireless Instructor at Flowerdown. His technical notebooks may be viewed on Steve’s site.

He writes….My grandfather was employed as a wireless instructor, initially at Farnborough in early February 1918 and then later at Flowerdown until he was demobbed on the 24th January 1919.

https://www.stevebusterjohnson.com/copy-of-wireless-1918-raf-training-

I thoroughly recommend his book For God, England and Ethel which tells of his Grandfather’s time serving as a Wireless Mechanic with No 6 Squadron RFC. Of particular technical interest are the pages from his grandfather’s technical notebook written while he was training for his role as Wireless Instructor.

Mr. Fred Johnstone

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1919

Jan-July 1919

On the 28th April 1919, the non-fitters or riggers were individually interviewed by a Naval Officer, Captain King-Hall, about a possible trade and I was put down for W/Operator training along with 49 other boys. We arrived at No. 1 (T) Wireless School, Flowerdown, Winchester on May 31st 1919.

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WRAF (Women’s Royal Air Force) at Flowerdown………..

Flowerdown Camp WRAF 1918 – 1919

The W.A.A.F.S. (The Flowerdown Link author note) - again we have the mention of W.A.A.F.S. - I wonder if this could have been Women's Army Air Force rather than my previous assumption that since an Air Force did not exist it probably should be W.A.A.C. - Women’s Army Air Corps - R.F.C. ?) had been informed that 50 boys were arriving and that they had to mother us!

N.B. Women were also training as Wireless Operators during this period.

…..We really enjoyed our introduction to Flowerdown - splendid food and everyone seemingly anxious to help us. Again, there were R.F.C. and R.N. uniforms galore but we were soon measured for the First R.A.F. blue uniforms. (Author - what luxury!). On June 2nd we commenced our Morse Training in the Corps Squadron Section (Nearest to the W.A.A.F. Hostel) and were allowed in turn to listen to the Paris spark Wireless Telegraphy Time signals in an Armstrong hut outside……...

…..and its use as an RFC demob camp

Flowerdown was also a repatriation centre for R.A.F. Officers from Canada, South Africa etc - causing many problems during the long periods of delay in obtaining berths for them in liners.

12th September 1919 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~newark/Arthur.htm

Arthur Newark (South Africa) He was promoted from Flying Officer to temporary 2nd Lieutenant on the 27th March 1918 and was sent with 34 Squadron to Italy where he flew a Siddeley-Beasley RE8 reconnaissance and bomber biplane. His service record shows that he spent three days in the General Hospital, Bordighera, Italy in February 1919 and was then invalided back to the UK via Marseilles, France. Although fit for duty by 6th May 1919 the Squadron was disbanded six months later and Arthur was sent to Flowerdown Camp

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(Editor’s note – Many men who were invalided out of active service were retrained at RAF Flowerdown as Wireless Mechanics)

July 1919

RAF Flowerdown from http://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Stations-F.htm#Flowerdown RAF Station list.

No 1 (Training) Wireless School (13 Nov 1918 - 8 Mar 1919)

No 1 (Training) Wireless School Squadron (8 Mar - 23 Dec 1919) Electrical and Wireless School (23 Dec 1919 –

1916 – 1929 The Roots of No 1 Wireless School

1916 School for training wireless operators formed at Farnborough, Hants by the Royal Flying Corps.

April 1918 The first contingent of RAF (Boys) moved from RAF Halton (Wendover, Bucks.) to RAF Cranwell (Sleaford, Lincolnshire) as "The Boys Wing" to be trained as Fitter Aero Engine, Fitter Jig & Tool, Carpenter Rigger, Draughtsman, Rigger Aero, Fitter Armourer, Fitter Driver Petrol, Blacksmith, Turner, Coppersmith, or Coach Motor & Body Builder.

November Wireless Operator School transferred to the RAF. 1918

1919 Wireless Operator School moved to Flowerdown and re-titled No.1 (T) Wireless School.

July 1919 No.1 (T) Wireless School renamed to Electrical & Wireless School.

October The School of Technical Training (Boys) was formed at RAF Halton 1919

March The School of Technical Training (Boys) at RAF Halton was renamed No.1 School of 1920 Technical Training (Boys), and the Boys Wing RAF Cranwell was renamed No.2 School of Technical Training. The numbering of Boy Mechanic/Aircraft Apprentice Entries commenced at this time.

April 1921 No.2 School of Technical Training at RAF Cranwell reverted to The Boys Wing.

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January Lord Trenchard created Aircraft Apprenticeships for Boy Mechanics. Apprenticeships 1922 began at the Electrical Wireless School RAF Flowerdown, Hants; the majority were trained as Wireless Operator Mechanics, the remainder as Electricians or Instrument Makers.

October The Boys Wing RAF Cranwell renamed as No.4 (Apprentice) Wing. 1925

August 1929 Flowerdown transfers to Cranwell

February 1920

https://worldradiohistory.com/Wireless_World_Magazine.htm

There are many more interesting RAF Flowerdown articles at this link.

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9th October 1920

No 1 Wireless School students in 1919. On the blackboard is a triode valve and circuit for a simple oscillator.

FLOWERDOWN, WINCHESTER: The August 21, 1919 edition of Flight magazine, lists this as the location of a RAF Aerodrome “available for emergency use by Civilian machines”. However, the RAF wireless school was here from 1919 to 1929. After the First World War the site became a Royal Air Force Apprentices’ Training College. Thereafter it was used by the RNAS until 1956 and then by GCHQ until 1970.

1920

A small extract from - Wireless and Empire: Geopolitics, Radio Industry, and Ionosphere in the British Empire, 1918-1939 by Aitor Anduaga

“The foundation of a new centre at Flowerdown, Winchester (replaced in 1929 by the Electrical and Wireless School at Cranwell) coincided with, and in all probability was instrumental in, an

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unparalleled output of wireless operators. The project for its erection had been gestating since the limitations of Farnborough had been much in evidence, and the transfer of the old school had taken place in 1918 But it was only following the war, when the wave of operators returning from overseas was recognized as highly qualified manpower, that the directors of the school began to facilitate their retraining in civil society. Military instructions paved the way for a fruitful field of fresh openings 10 which wireless operators, if it had not been for the war experience, would probably never have had access. Both Flowerdown and Cranwell proved to be a fertile source of personnel well prepared to feed the needs of the Merchant Navy, as well as civil and military aviation Once again, the importance of training appeared unequivocally. In 1920, in what was without doubt the main wireless training camp in the country, its post-bellum syllabus covered a fundamental theoretical formation and a comprehensive instruction in the electrical workshops and Instrumental Laboratory. Taking the high figures of wireless operators in the interwar years into consideration (see Table 1), the effort was commendable, although it was probably merely the mirror of a phenomenon of greater magnitude. It is hard to imagine that the ambitions of hundreds of aircraft apprentices, who would become the backbone of radio and radar communication throughout the Empire soon afterwards, had been consummated in one Air Force insensitive to technical training.”

9th October 1920

1921

March 1921 From Hansard – Mr Churchill mentions Flowerdown.

Mr. CHURCHILL'S STATEMENT.

HC Deb 01 March 1921 vol 138 cc1619-715 1619

§ The SECRETARY of STATE for AIR (Mr. Churchill)

I beg to move, "That MR. SPEAKER do now leave the Chair."

4.0 P.M.

This is the third time that I have been responsible for presenting the Air Estimates to the House, and the Air Force for the first time in its history, not perhaps a lengthy history, has actually been under substantially the same administration for more than two whole years. We have had the same Chief of the Air Staff, we have had the same Controller- General of Civil Aviation, we have had the same Director of Personnel, we have had the same Director of Equipment, we have had in the main the same officers in command in the different areas or schools, we have had the same Secretary of State— that is an announcement which, no doubt, will be received with mingled feelings— and undoubtedly we should have had the same Under-Secretary of State but for the wayward proclivities of my right hon. and gallant Friend. I pointed out two years ago that, quite apart from clearing away the gigantic debris and enormous mass of material which the War had left, and which had to be dispersed in one way or other, it would take, in my opinion, five years to make an efficient, self-respecting, well-disciplined, economically-organised Air Force. About 18 months of these five years have now gone, and the progress has been very much greater than I had ventured to hope. It has been rendered possible solely by the fact that

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during the whole period we have had continuity of administration. There has been no chopping and changing either of men or of plant so far as the Royal Air Force is concerned. Everything is being carried out step by step as was intended, every superior officer or official is pursuing his work with a sense of being accountable, not for a week or for a month, but for the year after next, and possibly the year after that. Every subordinate is doing his duty with the sense that he has got to give satisfaction to superiors and seniors who are not going to be shifted and changed with every gust of service intrigue or of newspaper agitation—

§ Mr. MILLS

Or anti-waste agitation.

§ Mr. CHURCHILL

Or of anti-waste agitation. I have often felt, when listening to someone else speaking, that I could improve the speech by adding a third point. I am very much obliged to my hon. Friend for contributing a very real and effective and extremely well-chosen point. Instead of being removed by any of these causes, to which my hon. Friend has added a third, these subordinate officers will feel that their work will continue to be judged by the same men and valued by the same men, and that praise and blame may be made to be factors which are definitely worth striving to achieve or to avoid. There is absolutely no other way in which you can form a disciplined force worthy of the name or worthy of this country. There is no other way in which you can form a service which will be a real source of strength and honour to the nation, and which, moreover, will give some trustworthy return for the expenditure and labour which it demands. If this be true of armies and of navies, or of any great organisation requiring a high standard of efficiency and obedience, it is true in a particular degree of the Air Service. No more complicated service has ever been brought into existence in this world.

There are few people who have any idea of the complexity of the organisation of an Air Force. There are, for instance, no less than fifty-four trades, of which thirty are highly skilled trades, involved in the production and in the repair of an aeroplane. That gives an idea of the immense complexity from a technical point of view. Almost every known science and art practised among men is involved in aeronautical research. The whole of this extraordinarily complicated material side of aviation, almost without compare in a technical organisation, is now brought into contact with an entirely separate set of complications, namely, all those arising from the art of war, almost indefinite in their scope and variety, and all the interplay of war considerations upon this very complicated material constitute, in your 1657 ultimate product, the complex proposition of an efficient Royal Air Force. The Navy and Army can each specify a large number of separate and particular functions, each requiring a special type of machine, each requiring a specially trained pilot, which they demand to have fulfilled for them by the Royal Air Force. For instance, machines are required for the Navy to spot the fall of shot fired at vessels which are completely concealed below the horizon owing to their great distance. Large machines of an amphibious type are required to scout far over the seas and take the place to a considerable extent of the far more expensive cruisers. Large machines are also required to

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attack the heavy ships of the enemy in their harbours and at sea with torpedoes and bombs and thus compete with the torpedo boat destroyers which have bulked so largely in the past. Small machines of high fighting quality and manœuvring power are required to rise up from the decks of ships and afterwards to alight upon them again, in order to attack the torpedo carrying, bomb carrying, and reconnoitring machines with which you are bound to assume a modern hostile fleet will be equipped.

So much for the Navy. With the Army the types are already well known. You have got to have machines to mark for the artillery, machines to reconnoitre for the infantry, machines to fight with the infantry, the armoured machines which come very low down to fight, as they did in the last War, the machines which are to reconnoitre with the tanks, the machines which are to bomb at short distance or at a great distance, the machines which are to fight the aeroplanes of the enemy of different types in the air, and so protect not only all your own aeroplanes but the regular services of the Army. Every one of those various applications of air power require a special type of machine, and the special training of men, and if you are to have an Air Force which is an integral, effective, scientific, military unit, you cannot afford to be ignorant of any of these duties or incapable of performing them. It is difficult to make an officer, to train men for the responsibility and bearing which an officer requires. It is difficult to make a pilot, to secure that extraordinary facility in the conduct of the machine in the air; but in the Royal Air 1658 Force, when you have trained a man both to be an officer and to be a pilot, trained the same man to both these important functions, even then you are not by any means at the end. The pilot, with all his skill in flying, with all his knowledge of his machine, would be a mere prey to an enemy unless he could, in addition, fulfil at least one of the highly specialised functions of aerial war- gunnery, bombing, torpedoing, photography, wireless telegraphy, spotting for artillery, observing, and other functions-of that kind. Our organisation must therefore provide for a large number of varied schools and training establishments, and this is what we have been steadily building up in different parts of the country, according to one scheme, in the last 18 months.

Now I will tell the House about some of these establishments, because it is necessary that they should realise the complexity of the Air Service, compared with the Army, or even with the Navy itself. At Halton we are going to train 3,000 boys to be skilled mechanics, with' an eventual output of 1,000 a year, and here and at Manston adult recruits are now undergoing an intensive course of technical training. At Cranwell we are training cadets to be officers, and simultaneously a large number of the boy mechanics who are eventually to be accommodated at Halton. At Upavon we are teaching men to be instructors in flying, and officers are also given a course of practical engineering. At Netheravon and five other training schools, one of which will be in , we are training officers to become highly skilled pilots, not instructors, but pilots. At Andover, a school will be opened to teach air pilotage and night flying. Eastchurch will be a station where armament, aerial gunnery, and bombing are taught. At Gosport they will learn torpedo dropping from aircraft, and experiments are being conducted to improve the methods of observation for naval guns, and the wireless control of surface craft, that is to say, of self-propelled vessels which move without any man on them through the sea and are directed in their movements by an aeroplane in the air with wireless. At Flowerdown there is an electrical and wireless school. I need scarcely say that each of the schools which I have mentioned is the head of

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an extremely elaborate, complicated, and mentally dominating study and art, which has its relation to the general purpose we have in hand. At Larkhill kite-balloon training is undertaken. At Farnborough, photography in all its forms, that is to say, the taking of photographs, the reproduction of photographs rapidly, the understanding and reading of photographs, and the detection of the meaning of photographs taken from the air—a wonderful science in itself, which would, I am certain, fascinate any Member who had time to go and see even what its general scope is.

Football 1921-22.

Photo postcard of E & W.S FLOWERDOWN CHAMPIONS SOUTHAMPTON SHIELD RAF seen on eBay (for $37). Presumably, the senior officer on the left of the shield in this photo is a Group Captain (with 4 ring sleeve insignia).

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.c.allen/Apprentices.html

RAF APPRENTICESHIPS

The RAF Apprenticeship Scheme was launched in October 1919, when selection examinations were held around the country. In January 1920, the 1st Entry of 235 recruits began their three-year apprenticeship at Cranwell, whilst permanent accommodation was being completed at Halton. The Boys were signed on for 12 years' service from the age of 18 and assigned to the trade of Carpenter, Sheet Metal Worker, Fitter or Electrical. The Schools at Halton and Cranwell were renamed No. 1 and No. 2 School of Technical Training, respectively, in March 1920 and Halton’s first Apprentice Entry, No. 5, arrived in January 1922, at which time the rank of Aircraft Apprentice replaced the earlier term Boy Mechanic.

1922

Aircraft apprentice training commenced after Lord Trenchard created Aircraft Apprenticeships for Boy Mechanics. Apprenticeships began at the Electrical Wireless School RAF Flowerdown; the majority were trained as Wireless Operator Mechanics, the remainder as Electricians or Instrument Makers.

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Air Commodore Alfred Drummond Warrington-Morris CB CMG OBE AFC RAF (18 December 1883 – 24 March 1962) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force during the first half of the 20th century.

Warrington-Morris played international rugby union for England in 1909 at the age of 17 and later represented the RAF playing hockey in 1919. He was still playing rugby for RAF Flowerdown, of which he was at the time Station Commander, in 1922 at the age of 39.

The Aircraft Apprentice, a boy of around 15, spent 20 hours a week on technical training in the workshops, 9 hours on physical training, drill and games, and 8 hours on education. Other time was spent on barrack duties, ‘homework’, inspections and recreational activities, including sports, a model aircraft club and a debating society. The marks gained in the final examination in skill-of- hand and trade knowledge determined the graduating rank and rate of pay of the new airman. No. 5 Entry graduated on the 17 December 1924 when, aptly, the reviewing officer was Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS). As planned by the CAS, those scoring most highly were considered for Cadetships to Cranwell, where up to 20 % of the officer cadets were ex- apprentices.

1923

Extract from London Gazette, August 28, 1923

ROYAL AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE Appointments.—The following appointments in the R.A.F, are notified:— General Duties Branch Squadron Leaders : H. F. A. Gordon, O.B.E., to No. 100 Sqdn., Spittlegate. 10.9.23, to command on transfer to Home Estab. A. W. Tedder, to R.A.F. Depot. 6.8.23, pending disposal. J. V. Steel, O.B.E., to Electrical and Wireless School, Flowerdown. 1.9.23, for long course of instruction. Flight Lieutenants : H. Leedham, (*see below) to Electrical and Wireless School, Flowerdown. 1.9.23, on transfer to Home Estab. T. O. Clogstoun, to No. 7 Sqdn., Bircham Newton. 1.9.23. F. H. Laurence, M.C., to half-pay list. 1.9.23, pending embarkation overseas. F. O. Soden, D.F.C., to Electrical and Wireless School, Flowerdown. 1.9.23, for long course of instruction. J. A. MacNab, to R.A.F. Base, Calshot. 3.9.23. C. R. Steele, D.F.C., to No. 10 Group, Headquarters, Lee-on-Solent. 3.9.23. M. H. Coote, to No. 2 Flying Training School, Duxford. 3.9.23.

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1st September 1923 - April 1930

*Squadron Leader Leedham served as Chief instructor, Electrical and Wireless School RAF Flowerdown ( Hugh Leedham, Royal Air Force, during the period of active hostilities in World War Two, performed exceptionally meritorious service in the field of scientific research and development. As Director of Communications Development in the Ministry of Aircraft Production, he did much to make available to the Allied forces improved radar and radar countermeasures gear and facilitated arrangements for establishing two American Electronic Fields Stations in Great Britain. Through his scientific interest and by his attitude of co-operation, Air Commodore Leedham rendered service valuable to the United States war effort.)

Inside one of the barrack block huts at RAF Flowerdown, circa 1926

In 1922 the first Aircraft Apprentice to be selected for Signals duties entered the RAF. They commenced training at the Electrical and Wireless School, which was then at Flowerdown near Winchester. Flowerdown was established to train all tradesmen required for the maintenance and operation of Signals equipment. The Aircraft Apprentices were trained as Wireless Operator Mechanics, Electricians and Instrument Makers. On 6 August 1929, the Electrical and Wireless School moved to RAF Cranwell. During the pre-war expansion of the RAF, Cranwell became No. 1 Radio School concentrating solely on the training of Signals personnel. The increasing complexity and wide range of Signals equipment made it necessary to train the Signals Aircraft Apprentices for Signals maintenance duties only. The electrical and instrument commitments were assigned to other suitably trained airmen. It later became necessary to train Aircraft Apprentices specifically for Ground or Air Radio maintenance duties. In 1950, No. 6 Radio School was formed at Cranwell with responsibility for radio training of Aircraft Apprentices only. On 1st December 1952, No. 6 Radio School was disbanded at Cranwell and reformed at Locking as No. 1 Apprentice Wing, No. 1 Radio School. It seems to have discontinued in 1955.

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The RAF Apprenticeship Scheme came to an end with the graduation of the 155th entry in 1993. Twenty per cent have been commissioned and 50 have achieved Air rank. Moreover, the strength of character, resourcefulness and the esprit de corps engendered by the scheme has been central to the success of the RAF and has provided a model to be aspired to by all those currently serving and, indeed, those undergoing training at No. 1 School of Technical Training at RAF Cosford. The Apprentice Badge or ‘Wheel’. In planning the Apprenticeship Scheme, the Air Ministry clearly felt their responsibilities towards the young boys keenly and it was considered necessary to provide some insignia to distinguish them from adult airmen "so as to check smoking and the forgathering of boys with men". The four-bladed propeller within a circlet, to be manufactured in brass, was approved on 17 April 1919 and worn on the sleeve of the left arm, being, of course, highly polished at all times.

An Imperial War Museum Flowerdown reference https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80004616

This is from a sound recording of their video…

British NCO trained at Electrical and Wireless School, RAF Flowerdown, GB, 1923-1925; served with 6 Sqdn, RAF in , 1925-1928; served with 45 and 216 Sqdns, RAF in Egypt, 1928-1931; served with School of Army Co-operation and 16 Sqdn, RAF at RAF Old Sarum, GB, 1931-1935; served with Wireless Station at Andover, GB, 1935-1936; served with 8 Flying Training School, RAF Montrose, GB, 1936-1938; served with Signals Section, 12 Sqdn, RAF at RAF Andover, GB, 1938-1939.

REEL 1 Aspects of enlistment and training as wireless operator mechanic in RAF, 1923-1925: background to enlistment in RAF, 1923; basic training at RAF ; posting to Electrical and Wireless School at RAF Flowerdown, 1923; pattern of training; apprentices and accommodation. Period as wireless operator with School of Army Co-operation at Old Sarum, 1925: posting to unit; duties as ground operator with Royal Horse Artillery during exercises. Aspects of period as wireless operator with 6 (Army Co-operation) Sqdn, RAF in Iraq, 1925-1928: posting to Mosul and journey from GB; situation in Iraq; duties at Berbadi outstation; flying conditions from Berbadi. Aspects of period as wireless operator with 45 (Bomber) Sqdn and 216 (Bomber) Sqdn in Egypt, 1928-1931: posting to 45 Sqdn, RAF at Helwan; duties.

REEL 2 Continues: character of squadron; patrolling in Fairey IIIFs and detachment to Palestine; posting to 216 Squadron, RAF at RAF Heliopolis; duties connected with Imperial Airways; return to GB, 4/1931. Aspects of period as wireless operator with School of Army Co-operation and with 16 Sqdn, RAF at Old Sarum, 1931-1935: impressions of service in GB; posting to school, 4/1931; army co-operation duties with 16 Sqdn, RAF; relations with army personnel; transfer from Morse to radio telephony; posting to Andover Wireless Station, 1935-1936. Period as signals instructor at 8 Flying Training School, RAF Montrose, 1936- 1938: duties as signal instructor; preparations for war; flare path duties; attitude towards bagpipes. Hospitalisation at RAF Halton, 1938. Period as NCO with Signal Section, 12 (Bomber) Sqdn, RAF at RAF Andover, 1938-1939: duties with signal section; solo flight in ; squadron's standby role.

Catalogue number 4656 Production date 1980-07-08

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Subject period Interwar Alternative Names Creator

• IWM (Production company) • Sephton, Thomas Hiram (interviewee/speaker) • Cooper, Malcolm J (recorder)

IWM Interview

British aircraftman trained at RAF Depot Uxbridge GB 1924; trained as wireless operator at Electrical and Wireless School …

IWM interview

British aircraftman trained at RAF Depot Uxbridge GB 1924; trained as wireless operator at Electrical and Wireless School …

1924

April 1924

RAF & Army co-op school/Flying station for Wireless School at Flowerdown/Operational

http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/aircraft/Airstations/FAAAirStationsHomepage.htm#UK

Radio masts appearing so it is likely that there was a continuous occupation by the RAF.

From an Obituary written by Air Commodore Edmund Stockwell.

“…. Arthur Prescott was born in 1897….In 1924 he joined the RAF Educational Service and, from 1925, simultaneously held a commission in the RAFO. He served as an education officer at Flowerdown, Wittering, Thornaby and Halton - overseas in Iraq….”

1925

http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Wireless_and_Empire_Geopolitics_Radio_In.html?id=vSJL wSORWtwC&redir_esc=y

A selected extract from: Wireless and Empire: Geopolitics, Radio Industry, and Ionosphere in the... British Empire, 1918-1939 by Aitor Anduaga

Numbers of officers and Students at the Wireless Training Camp of Flowerdown

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Officers Learners Total 1918 186 3783 3969 1919 60 1400 1460 1921 15 500 515 1925 15 850 865

Other Sources:-

NAUK (AIR 29/718), ‘No 1 Radio School, Cranwell, formerly No 1 Signals School, formerly No. 1 Electrical and Wireless School, 1915 Nov.-1945 Dec.’

NAUK (AlR 2/77], ‘Geographical: British Isles: Towns etc. Named 'F' (Code A, 57/3): Wireless School and Buildings at Flowerdown’.

NAUK [AIR 2/298], ‘Projected move of Electrical and Wireless School from Flowerdown to Cranwell. (1926-1929)’

NAUK [ADM 338/33], ‘Electrical and Wireless School, RAF Flowerdown and RAF Worthy Down, Winchester, Hampshire’.

The principal changes in the characteristics of the School were to replace the temporary short courses introduced during W.W.1. https://archive.org/stream/Flight_International_Magazine_1925-08-13- pdf/Flight_International_Magazine_1925-08-13-pdf_djvu.txt

August 13, 1925 Inspection of the Electrical and Wireless School at Flowerdown by the Chief of the Air Staff By MAJOR F. A. DE V. ROBERTSON, V.D.

Not long ago, when the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard, G.C.B., D.S.O., inspected a school where aircraft apprentices are trained, he felt impelled to express bitter disappointment at the number of failures to pass out in the final examination, and naturally there was general perturbation. As we wended our way on August 7 from Winchester to Flowerdown, to witness an inspection of the Electrical and Wireless School, and a prize giving by the C.A.S., we rather wondered what the day would bring forth.

Situated on the downs above Winchester, the station where the school is at present located is a bright and breezy place. It is probably somewhat dreary in winter, but on a sunny summer day the fresh air of the downs was a delightful contrast to the relaxing atmosphere of the old Wessex capital which lies below. On driving through the gates, we noticed the solid appearance of the station buildings, which are old war-time huts “reconditioned." On the parade ground, a sloping and uneven stretch of grass, the officers and airmen of the station were drawn up in line.

I must apologise if I use any incorrect terms in describing the drill. My own knowledge of infantry drill is growing rusty, and, moreover, R.A.F. drill is a compound of naval and military drill,

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with a few original items and terms thrown in. For instance, the R.A.F. " shoulder arms " as the line regiments did some 25 years ago (do not rifle regiments do it still ?), -with the second finger of the right hand through the trigger guard, but they call it " Advance Arms." When units cannot spend a great deal of time on the parade ground, it is easier to make a good show in this way than by sloping arms. But surely it should be possible, without depriving Mr. Churchill of his remaining locks, to provide blue webbing equipment. The khaki webbing on the blue uniform does not look well. And though I should hesitate to suggest yet one more new uniform for the R.A.F., why were riding breeches ever adopted? For climbing in and out of an aeroplane, knee joints should not be constricted—sometimes one needs to get out very quickly, if one can—and knickerbockers, say, plus twos, would surely have been the ideal uniform.

After the C.A.S. and his staff, accompanied by Group Captain R. Peel Ross, D.S.O., A.F.C., Commandant of the School, had walked along the lines, the parade, which was drawn up in squadrons, marched past the saluting point. The marching was quite as good as could be expected on uneven grass, and the flights of boys acquitted themselves quite as well as the flights of aircraftsmen. The station band played excellently. So, they ought to do. They understand all about tuning in. Altogether, it was a good parade.

The standard of drill was high enough to show that the station appreciates the undoubted advantages of smartness and discipline, and not high enough to suggest neglect of technical duties. In a flying station one would have to be content with a lower standard.

After the parade was dismissed the C.A.S. very thoroughly inspected -the quarters and workshops and questioned a number of the airmen and boys. The answers were given composedly, evidently the R.A.F. does not suffer much from ‘inspectionitis’. For wireless training 10 " out- stations" and a central station have been erected in the compound, and doubtless Sir Hugh knew as well as anyone else that his progress was being inaudibly reported from "point to point.

After lunch everyone, including friends and relations, assembled in the gymnasium for the prize-giving. Group Captain Peel Ross read the report. Our minds were relieved. The whole course had passed out as aircraftsmen. Four were being retained as worthy of a course of higher instruction.

One, Apprentice L. P. Moore, a fine lad of a particularly good stamp, had been given a cadetship at Cranwell, and will in due course receive his commission. All the new aircraftsmen had volunteered to become airmen-pilots. In athletics the school had done very well, physique had improved, and the only epidemics had been mumps and German measles, and a slight skin disease brought on by eating home-grown vegetables. At this I patted myself on the back for having resisted all attempts to convert my back yard from the culture of nasturtiums to that of cabbages. Flowerdown, if there is anything in a name, should certainly stick to the same policy.

Sir Hugh Trenchard then presented the prizes, copies of Raleigh's " War in the Air," and made his address. He said that he looked on Flowerdown as the backbone of the Air Force. On wireless depended the development of the R.A.F. to be an efficient and economical defence of the

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country and the Empire. Without wireless we could never use the air to the fullest extent. He would call the last age a petrol age, but the coming age he would call an electrical age. He watched the various courses at Flowerdown, " boys as they come, men as they leave," and held them second to none in the world. On the parade he had seen what he had expected to see. " If you have a lot of brains you don't need so much drill and get the same result." To the new leading aircraftsmen, he said, " Don't think you know everything. Continue studying when in the squadrons." The 1st aircraftsmen and 2nd aircraftsmen he advised to strive for higher classifications. All had volunteered as pilots. " You are the type we want." but to become a pilot was no excuse for neglecting their trade. In the Air Force everyone had to do two things, though it was the fashion to say a man could only do one. He looked forward to the time when it would be impossible for aircraft to lose their way unless someone made a wrong connection.

Finally, commenting on the health returns. Sir Hugh remarked, " I dislike sick people. Illness is a waste of time. Keep fit."

1926

September 1926 Recollections of an Air Apprentice http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.c.allen/Apprentices.html broken link!

Chas Holloway joined the RAF as a 16 year old Airman Apprentice (A/A) at RAF Halton in September 1926 and was given the RAF no. 560619. Lord Trenchard had previously established these aircraft apprenticeships for boy mechanics in 1922, with up to 500 or so being awarded each year. Chas then began his training at the No. 1 Electrical and Wireless (E&W) School, RAF Flowerdown, Winchester, Hampshire (now the site of an Army Training Regiment).

Initially, an A/A would be expected to spend 20 hours a week on technical training in the workshops, 9 hours on physical training, drill and games, and 8 hours on education. Other time was spent on barrack duties, 'homework,' inspections and recreational activities, including sports, a model aircraft club and a debating society. The marks gained in the final examination in skill-of-hand and trade knowledge determined the graduating rank and rate of pay of the new airman.

The RAF Apprenticeship Scheme was launched in October 1919, when selection examinations were held around the country. In January 1920, the 1st Entry of 235 recruits began their three-year apprenticeship at Cranwell, whilst permanent accommodation was being completed at Halton. The Boys were signed on for 12 years' service from the age of 18 and assigned to the trade of Carpenter, Sheet Metal Worker, Fitter or Electrical. The Schools at Halton and Cranwell were renamed No. 1 and No. 2 School of Technical Training, respectively, in March 1920 and Halton’s first Apprentice Entry, No. 5, arrived in January 1922, at which time the rank of Aircraft Apprentice replaced the earlier term Boy Mechanic.

The Aircraft Apprentice, a boy of around 15, spent 20 hours a week on technical training in the workshops, 9 hours on physical training, drill and games, and 8 hours on education. Other time was spent on barrack duties, ‘homework’, inspections and recreational activities, including sports, a model aircraft club and a debating society. The marks gained in the final examination in skill-of-hand and trade knowledge determined the graduating rank and rate of pay of the new airman. No. 5 Entry

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graduated on the 17 December 1924 when, aptly, the reviewing officer was Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS). As planned by the CAS, those scoring most highly were considered for Cadetships to Cranwell, where up to 20 % of the officer cadets were ex-apprentices.

Inside one of the barrack block huts at RAF Flowerdown, circa 1926

In 1922 the first Aircraft Apprentice to be selected for Signals duties entered the RAF. They commenced training at the Electrical and Wireless School, which was then at Flowerdown near Winchester. Flowerdown was established to train all tradesmen required for the maintenance and operation of Signals equipment. The Aircraft Apprentices were trained as Wireless Operator Mechanics, Electricians and Instrument Makers. On 6 August 1929, the Electrical and Wireless School moved to RAF Cranwell.

Spartan bed space at RAF Flowerdown, circa 1926

During the pre-war expansion of the RAF, Cranwell became No. 1 Radio School concentrating solely on the training of Signals personnel. The increasing complexity and wide range of Signals equipment made it necessary to train the Signals Aircraft Apprentices for Signals maintenance duties only. The electrical and instrument commitments were assigned to other suitably trained airmen. It

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later became necessary to train Aircraft Apprentices specifically for Ground or Air Radio maintenance duties. In 1950, No. 6 Radio School was formed at Cranwell with responsibility for radio training of Aircraft Apprentices only. On 1st December 1952, No. 6 Radio School was disbanded at Cranwell and reformed at Locking as No. 1 Apprentice Wing, No. 1 Radio School. It seems to have discontinued in 1955.

The RAF Apprenticeship Scheme came to an end with the graduation of the 155th entry in 1993. Twenty per cent have been commissioned and 50 have achieved Air rank. Moreover, the strength of character, resourcefulness and the esprit de corps engendered by the scheme has been central to the success of the RAF and has provided a model to be aspired to by all those currently serving and, indeed, those undergoing training at No. 1 School of Technical Training at RAF Cosford.

The Apprentice Badge or ‘Wheel’. In planning the Apprenticeship Scheme, the Air Ministry clearly felt their responsibilities towards the young boys keenly and it was considered necessary to provide some insignia to distinguish them from adult airmen "so as to check smoking and the forgathering of boys with men". The four-bladed propeller within a circlet, to be manufactured in brass, was approved on 17 April 1919 and worn on the sleeve of the left arm, being, of course, highly polished at all times.

Royal Air Force (County) Football Association Challenge Cup

History of previous winners:

1920-21 Cranwell 1960-61 Yatesbury 1991-92 Lyneham

1921-22 Henlow 1961-62 Cranwell 1992-93 Coningsby

1922-23 Cranwell 1962-63 Yatesbury 1993-94 Kinloss

1923-24 Manston 1963-64 Ballykelly 1994-95 Waddington

1924-25 Cranwell 1964-65 Finningley 1995-96 Coltishall

1925-26 Flowerdown

25th October 1926

A training wing was formed within the Unit, its function being the Technical, Administrative and Educational matters of individual training.

October 1926

Jim Mollison - Born on 19 April 1905 in Glasgow, James Allan Mollison joined the Royal Air Force in July 1923 on a Short Service Commission. After initial flying training at Duxford, he was posted to India and No.20 Squadron, flying Bristol Fighters. Returning to the UK in October 1926, Mollison spent a short period as Training Wing Adjutant at the Electrical & Wireless School at Flowerdown.

December 1926

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Extract from Flight Magazine December 30th, 1926. Mentions the 5th passing out inspection of aircraft apprentices; Air Vice-Marshall Sir John Steel, Group Captain Ross reported that there are 248 Aircraft Apprentices under training exclusive of the Passing-Out entry of 36. Of the 248, 196 are being trained as wireless operator mechanics, 10 as instrument makes and 42 as electricians.

1927

3rd June 1927 Portsmouth Evening News

October 1927 Portsmouth Evening News 1st January 192?

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http://www.oznunns.com/tree/f2624.htm

A Tragedy at Worthy Down

Western Daily Press Friday 14 Oct 1927: Hit by plane wheel. How child was killed at Winchester. A Bristol Fighter aeroplane, piloted by Flying Officer Rodney Beresford, of Flowerdown, was landing at Worthy Down Aerodrome Winchester, yesterday, when the port wheel struck Alice Dennett, the four-year-old daughter of Flight-Sergeant Dennett, who was playing with another little girl. She died half-an-hour later from a fractured skull. Flying Officer Beresford did not see the children and knew nothing of the accident until he was told.

1929

August 1929

The Apprentice (Electrical & Wireless School) was transferred to RAF Cranwell and the RNAS moved into Flowerdown which remained as a wireless station until 1956. It was never an airfield but it was bombed twice? in one week. ..and finally, with the transfer to Cranwell those apprentices who had served at Flowerdown were remembered thus in 2007…

St GEORGES CHURCH ROYAL AIR FORCE HALTON The picture at http://www.rafcaa.org.uk/inmemory.html shows just a few of the windows in St Georges Church at RAF Halton that various Apprentices Entries, and others, have had designed and installed.

RAFCAA MEMORIAL WINDOW The Dedication of the window designed by Karen Newby and installed in St George's Church RAF Halton as a memorial to all Aircraft Apprentices who trained either at RAF Flowerdown or RAF Cranwell between 1922 and 1952 was held on Sunday 17th June 2007.

The RAF CAA memorial window at St George’s Church RAF Halton

The picture below shows one of the windows in St Georges Church at RAF Halton that various Apprentices Entries, and others, have had designed and installed.

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The Dedication of the window designed by Karen Newby and installed in St George's Church RAF Halton as a memorial to all Aircraft Apprentices who trained either at RAF Flowerdown or RAF Cranwell between 1922 and 1952 was held on Sunday 17th June 2007.

"Of the thousands of aircraft apprentices who were trained at Flowerdown and Cranwell, there are only some hundreds of us left. And we are old and becoming weary. But we have had the strength to see through the completion of this last memorial to our colleagues. Colleagues - Sergeants, Flight Sergeants, Flight Lieutenants, and Squadron Leaders in the main - who, for eight decades from 1922, enabled the Royal Air Forces' wings "to mount like eagles" and thereby contribute to our glorious history.”

Did the RAF also train aero engine apprentices at Flowerdown? The following was found at http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Hanworth.html

The term Brat springs from the fact that in 1920, Marshal of the RAF Lord Trenchard, who is looked upon as the founding father of the RAF, conceived the idea of setting up training schools to provide a cadre of well trained and rounded individuals to be the backbone of aircraft servicing and maintenance in the RAF. These young men, many of whom were aged fifteen and a half when they joined, were still in some cases under normal recruiting age when they finished their training and entered RAF service proper. Their knowledge put the noses of some of the old hands out of joint and they became known as Trenchard`s Brats. The name has stuck and they now happily call themselves such.

Aero Engine trained apprentices could become Flight Engineers for bombers with very little additional training, and many of them volunteered for operational service.

Aero Engine Apprentices were trained at RAF Halton, in Buckinghamshire, except in the early days when Halton was being built, and their training took place at RAF Flowerdown and RAF Cranwell.

12 March 1929

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Commons Debates - Air Estimates, 1929

Sir S. HOARE : At the present time we have no park, and as our units increase it has been found necessary to have a depot of this kind. The hon. Member for Rochdale asked me a question about the increase in the Estimate for machine tools. We do not go abroad to purchase our machine tools and they are all purchased in this country unless under very exceptional circumstances. The large amount for machine tools in this year's Estimates is partly due to the transfer of the Wireless School from Flowerdown in Hampshire to Cranwell in the interests of economy. With regard to the proposed new station at Bristol it will be completed by the end of the year and we propose to place there one regular and one non-regular squadron.

1930 In 1930 the Royal Navy took it over as a radio station and named it HMS Flowerdown. It remained a Naval radio station until the early 1960s when the Home Office, supported by the Royal Corps of Signals, changed it to a communications and monitoring station. It continued in this role until 1976, and in 1982 it was designated as the site of the new Depot for The Light Division.

March 21, FLIGHT Magazine extract………..

Wireless Telegraphy and Signal Development The working of naval shore wireless telegraphy stations on both long and short-wave has been improved during the past year by reorganization and the use of recent developments in techniques.

Ipswich and Sheerness wireless telegraphy stations have been closed and a new station for receiving purposes only will shortly be open at Flowerdown, near Winchester, utilizing buildings and land relinquished by the Royal Air Force. Certain modifications in apparatus are being made to effect greater control of emitted wireless waves, in order to comply with international requirements.

1932

May 13th 1932

From the Hampshire Telegraph

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1934

FAR EAST COMBINED BUREAU (FECB). In 1934, Paymaster Captain Arthur Shaw RN was posted to Stonecutter's Island, , to establish a regional British cryptographic organization, the Far East Combined Bureau. Linked by radio to Admiralty stations on Horsea Island in Portsmouth Har- bour, Flowerdown, and Cleethorpes, FECB monitored Japanese naval traffic and supplied intercepts to the Government Code and Cypher School, where….

January 13th, 1934

An extract from the Hampshire Chronicle reports ‘From the Files’ W.I New Year’s Party in Littleton Memorial Hall.

“…..capital dance music being supplied by a small but very efficient band from the Flowerdown Radio Station…”

1937 http://www.naval-review.co.uk/issues/1975-3.pdf

An Extract from The Operational Intelligence Centre Naval Intelligence Division 1939- 1945

Astute men Admiral James, despite his Room 40 background, was not in 1936 relying on a repetition of the cryptographers' successes in the Kaiser's war. McLachlan quotes him as minuting 'there is a great field of work with directionals, reports from agents, own ships etc. and if astute men are put on to this work there is no doubt in my mind that very soon a valuable form of operational intelligence will be built up'. The first of the astute men assigned to this task was Paymaster Lieutenant Commander N. E. Denning, now Vice-Admiral Sir Norman Denning, KBE, CB, who was the last Director of Naval Intelligence 1959-1964 and the first Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Intelligence) 1964-1965. Denning started up the O.I.C. in a corridor of the Admiralty in 1937 with a staff of one clerk. His first preoccupation was with identifying the Italian submarines supporting the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War, and with following the movements of those German warships also involved. In order to achieve this, he advised the strengthening of the direction finding (D/F) organisation, which at that time had only three stations, Scarborough and Flowerdown in the United Kingdom and Malta……

1938 http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=557640.0

Robert Henry Tricker MBE, known as Harry. He was an expert at Morse code. He was in the navy and was headhunted by Richard Gambier-Parry in about 1938/1939 for Section v111 the communications section of MI6 in WW2. Harry was a chief petty officer at the Flowerdown Wireless Station when he was recruited. Along with 5 other CPOs their status changed when they joined Gambier-Parry's mob. Due to the nature of their work for MI6 Section VIII they were considered not part of the regular armed forces and their pay books were mark NPAF (not paid army funds). This was all secret, hush hush.

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Pre-1939 postcard – on the back is written “Your office over here and Wireless Office”

1939

A small extract from The Life and Times of Alan Dower Blumlein By R. W. Burns IET, 2000 - Technology & Engineering - 534 pages (Google digital books)

During the First World War, and by 1917, a low frequency direction finding network had been established which covered the Mediterranean Sea, the Eastern Atlantic and the North Sea. There were 11 British stations, 11 French stations and 21 Italian stations. By 1929 this network had been reduced to one station, at the Lizard. However, by February 1939, the Admiralty's Operational Intelligence Centre was again in full working order with stations at Flowerdown, Scarborough, Bermuda, Malta, Trincomalee, Aden and Hong Kong

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The Y Stations (Listening posts). The old hands in Government Codes and Ciphers School at Bletchley Park (GC&CS) had been concerned that the outbreak of war would lead to a marked fall off in the radio traffic that could be intercepted, as radio silence would be imposed. This had happened at sea in the last year of World War I, when tightened security had silenced much of the German fleet’s radio signals. The same had happened on the Western Front once the war had developed a static quality and landlines had been increasingly employed. But on land there had been an upsurge of radio traffic in the last year of the war, as the fronts became more fluid, as a result of the last big, more mobile offensives by both sides. And now, experience from the invasion of in the early days of WWII suggested that radio traffic would rise once an offensive had begun, even if radio silence reduced the traffic prior to a new offensive. [To the relief of GC&CS, this became the pattern on both sides, with an ever-increasing amount of radio communications being used throughout the war, interspersed with a few periods when the traffic fell temporarily as landlines were reintroduced in periods of static warfare]. In the early days of WWII, the main interception station (called a Y station) for Army and, in practice Air Force, traffic was based at Chatham above the old naval base, manned by the Royal Signals. The Navy had two Y stations at the outbreak of the war, HMS Flowerdown, near Winchester, and one on the cliffs at Scarborough. http://lists101.his.com/pipermail/intelforum/2004-April/007426.html broken link!

Extract from a lecture by Sir Harry Hinsley on SIGINT

….In fact, was the nearest Y station to Bletchley Park. It would have taken over 2 hours to courier intercepts from Beaumanor (Army) and perhaps 3 hours from Flowerdown Winchester (Navy). In retrospect, it does seem strange that these delays could be tolerated. There were, of course, some teleprinter circuits, but this involved re-keying and availability was limited. It seems pretty clear that the bulk of intercepts went by motorcycle. ...

The principal naval intercept stations during WWII in the United Kingdom were Scarborough (in Yorkshire) and Flowerdown, near Winchester. The number of sets at Scarborough rose from 28 at the start of the war to 128 at its end. Flowerdown had 18 sets in 1939, and 75 by the war's end. A few sets in some other stations, such as Chicksands, were also allocated to naval work.

Scarborough, being the bigger station, was primarily responsible for intercepting German naval traffic. Flowerdown was mainly tasked with intercepting Italian and Japanese naval traffic…..

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Extract from: http://www.e-reading.org.ua/bookreader.php/135304/Military_Communications.pdf

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS Page 215 High-Frequency Direction Finding

High-Frequency Direction Finding (HF DF) “…High-frequency direction finding (HF DF) was used extensively by both the U.S. Navy

31 Bletchley Park became the hub of a We have a photo of Beaumanor Hall nationwide operation. (Creative Commons, requires attribution) Radio operators at the Y stations faithfully transcribed the encrypted Y-stations were: Beeston , Cromer, Gorleston, Morse Code intercepts. Southwold, Felixstowe, Beachy Head, North & South Walsham, Saxmundham, RAF Chicksands, These were sent down to Bletchley Stockton-on-Tees, RAF Waddington, Cheadle, Park, initially by motorbike but RAF Kingsdown, RAF Canterbury, Cupar, later on, over teleprinter lines HMS Forest Moor (Harrogate), HMS Flowerdown (Winchester) and Britain’s Royal Navy during World War II, especially against the German U-boats in the Atlantic, a battle that required real-time tactical information by radio from boats in contact with convoys. German Kriegsmarine radio traffic consisted of standard signals or special short signals, such as convoy sighting reports. Standard signals contained between 40 to 320 letters (lasting from twenty-four seconds to three minutes). “Contact” short signals, giving a convoy’s position, course, and speed, lasted only about twenty seconds and were difficult targets for accurate HF DF. The British used two main types of HF DF set: aural null models, where operators tuned manually to signals using earphones, and instantaneous twin-channel sets using cathode ray tubes. In 1937, the Royal Navy’s only HF DF stations were at Flowerdown (England), Gibraltar, Malta, and Hong Kong, but by late 1942 an additional eleven HF DF stations had been established in the United Kingdom. Eventually, the Allied Atlantic HF DF nets consisted of fifteen American, twenty British, and eleven Canadian stations, with plotting rooms in Washington DC, London, and Ottawa…”. Ralph Erskine

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December 1939 James Bond comes to Flowerdown!

Merlin Theodore Minshall (21 December 1906 – 3 September 1987) was a British naval officer and adventurer. He worked briefly at HMS Flowerdown, developing direction finding and transmitter analysis ("Z machines") to identify the positions of individual ships; as such, during May 1941 he played a part in the hunt for the Bismarck.

He is often claimed to have been one of the inspirations behind James Bond, the fictional spy created by Ian Fleming. Minshall worked for Fleming during the Second World War, as a member of the Royal Navy's Naval Intelligence Division.

Merlin Minshall , a prototype for Ian Fleming’s 007, was disciplined for sending a communication directly to the Vice Chief of Naval Staff instead of passing it up through the required channels. He was disciplined for insubordination and sent to HMS Flowerdown, , where he found himself working with a distinguished Scientific Officer called Labouchere Bainbridge-Bell (a co-inventor of Radar) known to his colleagues as B-B. Merlin Minshall noted that his staff consisted of twenty- eight gorgeous WRNS, not only better looking than Minshall but whose technical abilities and knowledge of physics far exceeded his own [Minshall, 1975, p. 209].

Labouchere Bainbridge-Bell was one of the original radar team at Orford Ness with Watson-Watt, Taffy Bowen and Arnold Wilkin. Taffy described B-B as “the most talented circuit designer and largely responsible for the final design of the cathode-ray direction finder which was very advanced for the time” [Bowen, 1987, p. 14]. Subsequently, there was a personality clash with the Watson Watt who moved B-B back to Slough where he was in his element, designing the apparatus later known as radio finger printing (see para 7.24.1), this was tested at HMS Flowerdown. Radio Finger Printing analysed the characteristic of a transmitted signal in such detail that listeners are able to identify a particular transmitter, even the ‘fist’ of the operator. In true Bond style,

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1940

September 1940 A bombing attack on H.M.S. Flowerdown!

Information from file HO 199/128 at the National Archives, regarding a raid on H.M.S. Flowerdown R.N. Wireless Station on 25th September 1940.

Death of the above-mentioned Mrs Winter née Kerwood at HMS Flowerdown 25th September 1940 Nellie Laura, maiden name Kerwood. Born 1900 Southampton. Parents William Ernest & Annie Laura. Married John A Winter Dec 1923. Southampton A daughter Thelma Nellie born Aug 1924.

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1941

Sept 1941 Radio Fingerprinting & TINA http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/details?Uri=C5317536

See above - James Bond comes to Flowerdown!

GCCS Directorate paper on staff problems at BP, particularly recruiting and pay; and Naval Sigint station at Flowerdown using RFP (Radio Fingerprinting) and Tina as analysis aids. http://jproc.ca/rrp/rfp_tina.html

Radio Finger Printing (RFP) and TINA Edited by Jerry Proc VE3FAB

During WWII, the most common method of locating enemy radio transmissions was through the use of radio direction finding whereby two or more monitoring stations would obtain bearings on enemy transmitters then triangulate the results to obtain a fix. There were at least two other techniques which could provide data or intelligence about the characteristics of the transmitter making the transmission and the Morse code sending style of the operator. These techniques were known as Radio Finger Printing (RFP) and TINA and were used by the Allies. When used jointly, TINA and RFP were known as 'Z' intelligence or 'Z' service in the Commonwealth countries. As with many other WWII activities, RFP and TINA were shrouded in a cloak of secrecy.

(TINA was the method used to recognize specific radio operators by their Morse code "fist" and habits. One definition has the code name of TINA as being derived from the Latin word "tinea" which meant "worm". TINA was the process that involved studying the distinctive characteristics of particular Morse code operators to identify and tracing the locations of those operators, for which might show that a particular operator has changed ships which may indicate damage or destruction to the previous ship or even a re-assignment. Each operator had a distinctive touch, or 'fist'. Some were slower while others were jerky; some held down the key or paused between dots and dashes for different lengths of time and so on.)

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Undated photograph of Flowerdown during WW2 – http://www.alanturing.net/

1942

Expansion of the Wrens employment gathered momentum during 1941 and 1942 and new categories gradually came into being.

The tasks of Communications Signal Exercise Corrector and Automatic Code Transcriber were added to the branch, the latter category being trained by the GPO and the first qualifiers sent to the Royal Naval W/T Station, Flowerdown

Journal of the Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/journal/j35/straczek

The empire is listening: Naval signals intelligence in the Far East to 1942

Jozef Straczek

{1} Of all the various forms of intelligence gathering, signals intelligence1 and are the forms which have created the most interest among modern historians. The reason for this is not just because of the secretive nature of these functions, but also because of the contribution (and in some cases lack of contribution) made by signals intelligence during the Second World War. The role played by ULTRA intelligence in the European theatre of operations and the Middle East is well documented. The penetration, by the United States, of Japanese diplomatic, naval and military codes in the Pacific theatre is also well known. Much less, however, has been heard about the role played in signals intelligence (or Sigint as it is known) by the Royal Navy and British Dominions in the Far East, both before and during the war.

{2} One of the reasons for this situation can clearly be seen in the manner in which Sigint

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is dealt with in the Official History of British Intelligence in the Second World War. Professor Hinsley effectively writes off the coverage of British activities in this field in his introduction, by stating that he has "not attempted to cover the war in the Far East; when this was so much the concern of the United States".2 Such a dismissal of wartime operations would hardly act as an attraction to cover the more mundane peace-time operations and developments. In addition to this, the magnitude and success of the United States Navy operations, controlled from OP-20-G in Washington, has also tended to overshadow that of the Royal Navy. The size and effort that the RN put into signals intelligence in the Far East during the Second World War, however, belies the treatment of it by Hinsley and others.

3} Much of this effort had its foundations in the 1920s and 30s, when an Empire-wide Sigint organisation was put in place in an attempt to monitor the transmissions and actions of the Imperial Japanese Navy. After the First World War, work on naval codes and ciphers by the RN virtually halted.3 The reason for this was the lack of a suitable naval target and the fact that the newly established Government Code and Cypher School was concentrating on diplomatic intelligence. However, this decision was reversed in 1924, when a Naval Section was added to the GC&CS and naval interception stations were established to complement the existing direction- finding (DF) capability. The development of this signal’s intelligence network, particularly in the -Pacific region, is one of the lesser known aspects of Britain’s imperial naval history and co- operation.

Establishing the network

{4} Following the First World War, the British services built up a number of intelligence networks in the Far East. The Royal Navy, in particular, was very active in the region as, due to the lack of a European naval threat, it saw its raison d'être as being Imperial defence. Following Japan’s abrogation of the Anglo-Japanese Naval Alliance, the Imperial Japanese Navy was also seen as the RN’s most likely enemy. This was a view reinforced, in many eyes, by increasing Anglo-Japanese political and economic competition in the region. Commencing in the early 1920s, the RN – assisted by the Pacific Dominions – began a silent war against the Imperial Japanese Navy. The scale of effort associated with this conflict is only now starting to become apparent.4

{5} In March 1921, at the Penang Naval Conference attended by naval commanders from the , East Indies and Australia Stations, a number of recommendations were made concerning the establishment of additional DF stations. The conference proposed that two groups of stations be established: the first at Seletar (), Kuching (Malaya) and North Borneo; the second at Nauru, Rabual (New Britain) and in New Guinea. In addition to these, ships used for trade protection were also to be fitted for DF work, and a number of other portable units provided.5 The intention was that this extensive network would form part of the Pacific Naval Intelligence Organisation, to be established at the when this facility was operational. At the time of the Penang conference there existed in Australia, New Zealand or Canada neither specialist signals intelligence facilities nor the trained people to operate them.

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{6} With the re-commencement of naval cryptographic work in 1924,6 a dedicated Naval Section was attached to the GC&CS. The raw data for this section was obtained from the Royal Navy's intercept station at Flowerdown, Hampshire, England. This station was to prove inadequate for the task, especially with regards to intercepting Far Eastern traffic, and a system of using RN ships on foreign naval stations was put in place. This new method was given the designation "Procedure Y". As part of these changes a small naval cryptographic unit was established and attached to HMS Hawkins, flagship of the China Station.

Flowerdown ‘Y’ station

During WWII, Flowerdown was a crucial wireless intercept or ‘Y’ station. The raw material on which the Bletchley codebreakers depended was the Enigma-enciphered messages sent by German radio operators in Morse code and picked up by the intercept stations such as Flowerdown. These coded messages were transmitted by motorcycle despatch riders, and later, by teleprinter to Bletchley Park where they found their way to the codebreaking huts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Telecom_microwave_network

Extract…. the 1956 GPO paper referred to under 'Backbone' above also described a series of links called 'radio standby to line'. These were spur links between the GPO Backbone sites and defense 'customer' sites. They were designed to carry between 25 and 150 'private wire' (a.k.a. leased line) circuits each, by radio. The paper contains a list of sites and a network map,

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showing the following radio standby to line links (among many others) - Sopley and Portsmouth to naval headquarters at Portsmouth and naval radio stations at Hornsea and Flowerdown.

http://www.birgelenvets.org/webpages/history.aspx

The "Y" Services - Who maintain a constant silent watch on the enemies of their country. Their past and continuing contribution to Britain's operational success in peace and war can never be told in full.

Royal Corps of Signals - 223 Signal Squadron - Flowerdown, Winchester (these men may have been billeted at Bushfield)

http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Oral-History:Edwin_Douglas_Ramsay_Shearman

Oral-History: Edwin Douglas Ramsay Shearman

An extract….” I was directed from ASE at Lythe Hill House to HMS Flowerdown near Winchester in Hampshire. This was not a ship; it was a shore establishment of HF (High- Frequency 3-30 MHz or shortwave) receivers, HF-receiving antennas and receiving antenna switchboards, but the Navy only knew about ships to they called it ‘HMS’ (His Majesty’s Ship). There were some fifty receivers in each room. Wrens and civilians were receiving signals with this equipment.

The task I was involved in was to introduce radio-teleprinters into naval ship-shore and shore-to-shore HF communication. The station's main task before this had been the interception of German and Japanese Morse traffic for decoding by Bletchley Park. We found techniques such as ‘radio fingerprinting’ and analysis of the received signal used in this work to be very useful for our task of analyzing ionospheric echo distortion and fading as it affected inter-symbol interference on radio teleprinter signals. In this period, I was involved at HMS Flowerdown with developing receiving techniques, primarily in order to get radio teleprinter signals over a fading, multipath shortwave link. We had to use diversity, and we had large, three-receiver installations connected to three different spaced antennas, providing triple- diversity reception. In this way we could connect a radio teleprinter directly to the digital output of the diversity receiver and our digital signals (then known as ‘Mark’ and ‘Space’, rather than ‘1’ and ‘0’) went up the line to the underground communications center under the Admiralty Arch in London….” http://avoca.ndirect.co.uk/enigma/enigma7.htm

The structure of the Bletchley Park operation consisted of four elements:

1. Intercept stations located outside Bletchley Park.

• Chatham, located 40 km. west of London and specialising in Wehrmacht traffic. • Cheadle and Chicksand, located 80 km. N-W of London and specialising in traffic.

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• Flowerdown and Scarborough, located on the east and specialising in Navy traffic As the war progressed more intercept stations were added at Gibraltar and Malta.

2. The cryptologists located at Bletchley Park and in selected places close by 3. The intelligence section located entirely in Bletchley Park. 4. The Special Liaison Unit located at Bletchley Park.

All the intercepted messages were transmitted from Flowerdown to Bletchley Park, either by courier or over secure lines. To achieve efficient and successful operation the sequence of activities and the necessary feedback to achieve the desired outcome was strictly controlled. All the intercept traffic arrived at "Hut 6" ( a general term ) which contained cryptologists, "Bombes" and staff that ran the operation. Feedback from Intelligence Section located in "Hut 3" (another general term ), based upon previously decoded messages and other inputs, decided which messages were to be given priorities and assigned resources. The decrypted messages were passed "next door" to adjacent "Hut 3" which performed translation, evaluation of intelligence contents, made comments about its reliability and selected the recipients. The dissemination was performed by various SLU couriers or by secure links. "Hut 6" also contained a Crib Section that monitored encrypted messages for any signs of procedures that might throw light on the contents of the message - such as address, title or irregularity in procedures. These bits of information allowed the crypto analysts to reduce the number of trials from billions to numbers that could be handled by electromechanical machines. The collection of these precious bits of information, which was started by the Poles in the early thirties, played a substantial role both in theoretical analyses and practical decrypting work. Some of the more important were named Cribs, Kisses, Herivel Tips and Parkerismuses (PARKERISMUS : (in Enigma). A system of registration designed to show up repeats of keys or any parts of keys (i.e., wheel-orders, ringstellung, and stecker).. They were educated guesses from the encrypted text of the same messages encrypted with different keys, machine set-up quirks, repeated wheel order and patch panel settings. A library was established and all new messages were checked against this stored information for any sign of similarity with previously decrypted messages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Flowerdown

RAF Flowerdown was a RAF station situated in Hampshire, England.

The RFC Wireless School moved from Farnborough to Flowerdown, later RAF Flowerdown in 1919. The apprentice training school moved from Flowerdown to Cranwell in 1929 and the RNAS moved into Flowerdown which remained as a wireless station until 1956. It was never an airfield but it was bombed twice in one week.

In 1956 the site was taken over by GCHQ's Composite Signals Organisation as a large HF listening station. It closed in the late 1970s.

During the second world war, Flowerdown was one of a number of listening stations around the country that fed information into Bletchley Park with staff working 12 hour shifts listening to Morse code which was then used by Colossus to decipher the German codes. Coordinates: 51°03′36″N 01°20′42″W

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Extract from The Essential Turing pdf noting the link between Flowerdown & Bletchley Hut 8 (Naval Enigma) http://www.cse.chalmers.se/~aikmitr/papers/Turing.pdf

History of Bletchley Hut 8 to December 1941

In 1940 Turing established Hut 8, the section devoted to breaking Naval Enigma. Initially the Naval Enigma group consisted of Turing, Twinn, and two girls. Early in 1940 they were joined by Tony Kendrick, followed by Joan Clarke in June of that year, and then in 1941 by Shaun Wylie, Hugh Alexander, Jack Good, Rolf Noskwith, Patrick Mahon, and others.

Most traffic arrived from the intercept stations by teleprinter, being duplicated by carbon. Retransmissions, dupes as we called them, were also teleprinted in full after 1942; before this, German preamble and differing groups only of dupes had been teleprinted, but we found that we were unable to rely on the intercept stations to notice all differences.

Shortage of teleprinters was a perennial problem, as the traffic constantly increased while those responsible for teleprinters persisted in believing that it would decrease. The effect of this shortage was that traffic got delayed at Scarborough for considerable lengths of time before teleprinting and was not in fact cleared until there was a lull in the traffic. It was usually true that there were sufficient teleprinters to cope over a period of 24 hours with the traffic sent in that period, but they were quite insufficient for the rush hours on the evening and early night shift. In the spring of 1944, the teleprinter situation was reviewed and considerably improved, in anticipation of the Second Front and possible heavy increases of traffic. Experiments were carried out with a priority teleprinting system for certain frequencies but the list tended to be so large (having to cover cryptographic and intelligence needs) and so fluid that it afforded no more than a theoretical solution to the problem. It was our experience that it was possible to ‘rush’ very small groups of traffic at very high speed—some very remarkable results were achieved with the frequency which carried Flying Bomb information—but that rushing a large quantity was comparatively ineffective.

As a result of the increased number of teleprinters, the average time elapsing between interception and teleprinting was reduced to about 30 minutes, which was thought to be satisfactory. For the opening of the Second Front a small W/T station was opened at B/P, most appropriately in the old Hut 8. This covered certain frequencies of special operational urgency or crib importance and produced very satisfactory results. A new record was established when a signal reached Admiralty in translation 12 minutes after being intercepted here. As the excitement over the success of the Second Front died down and the sense of urgency disappeared, the time lag became somewhat worse, but the situation remained under control, with one or two brief exceptions, even during the final peak period in March 1945.

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As was to be expected, stations other than Scarborough which had less interest in Naval traffic and less facilities for teleprinting were appreciably slower in passing us the traffic; a time check late in 1944 revealed an average delay of 103 minutes at Flowerdown. It should perhaps also be gratefully recorded that Scarborough’s standard of teleprinting, accuracy, and neatness remained, right through the war, a model which other stations were far from rivalling. In early days traffic was teleprinted to the Main Building whence it was carried every half hour, later every. hour, to the old Hut 8 Registration Room. This was inevitably a slow process, but it mattered comparatively little as in those days, keys were not often being read currently. The move into Block D (February 1943) and the introduction of conveyor belts greatly improved the situation and traffic now came to the teleprinter room a few yards away whence it was conveyed to the Registration Room by belt.

1944

I saw the following for sale on eBay:-

WRNS ADELE BRADBURY "FLOWERDOWN" SECRET INTERCEPT STN

W.R.N.S. ADELE BRADBURY No1320 WAR WORK FOR DURATION. "FLOWERDOWN" SECRET RADIO AND COMMUNICATION INTERCEPT STN. PICTURE CROPPED. ACTUALLY, SHOWS ALL WARTIME SERVICE WITH COMMENTS ETC. "H.M.S. Flowerdown. 1939 Sep 01-1946 Jan 24

This Admiralty 'Y' Station was mainly tasked with interception of Italian and Japanese Naval Communications,

WW2

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19th April 1943 – 8th October 1945

Please see 8.12 - Wooden tray inscribed H.M.S. FLOWERDOWN HANTS 19th April 1943 – 8th October 1945 40 x 61 x 3 cm plywood base + wooden edge trim all varnished with names signed in black ink many illegible. Owned by Mr Richard Sacree of Winchester.

• ….Portishead radio station history http://www.jproc.ca/radiostor/portis1.html …. the workload had increased to such levels that Portishead’s civilian staff were augmented by naval operators from HMS Flowerdown…Naval officer and 18 Naval telegraphists from the shore base HMS Flowerdown were attached to the Portishead/ Burnham station to cope with the increasing workload. Shore bases were euphemistically known to Navy personnel as “Stone Frigates”.

1940 – 1945

During W.W.II, Flowerdown was one of a number of listening stations around the country that fed information into Bletchley Park with staff working 12 hour shifts listening to Morse code which was then used by Colossus to decipher the German codes. - what went on there during this important period?

German Kriegsmarine radio traffic consisted of standard signals or special short signals, such as convoy sighting reports. Standard signals contained between 40 to 320 letters (lasting from twenty-four seconds to three minutes). "Contact" short signals, giving a convoy's position, course, and speed, lasted only about twenty seconds and were difficult targets for accurate HF DF. The British used two main types of HF DF set: aural null models, where operators tuned manually to signals using earphones, and instantaneous twin-channel sets using cathode ray tubes. In 1937,the Royal Navy's only HF DF stations were at Flowerdown, Gibraltar, Malta, and Hong Kong, but by late 1942 an additional eleven HF DF stations had been established in the United Kingdom. Eventually, the Allied Atlantic HF DF nets consisted of fifteen American, twenty British, and eleven Canadian stations, with plotting rooms in Washington DC, London, and Ottawa.

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On the naval side (all three British services used HF-DF), by September 1942, 17 Royal Navy HF-DF stations had been established in the United Kingdom. 46 British and Commonwealth naval stations, including seven in Canada, were then operating worldwide.

Eight of the UK stations used Marconi aural-null DFG 12 sets, which required the operator to tune to the bearing where the signal was weakest, while nine had Plessey twin-channel cathode ray equipment, which displayed bearings instantaneously. The Plessey sets, with the Admiralty designation AH6, first entered service in 1941.

Eventually, most aural shore sets also provided a semi-instantaneous visual display on a cathode ray tube, by incorporating spinning goniometers. These were upgraded Marconi DFG 24 sets (designated AH4 by the Admiralty). The visual presentation helped with short signals, while the aural side came into its own with weak signals. The Plessey cathode ray shore sets were later given an aural tuning facility to help with weak signals.

The US Navy shore nets (there were three for the North and South Atlantic alone) mainly used Collins DAB sets (which were accurate, but slow) and ITT (or a subsidiary) DAJ sets (aural, with visual display).

GCHQ, NS IV, R.F.P. | RFP| Radio Finger Printing and TINA plotting of Axis naval vessels - ZIP/ZR reports 1941-1945 • 'G' identities allocated to U-Boats. • 'Q' identities allocated to AMC, destroyers and larger warships. • 'V' identities allocated to small vessels. Also include a reference to Tunny German Navy cypher system. Tunny was one of three types of teleprinter cipher machine used by the Germans. See http://www.rutherfordjournal.org/article030109.html#section02 Collection done by RAF Flowerdown and analysis by Great Baddow. GCHQ, NS IV, R.F.P. | RFP| Radio Finger Printing and TINA plotting of Axis naval vessels - ZIP/ZR reports 1941-1945 ZIP/ZR 18 wanting at transfer. 'G' identities allocated to U-Boats. 'Q' identities allocated to AMC, destroyers and larger warships. 'V' identities allocated to small vessels.

1939 – 1945

N.B. German Kriegsmarine radio traffic consisted of standard signals or special short signals, such as convoy sighting reports. Standard signals contained between 40 to 320 letters (lasting from twenty- four seconds to three minutes). "Contact" short signals, giving a convoy's position, course, and speed, lasted only twenty seconds and were difficult targets for accurate HF DF.

The British used two main types of HF DF set aural null models, where operators tuned manually to signals using earphones, and instantaneous twin-channel sets using cathode ray tubes. In 1937,the Royal Navy's only HF DF stations were at Flowerdown (England), Gibraltar, Malta, and Hong Kong, but by late1942 an additional eleven HFOF stations had been established in the United Kingdom. Eventually, the Allied Atlantic HF OF nets consisted of fifteen American, twenty British, and eleven

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Canadian stations, with plotting rooms in Washington DC, London, and Ottawa.

Cyphered messages http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=9651.0;wap2

Part of the following was recorded by a contributor to the Sussex History Forum following a visit to the National Archive to view record HW 8/97. For more detail on the technical references refer to Chapter 13:

At the outbreak of war 1939, the "Y" Section at R.N. W/T Station Flowerdown comprised some fifty A.C.S.W.S. (Admiralty Civilian Shore Wireless Service) personnel, manning fourteen communication lines, six of them high-speed channels and the remainder hand-speed links. Services of the following countries were monitored; Germany, Russia, Italy and Spain. In view of the shortage of personnel, one operator was called upon on occasion to man as many as three high- speed services.

Equipment available was, to say the least, in short supply. Four steel masts, 120 feet high, erected at the corners of a 260-foot square were available for aerial construction, and all those erected were of the single wire type.

The receivers in use were H.R.O's and 4 B.15s (author’s note - so far unidentified) . In an endeavour to cover as much as possible every set was in use in the receiving room, none being held in reserve as spares. Two A.C.S.W.S. operators carried out maintenance duties, erection of aerials, layout and wiring of the watch room and the duties of storekeeper.

The position in regard to spare parts for H.R.O's was critical. On many occasions spares from civilian receivers were brought into use as replacements. Maintenance as such, was practically non- existent, comprising merely the repair of sets which had broken down.

The clearing of traffic from Flowerdown to Station "X" (Bletchley Park) was by teleprinter, two lines existing for this purpose at the commencement of hostilities. Traffic received on the high-speed services was not de-taped, the reels being sent daily to Admiralty by registered post.

Two High Frequency Direction-finding stations were in being, one engaged on Italian services and the other on German.

The compiling of records in the early days of the war was seriously handicapped by the shortage of staff. One A.C.S.W.S. Chargehand was engaged on log-reading and compiling of monthly activity reports.

By April 1940, cover was being maintained, or partly maintained, on the following services:

GERMAN - Call-sign Frequency kHz DKD 69.7 DKF 61.9 DKG 57.2

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DKJ 56.7 DFY 16.55 DFW 23.08 JDU 340 Nauen (Berne list c/s) H/F routines, frequencies as shown in Berne list.

Two additional groups, a diplomatic service on 20500 kc/s. and a service referred to as the Nauen Secret group featured in the programme. On this latter group, Nauen using his Berne-list call-sign corresponded with stations using letter-figure or letter-letter-figure call-signs. Stations replied on frequencies other than that which Nauen made the call and used different call-signs, e.g.,

AJ5 de DOG calls made on 5335 kc/s. LA7 de LC8 answering call made on 7325 kc/s.

Service Frequency ITALIAN. Diplomatic Rome (IBX) & East 16005 Africa Rome (IBF) & Peiping 9065/7750 (IXP) Rome (IBE) to Tangier 9370/4670 (IQC) Tangier (IQC) to Rome 10250/4500 (IBE) Coltano (LAC) to 12760/6650 Merchant Ships Naval Warships H/F 8615/5455/3885 Colonials (Rhodes, Leros, 10250/4550 Tripoli Benghazi & Tobruk to Rome) Rome to 9370/4670 Colonials SPANISH Warship wave 6400/4100 Madrid/Naval Attache' 11450 Berlin RUSSIAN Black Sea units (325 (3485 (3875 (4200 Baltic (200 (310 (4320 (4025

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Other areas, including (3925 White Sea (4250

Operators engaged were approximately, five on German, five on Italian, two on Spanish and four on Russian services.

With the commencement of hostilities with Italy in June 1940, a more intensive search for additional Italian Naval services was made, and as new operators joined they were used to increase Italian cover. By this time, the first classes of Chief Wrens W/T were finishing their short period of training. The first four arrived at Flowerdown in July 1940 and were joined in the following month by an additional twelve.

In September 1940, two receivers were allocated to cover French transmissions. By the end of 1940, nineteen lines were being manned continuously, nine of them Italian.

Consequent upon orders from Admiralty, arrangements were made in February 1941 for the complete evacuation of the station's equipment at four hours’ notice, should this drastic action become necessary.

To provide against lack of communications in the event of the destruction of landlines by enemy action, a stand-by W/T service between Admiralty, Scarborough, Flowerdown and Station "X" was inaugurated on the 19th June, 1941, using frequencies 5560 and 4125 kc/s. Call-signs allocated were respectively BCJ, BCJ1, BCJ2 and BCJ3. Daily tests were carried out until the 13th August, after which date tests were carried out weekly.

At the end of July 1941, a watch on Japanese traffic from Tokyo on 8085, 13640, and 19880 kc/s. was commenced, in order to see what kind of results were possible. Results were unsatisfactory, a fact which could hardly be considered surprising in view of the aerials available. Watch was discontinued after a month's trial. Watch on German frequencies was also discontinued in July 1941.

Consequent upon orders from Admiralty, arrangements were made in February 1941 for the complete evacuation of the station's equipment at four hours’ notice, should this drastic action become necessary.

There is another file at the National Archives, ADM 179/167, which deals with the evacuation & disabling plans for HMS Flowerdown in the event of an enemy invasion. This record gives details on staff and discusses other sections of Flowerdown such as the "W" Station and the Signal School.

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Consequent upon a decision to make Flowerdown the main United Kingdom centre for the interception of Italian traffic, proposals were made early in 1942 for a new layout of the receiving room and an efficient aerial system. It was decided to make provision for ninety-eight receivers and to erect a rhombic aerial system which would give adequate cover for high frequency transmissions from the Mediterranean. In addition, sixteen -directional aerials, a rhombic aerial bearing 031° for the reception of Japanese traffic, an aerial exchange and a D/F Control board were to be constructed. The project was given a high priority, but in spite of this the Italian war was over before full advantage could be taken of the aerials.

The end of 1941 had seen the formation of the telegraphist (S.O.) branch and the first batch of telegraphists (S.O.) arrived at Flowerdown in May 1942, this number being added to each month as more ratings finished their six months training. As more operators joined Italian cover was increased and at the end of the year eighteen Italian services were being monitored. In order to cope with the increase in traffic intercepted, three additional teleprinter lines were provided, one in June 1942 and two in October.

January 1943, brought the arrival of the first W.R.N.S. (S.O.) who had undergone a six month course and who rapidly became a useful asset to the station. Their numbers increased each month, as more classes came from training and over a hundred were borne by April 1943. Cover of Italian frequencies increased, and by June 1943 constant watch on 29 of that country's Naval services was being maintained.

With the defeat of Italy in September 1943, a programme of German Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Sea groups was adopted, these being the most suitable for the aerials. For a period of three months nine German air groups were also covered. The changeover from Italian to German presented minor difficulties for the operators who had become so accustomed to the peculiar rhythm of Italian transmissions. Considerable assistance was given by R.N. W/T Station, Scarborough, who were covering many of the same services. As Flowerdown became more experienced in German interception, continued co-operation was to the advantage of both stations.

Following the declaration of war on Japan in December 1941, a further attempt to intercept Japanese traffic was made and a search commenced. Three C.S.W.S. operators having knowledge of Japanese Morse were used in this task. Great doubt, however, existed in the minds of the "experts" as to the value and amount of the maximum anticipated interceptions.

At first the transcribing into Kana form was carried out by the operator, but in February 1942, four W.R.N.S. joined the station to carry out transcribing duties. Special typewriters for this purpose were received in May 1942.

The following signal is of interest:

O.C. Flowerdown from D.S.D.9. The Japanese material being supplied is proving very useful. More and even better is urgently required. = 1952/11/1/42

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The increase in traffic intercepted is shown later in the report.

November 1943, saw the formation of the Technical Section and the construction of an up-to-date Technical Laboratory. Prior to this date shortage of personnel, lack of equipment and the work entailed in the construction of new aerials had left little time for staff to do other than essential maintenance. From November onwards a more elaborate system of realignment using the newly acquired apparatus could be undertaken. Frequencies were checked every 20 kc/s. and improved calibration charts made for each receiver.

From November 1943 onwards, up to eight experienced telegraphists were withdrawn each month to take the conversion course from Tel (SO) to Tel (S). Invariably they were replaced by less experienced operators, and after a few months it was felt that the efficiency of the station was suffering in consequence, so many key men having been withdrawn from each watch.

1944 saw a heavy increase in traffic interceptions and continual difficulty in clearing traffic by teleprinter. No additional lines had been added since 1942 in spite of the great increase in traffic. Signs of strain among teleprinter operators became apparent.

In May 1944, the M/F D/F station at Lands End, which had been maintaining watch on the Portuguese service on 398 k/cs, was taken over by Scarborough. This service was then covered at Flowerdown but it was found impossible to read here.

A large number of German groups were intercepted during the month with characteristic call signs of four letters commencing FF. Bearings indicated positions on the channel coast of France. At least thirty different groups were intercepted between 1900 and 3100 k/cs.

From August 1944, with an eye to possible future requirements, one operator from each watch was withdrawn from watchkeeping for a fortnight in order to undertake a short course in Japanese Morse and procedure. German commitments were so heavy however, that it was impossible to transfer all the successful candidates to Japanese interception immediately on completing the course. However, it was possible to steadily increase cover of Japanese services from this date onwards, and when with the defeat of Germany cover of that country's services ceased, sufficient operators had been trained to enable a further increase in addition to the changing over from a three watch to a four watch system.

On the 16th October 1944, a party of W.R.N.S. from Station X (Bletchley Park) who were trained in Japanese message discrimination, arrived at Flowerdown to train specially selected W.R.N.S. (S.O) to carry out these duties at Flowerdown. From the 18th October onwards, messages were classified and a JN number was added before being teleprinted to station X. By this means the time lag between time of receipt in Flowerdown and time of arrival in Washington was considerably reduced.

The maximum cover of German services was attained in April 1945, when forty were being watched. With the end of the German war additional operators were allocated to Japanese interception, and from this time until the end of the Japanese war cover was maintained on thirty Japanese services. June 1945 was the most successful month for Japanese interception, a total of 22,143 messages.

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Clearance of Traffic

The organisation for the clearance of traffic intercepted was as follows:-

On receipt by the operator, messages were given a log serial number, collected at ten minute intervals and taken to the Central Registry.

The frequency, Time of Receipt, preamble and first three groups were extracted and an hourly traffic list prepared. A Flowerdown Series Number, Distribution Prefix, and degree of priority were added, and the traffic passed through to the teleprinter operator for transmission to Station X. Traffic Lists were teleprinted at hourly intervals.

Messages not required by teleprinter together with the Red Forms of traffic already sent were taken by Despatch Rider to station X. During the busiest periods, a thrice daily despatch rider service was in operation.

In the case of Japanese traffic, a further stage was necessary, messages having to be transcribed into KANA form before passing to the teleprinter operator for clearance.

Items of particular interest or significance were telephoned immediately on receipt to D.S.D.9 and Station X.

Log Analysis.

Throughout the war, a small section was engaged in log analysis. The duties of this section were to identify call signs, elucidate operating signals and delivery groups.

In addition, a daily report of activity on Italian and Japanese services was prepared together with a monthly report of activity on all services. Special reports were prepared as ordered by D.S.D.9.Notes on Direction Finding (D/F) Stations

In July 1942, the two H/F D/F stations at Flowerdown were transferred to a more favourable site at , about seven to eight miles away from Flowerdown.

The Marconi D/FG12 was controlled by Flowerdown and engaged on Italian and neutral shipping, the Signal School AH1 was controlled by Scarborough and engaged on German U-boat transmissions. The accuracy of the AH1 is worthy of mention. The weekly D/F Service Analysis published by D.S.D.9 frequently commented on its accuracy and placed it with the highest figure of merit.

A M/F D/F station was also erected at Chilbolton in September 1942 and was controlled by Flowerdown until immediately before D-day, when control was transferred to Scarborough in view of the expected increase of German M/F transmissions immediately after D-day.

Throughout the war, C.S.W.S. operators were employed on all the D/F stations with the exception of the H/F D/F station at Crawley. This was manned in turn by Chief W.R.N.S., W.R.N.S. (S.O) and C.S.W.S. The Crawley D/F was a Plessey Visual Model.

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Technical Section November 1943 saw the commencement of the Receiver Test and Maintenance Section. Prior to this the maintenance of receivers and associated equipment was carried out by two of the more technically experienced Admiralty Civilian Shore Wireless Service, Chargehands. They did their utmost to keep the receiving equipment in working order, but were severely limited by lack of modern test equipment, and experience in receiver performance testing, both of which are so necessary if receivers are to be maintained at the performance level achieved by the designers.

The modernization of the 'Y' station at this time, with the introduction of additional receiving equipment, including the cathode-follower type of Aerial Exchange Board, made imperative the formation of a Technical department to deal with the increased amount of testing required, and at the same time to increase the accuracy of these tests to recognized Radio laboratory standards.

In order to maintain a high standard of receiver performance, a Quarterly performance test routine was inaugurated which involved a complete test of the various circuits of each receiver on its transfer from the Watch Room to the Radio Test Lab. Performance figures thus obtained indicated whether re-alignment of the IF or SF circuits, valve tests or other checks were necessary, when compared with standard figures. Aerial and coaxial feeder tests also essential were likewise carried out Quarterly.

In addition to the routine performance tests a 24-hour maintenance system operated for sudden breakdowns. Such incidents were considerably lessened by the routine tests which generally revealed a receiver's low or possibly intermittent performance before it had time to seriously affect 'Y' operations. This was a far more commendable system than that which had hitherto existed, i.e., of waiting until the receiver ceased functioning, or showed signs of indifferent performance, before steps were taken to effect repairs.

The Mechanical Section also undertook to train Naval Petty Officer Radio Mechanics, and W.R.N.S. for technical duties on 'Y' stations at Home and Abroad. The course was in addition to the course taken on entry into the Service, and in the case of the W.R.N.S. followed the conversion Course at Leydene. The training was carried out specifically on 'Y' receiving and testing equipment.

The primary object of this Section has been to maintain the receiving equipment at 100 per cent efficiency so that the Operator's efforts and results would not be in any way restricted by the performance of his receiver.

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Notes on German Naval interceptions 1943 - 1945

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http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Oral-History:Edwin_Douglas_Ramsay_Shearman

Oral-History: Edwin Douglas Ramsay Shearman

I was directed from ASE at Lythe Hill House to HMS Flowerdown near Winchester in Hampshire. This was not a ship; it was a shore establishment of HF (High-Frequency 3-30 MHz or shortwave) receivers, HF-receiving antennas and receiving antenna switchboards, but the Navy only knew about ships to they called it ‘HMS’ (His Majesty’s Ship). There were some fifty receivers in each room. Wrens and civilians were receiving signals with this equipment. The task I was involved in was to introduce radio-teleprinters into naval ship-shore and shore-to-shore HF communication. The station's main task before this had been the interception of German and Japanese Morse traffic for decoding by Bletchley Park. We found techniques such as ‘radio fingerprinting’ and analysis of the received signal used in this work to be very useful for our task of analysing ionospheric echo distortion and fading as it affected inter-symbol interference on radio teleprinter signals. In this period, I was involved at HMS Flowerdown with developing receiving techniques, primarily in order to get radio teleprinter signals over a fading, multipath shortwave link. We had to use diversity, and we had large, three-receiver installations connected to three different spaced antennas, providing triple-diversity reception. In this way we could connect a radio teleprinter directly to the digital output of the diversity receiver and our digital signals (then known as ‘Mark’ and ‘Space’, rather than ‘1’ and ‘0’) went up the line to the underground communications centre under the Admiralty Arch in London.

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1945 http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/

“……In 1945, following expansion during the WW2 years, there were eight Admiralty W/T Stations[7]: Chicksands, in Bedfordshire, Cupar, near Fife; Flowerdown; Pembroke; Portrush; Scarborough; Shetland; and Sutton Valence; employing a total of 217 operators. Scarborough was still by far the largest Station in terms of personnel with 118, followed by Flowerdown with 66. However, the Navy’s SIGINT operation, although larger than that of the Foreign Office, was still dwarfed by both the Army and the Royal Air Force operations; indeed, two of the Navy’s sites, Sutton Valence and Chicksands Priory were simply small units within larger RAF Stations. Nigel West also mentions Leafield in Oxfordshire as an Admiralty site[8], though I can find no record of this in contemporary historical sources. He also lists Flowerdown as an Army Y service site( possibly the Royal Corps of Signals – Flowerdown see 7.31). It is certain that Flowerdown did eventually become an army site - it is now occupied by the Army Training Regiment (Winchester) - however I have been unable to verify its status at this time. It seems that after this time Flowerdown continued as an outstation of the Composite Signals Organisation (CSO), a subsection of GCHQ, which was also used by the UK government as an official cover organisation name during the time when the existence of GCHQ was officially denied. Flowerdown ceased to operate as a CSO in 1977….”

1956 Site was taken over by GCHQ's Composite Signals Organisation as a large HF listening station. It closed in the late 1970s. A listening station is a facility established to monitor radio and microwave signals and analyse their content to secure information and intelligence for use by the security and diplomatic community and others or to make local transmissions more widely available, thus the London pirate listening station streams London FM pirate transmissions via the internet to the global community. http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Ops-Events1951-60.htm

1960

1960 RN W/T Station at Forest Moor, Yorkshire opened and replaced station at Flowerdown, Hants – check this!!

1962 http://whcook.me.uk/html/ascension_island.html

William Henry (Bill) Cook

Naval Party 1984, Ascension Island, January to August 1962 The webmaster comments…You will find virtually nothing about Naval Party 1984 online, the purpose for which the radio station described was built, remains classified. During his life Bill revealed nothing of any significance, what is contained here are his notes for a talk to one of the Navy organisations he belonged to, together with some additional information.)

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…….Whilst in we spent two week's travelling daily to Flowerdown Admiralty C.S.W.S. (HMS Flowerdown near Winchester) to learn some special procedures, how to despatch Gov. Mail and how to operate the On-Line Cypher equipment, a very high-grade electronic secure system of online cypher equipment. I believe this is called by the Army, 5 U CO. (Probably BID 30/5UCO). (The 5-UCO was an on-line one-time tape Vernam cipher encryption system developed by the UK during World War II for use on teleprinter circuits. During the 1950s, it was used by the UK and US for liaison on cryptanalysis. 5-UCO was fully synchronous, and therefore could be electrically regenerated on tandem high frequency (HF) radio links (i.e., one link connected to the next). It could operate directly with commercial circuits. The system also provided traffic-flow security (TFS). Another feature of the 5- UCO was that the receiving operator could maintain synchronisation if the path delays suddenly changed by "walking up and down" the key tape (one character at a time or one bit at a time). This procedure avoided the cumbersome task of a restart. 5-UCO required large amounts of key tape to operate on a continual basis. In 1960, supplying the key tape for a single 5-UCO in continuous use cost £5000 per year. In the US, the logistical problems involved in the generation, supply and destruction of sufficient quantities of key tape limited its use to only the most sensitive traffic.

1967 http://www.birgelenvets.org/history.aspx

Royal Corps of Signals – Flowerdown

The "Y" Services Who maintain a constant silent watch on the enemies of their country. Their past and continuing contribution to Britain's operational success in peace and war can never be told in full.

Military Address: 13th Signal Regiment, British Forces Post Office 40 Civil Address: 13th Signal Regiment, Mercury Kaserne, 5139 Post Effeld, Rothenbach, Deutschland.

Corps Role The Royal Corps of Signals remain one of the largest Corps in the and plays a vitally important role within it. Notwithstanding, the latest round of defence cuts will take its toll and there can be little doubt that our armed forces of the future will be considerably smaller in all aspects. Whether or not their commitments will also be reduced is a matter of debate. Responsible for the installation, maintenance and operating of its large inventory of telecommunications equipment and information warfare systems; it is charged with providing command support to commanders and their headquarters, and with conducting electronic warfare (EW) against enemy communications. It is the army's eyes and ears without which the modern army could not function. From flag and line to the Larkspur and Clansman radio and on to the new digitized age of Bowman; the Corps uses state of the art technology and adheres to the principle that such technology is only as good as the personnel needed to drive it.

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The Corps had two dedicated Sigint Regiments, 13 Signal Regiment (Radio) based in Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) and 9 Signal Regiment (Radio), Cyprus, in the Middle East.

Signals Intelligence collection and its subsequent analysis and reporting require highly trained and motivated men and women, special equipment and specialised technicians. With the exception of sport, where they enjoyed much success, although both Regiments formed an integral part of the Corps, they did not always enjoy the benefit of being fully part of it. Their covert activities inevitably led to less contact and subsequently, reduced recognition of the role that they played. Over time, this had an adverse effect on the promotion and career structure of the Royal Signals Sigint community; where advancement prospects for its personnel was slower than that enjoyed by other similar trade groups within the Corps. A situation which existed until the mid to late 1960's, when with GCHQ's support, DI(24)A, was given majority responsibility for promotion, postings and training.

General Radio intercept networks were formed during the first World War when specialist radio operators, cryptanalysts and linguists had considerable success in deciphering military, messages transmitted by the enemy. A Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) led by Alastair Denniston, was also established in November 1919. Later, GCCS and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) were placed under the control of the Foreign Office. On 1 April 1946 it became Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). A detailed and interesting history of GCHQ can be found on their very comprehensive website at https://www.gchq.gov.uk/section/history/our-origins-and-wwi It was not until the Second World War and the subsequent Cold War years that Sigint finally came of age and played such a crucial role in defence of the free world. From the intercept and breaking of the German Enigma "E traffic codes in the second World War, to Operation Gold, during the Cold War; the joint British American mission which in 1954 involved building a tunnel from the American Zone in Berlin, designed to tap major Soviet phone communication facilities. An operation which although known and eventually exposed by the Soviet authorities, secured a huge amount of intelligence about the Soviet and East German command facilities. These reported and many unreported intercept coups heralded the fact that signal intelligence had finally evolved.

During the Regiment's 60 years of intercept history (1934 - 1994) it had under command or an association with the following units and organisations: 9 Signal Regiment (Radio) - Ayios Nikolaos Cyprus. 14 Signal Regiment (EW) - Celle, Germany. 12 Wireless Squadron - Degerndorf, Bavaria, Germany. 223 Signal Squadron - Flowerdown, Winchester. 224 Signal Squadron - Woodhouse, Loughborough. 225 Signal Squadron - Langeleben, Germany. 226 Signal Squadron - Wesendorf, Germany. E Troop 30 Sig.Regt - Blandford. 4 Communications Company - Cheltenham.

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26 Signal Unit RAF - Gatow, Berlin. CFS Alert - Ellesmere Island, Canadian Artic Archipelago. USASA - Aügsburg, Bad Aibling and Herzogenaurach. HQ Radio Group - HQ BAOR, Rheindahlen. DI(24)A - MoD UK. CSG(UK) - Woodhouse, Loughborough. GCHQ - Cheltenham

Intercept Training 10 Wireless Training Squadron, 224 Signal Squadron and Communications and Security Group All Sigint operator personnel known at various times as, Operator Special, Special Operator and Special Telegraphist, were trained at 10 Wireless Training Squadron,(10 WTS) located in the village of Woodhouse, near Loughborough. It became 224 Signal Squadron in 1959. It had a sequence of Squadron Commanders amongst who were: Major Bruce Bovey, Major Wilbour-Wright, Major Ralph Beard MBE and Major John Ellingworth.

The Squadron was responsible for all operator B111 - B1 (later became A111 - A1) trade class training, as well as Supervisor Radio training for its advanced operators; some of whom went on to become specialist officers and Squadron Commanders within the Sigint organisation and the Corps generally. Part of the basic trade training syllabus contained high speed morse reading, tape reading, Electricity and Magnetism modules, Foreign Communications Procedures, Non-Morse (Nomo) and equipment manipulation tests.

It absorbed 223 Signal Squadron (Radio)in March 1976. This Squadron was reformed in April 1967 and was based at Bushfield Camp, Flowerdown, near Winchester.

In November 1980, 224 Signal Squadron (which ceased training in 1990), became Communications and Security Group (UK),(CSG(UK)); forming from 4 Communications Company which was located in Cheltenham. The first OC/CO of CSG(UK) was Maj M Grieve, Royal Signals. He handed over command to Lt Col John Dobson, Intelligence Corps, who became the first Lt.Col appointment from this Corps to command a major Sigint unit. He later passed command to Lt Col T Ridger, Intelligence Corps.

Part of the Group consisted of 2 Squadron (Radio), commanded by Major F Searle. This Squadron was responsible for all operator intercept training for 13 Signal Regiment (Radio) and its sub-units, as well as 9 Signal Regiment (Radio) Cyprus. The Group also parented the Special Projects Agency (SPA), which was commanded by a Technical Officer Telecommunications (TOT). The Group moved to Defence Special Signals (DSS) Chicksands, in 1998.

Footnote: On 21 June 2004, 224 Sig Sqn became a Joint Sub-unit of 14 Signal Regiment (EW) based at RAF Digby. with the majority of the Regiment based near Haverfordwest in south-west Wales. (See 14 Signal Regiment (EW), below)

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223 Signal Squadron

A signal unit section was established at Gibraltar in 1919, and it was enlarged to a signal company after the outbreak of war in 1939. This same squadron became 223 Signal Squadron (Gibraltar) in 1959, until it was replaced by 642 Signal Troop in 1962.

223 Signal Squadron was reformed on 1 April 1967 at Bushfield Camp, Flowerdown, near Winchester as 223 Signal Squadron (Radio). It was amalgamated into 224 Signal Squadron on 31 March 1976.

The site was then run by 248 Sigs Squadron (RSigs). They worked at Flowerdown and lived in Bushfield Camp. This unit was disbanded in 1976. The last officer commanding was a Major A. Coates (RSigs). After disbandment he retired and ran the Post Office at Oliver's Battery, he subsequently formed a nightly business security firm for business premises in Winchester and Tunbridge Wells. The Winchester operation was not too successful and he moved to Tunbridge.

1964 - 1970’s - many local civilians employed on classified work

1974-75 H.M.S Flowerdown closes

1977

Final closure of the Flowerdown Y station

Transfer to GCHQ Cheltenham

1983

Construction of Sir John Moore Barracks at Flowerdown

Major (Retd) Dennis Williams MBE – the Army Project Liaison Officer assigned to coordinate the building work wrote the following account of the construction of Sir John Moore barracks on the now disused Flowerdown site in September 1999. He generously donated a set of 21 slides and 8 large photographic prints to the Littleton History Society’s archives. The whereabouts of these are presently unknown but they may be in the Hampshire Record Office catalogue no. 199M86 Littleton Local History Group; Chronicling Littleton, 1985-1986 item 8/12 Sir John Moore Barracks : notes & photographs of construction.

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Colour Slides - Sir John Moore Barracks

(These may be in the Hampshire Archives Reference 170A12W/D/3772 Photographs: ‘Flowerdown slides’ c1990s)

1. Construction of new entrance. (A.Cootes - Superintending Architect, R.J.O.Jones - Project Manager, Major (Retd) D.Williams, MBE - Army Project Liaison Officer). 2. Bottom of valley 3. Looking towards Littleton from crest of hill - roughly area of Officers Mess. 4. Crest of hill. 5. The last crop of cereals. 6. Top road looking towards Chestnut Avenue. 7. Crest of hill looking towards Harestock, main comms building in valley. 8. Sir John Moore. 9. Area of statues looking towards Depot HQ and Chapel. 10.Rear of Sergeants Mess. 11.Training Wing & Boiler House 12.Boiler House with Physical & Recreational Training Centre in background. 13.Training Wing. 14.Mounds of spoil constructed around Range Area. 15.Mounds of spoil constructed around Range Area. 16.Recruit accommodation blocks. 17.Junior Ranks Club and Mess 18.Junior Ranks Club and Mess. 19.View inside Physical & Recreational Training Centre. 20.Parade Ground looking towards Chapel, with Medical & Dental Centre on light. 21.Chapel & Depot HQ.

Colour Photographs - Sir John Moore Barracks These may also be in the Hampshire Archives:-

1. Aerial view of Flowerdown prior to construction of Recruit accommodation blocks - B134 A6 2. Aerial view Flowerdown during construction of Recruit accommodation blocks - C46 B18 3. Large panoramic view of Winchester & Littleton showing the Peninsular Barracks and the proposed site for Sir John Moore Barracks 4. Construction work in the Range area

Defence White Paper review The Defence White Paper of March 1970 proposed the formation of one Depot for The Light Division this was in line with the general policy of forming regiments into peacetime administrative groupings of Divisions to provide greater flexibility in posting and training and of an economic size to provide recruits with modem amenities, whilst at the same time achieving economy in overheads and especially manpower. Divisional depots on these lines had already been provided for the Scottish Division at Glencorse, The King's Division at Strensall and The Queen's Division at Bassingbourn.

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The Light Division remained split between its two old original Depots at Shrewsbury and Winchester. Neither was large enough for a divisional depot, nor was there room for expansion. Both depots had many old buildings, which were in poor order and well below modem standards for a training unit and in anticipation of a move to a new location there had been only minimum maintenance for some years.

After a wide-ranging review of potential sites for the new depot, such as Thorney Island in Hampshire to North Luffenham in Leicestershire, the Army Board agreed that the Flowerdown site - formerly a RN Communications site and owned by the MOD - was the most appropriate. The site met the criteria of case of access to appropriate ranges, training areas and civilian amenities and there is excellent road and rail communications. The requisite number of married quarters were available at no extra cost.

The new build decision reflected the growing realisation that modernisation or conversion of an existing asset with some additional new buildings is not a cost effective or functional solution to this type of project. Conversion costs have been found to be equal to or higher than a new build yet offering approximately one-third of the future economic life of a new build.

PSA and the quartering staff were well aware of the mistakes of the Sixties new builds epitomised by Aldershot. Sir John Moore Barracks was built of conventional materials with brick exteriors and pitched tiled roofs. The buildings incorporate high insulation factors, gas central heating, coated aluminium windows and quality fittings to ensure low maintenance. Extensive landscaping of the site and a tree preservation and planting programme were included in the contract.

The project was split into a preliminary and 4 main phases:

Preliminary Alteration to B3420 road and creation of new site entrance - . completed Spring 1983. Phase 1. Landscaping and provision of sports pitches ahead of main contract to allow time to settle and mature Phase 2 Build of sufficient accommodation and training facilities to open the new depot. and close the Depot at Shrewsbury while still using part of Peninsula Barracks in Winchester. This was completed in 1985. Phase 3 Concurrent with Phase 2 but a separate contract to build a Physical and Recreational Training Centre (P&RTC), a swimming pool and a training theatre. These were completed by the end of 1985. Phase 4. Completion of Officer Mess and accommodation for Junior Soldiers. The final elements were handed over to the MOD on 1 August 1986.

The Flowerdown Site The Royal Navy occupied the site prior to and throughout WW2 and it was they who erected the aerial masts to serve the ‘Y’ station Each mast had four concrete blocks at the base to which aerial

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support cables were attached. Those blocks constructed before 1939 measured approx. 3 cu m. Whilst those built during the war were approx. 1.5 cu m.

A number of organisations leased buildings on the site - The Civil Service Sports and Social Club occupied what was the Main Officers Mess, HM Prison occupied at least two buildings, there was a thriving Agricultural Club (connected to the Civil Service). Along the crest of the hill in the camp were a number of old single storey lecture rooms, these had been converted into bungalows which were occupied by retired employees.

Whilst a few buildings were occupied, the bigger part of the site was derelict, and as such did not raise revenue for the parish. On completion of the barracks the Treasury Solicitor pays a contribution in lieu of rates/council tax to Winchester City Council who in turn pay a precept to the parish.

The original site extended to Harestock Road, excepting the few houses at the junction of Harestock and Andover Road North. The site of the Telephone Exchange was later handed over to the GPO. Flowerdown House had at some time formed a part of the site and prior to the build of the new barracks it surveyed with a view to buying it back with funds raised from selling a large MOD house in Winchester. As the upper floors had not been used for many years it would have proved too costly. (This was before the present Nursing Home.) The fields to the North West of the site were leased to the farmer for grazing (see Wally Smith’s story) . These have now been taken been taken back as additional training areas since the formation of the Army Training Regiment.

The Andover Road North Sewage Treatment Plant was also part of the MOD Estate. It was handed over to Southern Water Authority early in 1982.

Norwest Holst burned the Flowerdown buildings before constructing Sir John Moore’s barracks

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Construction of Sir John Moore barracks

Access to the site had been via a blind entrance on Andover Road North, the intention was to make the new main entrance at the Chestnut Avenue end of the barracks. However, as no military transport was to be based in the barracks and it would all come from Worthy Down it was felt that the main entrance would be better sited on the Andover Road. The County Highways Engineer agreed the sight lines and at a later date the Chief Constable became involved and also agreed the position of the main access road. At the time Hampshire County Council were widening the area of the Hockley Traffic Lights on the Bypass. They were able to tender for the construction of the new entrance and use it to dispose of their spoil.

The project was designed by the Property Services Agency (PSA) with some assistance from a number of Agency Architectural and Engineering firms. During the Design Stage the PSA produced a Climatic Chart for the site. This showed that all the extremes of temperature and weather in the Winchester area had been experienced at Flowerdown. During the winter of 1983/4 a temperature of -28(C was recorded in the valley where the main signals building had been.

Messrs Norwest Holst (Southern) were awarded the contract and the site was handed over to them on 1 Aug 83. The final elements of the of the build were taken over on 1 Aug 1986.

It was felt that bricks used on other military sites at that time were too bland. The PSA architects therefore chose attractive bricks. Their selection was confirmed by Winchester City Planning Department and buildings at the entrance and the largest buildings were clad in red Ockley bricks with red tiles. The remainder of the buildings were built with Redland Funton Stock bricks with brown tiles.

The barracks was designed to hold two companies of adult soldiers, two companies of junior soldiers, holdees and TA trainees. There is accommodation for permanent staff, a complex for the band and buglers, a quartermaster's department and a training wing which includes offices, classrooms and a lecture theatre. A Depot Headquarters along with a new Chapel (Chapel is covered on a separate sheet). A large Junior Ranks Club and Mess, an Officers Mess and a Mess for the Warrant Officers and Sergeants. A Medical and Dental department and the usual Guardroom. An indoor 25 metre swimming pool and adjacent sports hall cover the physical side of the training.

The barracks was built in the centre of the site with sports pitches located on the Southern and Western sides. A training area and woodland covered the Eastern side. It had been anticipated that two rifle ranges would be constructed - a 25-yard range and a 100-yard baffled range - on the Northern boundary. The 25-yard range was built and is still in use. However, because of two accidents at Ash Ranges near Aldershot (neither of which involved a baffled range) the larger range has never been constructed.

It will be remembered that the M3 motorway was being constructed at the same time as the barracks. Hampshire County Council were having difficulty disposing of their spoil and it was decreed that no spoil would leave our site. The large manmade hills at the Northern boundary contain 250,000 cu m of spoil and under the Easternmost mound are all the aerial mast concrete blocks in neat rows.

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During the contract only two mature trees were felled, but 38,500 were planted along with thousands of spring bulbs.

The Director of the PSA controlled a fund for the provision of pieces of artistic sculpture for government buildings, and it was deemed that this project should have such a piece. The Director of Army Quartering formed a committee which included Sir Anthony Lusada (advisor to The Queen), Willy Sukov (past President of the Royal College of Sculptures), PSA reps and reps from The Light Infantry and The Royal Green Jackets. The PSA tabled a proposal that sculpture should be a modern piece. This did not find favour with the military reps on the committee and it proposed that we should have a statue of Sir John Moore as he was connected to both regiments. At this point Sir Anthony Lusada and Willy Sukov said that one statue looked too much like a memorial and that there should be a group. Without any argument it was agreed that two lesser statues should be provided, a Light Infantry Bugler in full dress and a Royal Green Jacket Rifleman in modern combat dress with weapon. The bugler was easy to model but the equipment and SA80 rifle had not been issued - fortunately, the Quartermaster General's staff were extremely helpful and equipment and rifle were borrowed. A little time previously the MOD had held a competition to appoint a sculpture to produce a statue of Field Marshal Wavell for the Guards, this was won by James Butler, RA. This statue stands in the forecourt of Wellington Barracks facing Birdcage Walk. It was then decided that we would not have a competition and that James Butler would get the commission.

The three statues stand on Winstone Granite plinths. Sir John Moore was born in and this is Scottish granite, In the same area as the statues is the plinth on which stands the bronze plaque unveiled by HM the Queen. This plinth is made from cast concrete containing small black pebbles, known as ‘whallies’ which come from the lower reaches of the River Thames. It had been hoped to plant Minden roses in the landscaping immediately behind the statues, as the Light Infantry had fought in the battle in 1759, but they do not exist. They are 'dog roses', however as HM The Queen Mother is Colonel in Chief of the Light Infantry pink roses named Elizabeth of Glamis were planted.

Just inside the main entrance to the barracks there stands another set of inner gates. These were originally the gates from Peninsula Barracks which led from the Officers Mess into St James' Lane.

During the construction, a lady appeared at the perimeter fence asking if she could come and look at the site as she had once lived there. It transpired that her father had served in the Navy at HMS Flowerdown and some families lived on site in the converted lecture rooms previously mentioned. She remembered a bomb hitting one of these buildings and she claimed that some family members were killed. The next day all the families were evacuated to Poole and Weymouth. She later emigrated to Canada and this was her first visit to Flowerdown since then. The bomb dropped on a spot where the tennis courts are now located opposite the Junior Ranks Mess.

In the early stages of the contract everyone was alerted to the possibility of archaeological items being discovered. The one collection of bones proved to be animal and the one piece of pottery, which was handed into the Hyde Resources Centre, was identified as Romano-British.

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As previously stated the buildings, with the exception of the Officers and Sergeants Messes, were placed in the valley away from Littleton Village. The positioning of the sports fields and training area around the perimeter attempted to keep noise levels to a minimum. Before the barracks was completed sound attenuation tests were carried over a number of days. Taking that weapon fire could be the most disturbing, live and blank rounds were fired in the middle of the site (not in the area of the range) and the noise registered at the following locations: Three Maids Hill, the Telephone Exchange, football pitch opposite entrance to Priors Dean Road, Chestnut Avenue, the mobile home park and the Recreation Ground. The readings were negligible and most people who were asked actually said that they were not aware of any firing.

Mention has been made earlier of the Civil Service Sports and Social Club. In view of the fact that they had to vacate their leased premises the MOD handed over the plot of land adjacent to Chestnut Avenue to enable them to build a new club. In addition, they were compensated in the sum of £27,000 for the loss of their wooden pavilion on the sports field.

Before 1984 the water pressure in the area, especially in Littleton Village, fluctuated. The construction of the barracks meant that Southern Water, with a cash contribution from the MOD, had to construct a new water tower behind Teg Down which went a long way to stabilising the water pressure in the surrounding area.

Prior to the project there wasn't any mains gas in the area and British Gas were not prepared to provide it. Thus, the intention was to use solid fuel boilers for the new barracks. After the contract had been let British Gas declared they had the capacity and that for a contribution they would provide gas. The MOD contribution enabled natural gas to be provided in the area.

Towards the end of the last century a local Littleton farmer had unearthed a Sarsen Stone weighing approximately 2.5 tons on his land. When he moved to Chilcombe House he dragged the stone on a horse drawn sledge through Winchester (Hampshire Chronicle). During the construction of the M3 extension Hampshire County Museum Service, who then occupied Chilcombe House asked the village if they wanted the stone back otherwise it was due to be buried under the motorway. It was the MOD that arranged the move in conjunction with main contractor, to its present location in the village, (they closed off the roads) and Southern Electricity Board (power had to be turned off to allow the stone to be lifted over the main electricity cables).

Sir John Moore Barracks was the first custom built Infantry Training Barracks to be built since before World War 2. It therefore attracted much interest not only in the MOD but also among foreign armies. During the three years of the construction many delegations visited the site, including, American, Canadian, French, German, Italian, Jordanian, Saudi Arabian, Swedish and the Trucial States.

HM The Queen, as Colonel in Chief of The Royal Green Jackets, performed the Opening Ceremony on 27th November 1986. A most unusual feature of the day was that HRH Princess Alexandra, as Deputy Colonel in Chief of The Light Infantry, was also in attendance. After the Opening Ceremony they toured the barracks separately. They then met and had lunch in the Officers Mess with invited guests. After lunch HM The Queen left for the Royal Hampshire County Hospital where she opened the new operating theatre wing.

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It is worth noting that also in attendance at the ceremony and from The Light Division were 3 Field Marshals, 9 generals, 6 Lieutenant Generals, 17 Major Generals, 7 Brigadiers and 2 VC holders. HM The Queen's Private Secretary wrote that he doubted whether any Division past or present could match this.

Since the barracks has been opened the Colonel-in-Chief of The Light Infantry, HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother has visited in 1989 and planted eight trees to commemorate the eight Light Infantrymen killed in Northern Ireland at Ballygorley.

In 1987 it was learnt that Littleton Parish Council were keen to acquire a parcel of land close to the recreation ground. With the help the barrack staff the sale went through with little opposition.

Flowerdown Chapel

The chapel was designed by Alan Whitehead and John Studley, both of Messrs Edmund Tory Associates from Hemel Hempstead.. The design incorporates 14 laminated beams imported from Sweden as were the glass chandeliers.

The Chaplain General at the time of the design declared that it was not necessary to have an external cross on the chapel, this would enable the altar to be covered and the building used as a function room. In addition, some denominations do not display the 'cross'. However, once the church was under construction the new Chaplain General insisted that a cross be displayed. As the build was too far advanced to alter, John Studely designed the bronze glass cross in the window above the organ.

Messrs Goddard and Gibbs of Shoreditch carried out the stained-glass window work. the existing windows were removed from the Garrison Chapel (now the cinema) in Peninsula Barracks under the directions of the General Manager of the firm, Mr H Hamilton-Welch. They were taken to London and refurbished, the 60th and Rifle Brigade windows were 'squared' at the top to allow them to be fitted into door panels. It was agreed by the Regiments that the Ox & Bucks windows along with the 60th and Rifle Brigade windows would be displayed at a lower level than previous to fit in with the design of the building.

Two new stained-glass windows were commissioned by The Light Infantry and The Royal Green Jackets for insertion behind the altar. Goddard & Gibbs made these windows and the principal artist was John Lawson. A conscious decision was made to incorporate old and new glass into these windows. The very dark pieces of glass are early and mid-Victorian whilst the paler glass is modern. The cost of refurbishing those windows moved from the Garrison Chapel was borne by the project, whilst the two new windows, costing £1,750 each, were paid for by the respective Regiments.

All Green Jacket plaques in the Garrison Chapel were transferred to the new building and all plaques of other Regiments were returned to them.

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The organ, which had been presented to The Rifle Brigade by the 2nd Lord Northbrook with a brass plate stating it was to be used for ' services only' was refurbished before re- erection in the new chapel. To avoid any future embarrassment the plate was sited in a more discreet position.

The old altar which had been presented by General Elvington the Colonel Commandant of The Rifle Brigade, was moved to the new chapel. The altar backing screen which had been presented by Major General Mitchell KRRC was not used but passed to the custody of the chaplain.

The project provided a new a new pulpit and font. The original stone font now stands outside the Regimental Museum in Peninsula Barracks. The brass lectern from the Garrison Chapel, was found to be attributable to a KOYLI Battalion, was re-sited. It was discovered during the build that it is not mandatory to use Royal Blue carpet at the altar. A Wilton carpet as near Rifle Green colour has been used. A number of Colours and Banners were re-located from the old Chapel. They now hang in the foyer and the Church Room. These are: Ceylon Tea Planters Rifles (Colour), The Kenya Regiment (2 Colours), King's African Rifle Old Comrades (Banner), British Legion Nairobi Boards (Banner), British Legion Kenya Branch (Banner), British Legion African Subbranch (Banner) and South African War Veterans Winchester and District Branch (Banner). Some of these have their own plaque and the Kenya Regiment also has a framed Roll of Honour.

An unusual feature of the Garrison Chapel was a carved rail immediately in front of the first row of pews. This was removed and re-sited as the rail around the organ platform in the new chapel. The craftsman working on it stated that whilst the top rail and uprights were Victorian the carved area was very old and had been cut with an adze. At a later date a party from the WI visited the site and Mrs Carpenter Turner stated that the rail had originally come from St Maurice's Church (Debenhams site). An elderly lady in the party said that the husband had been the verger at St Maurice's and that the rail had been presented to the Garrison Chapel when the church had been demolished. (See final page)

With very few exceptions military churches and chapels are not consecrated, they are dedicated. This dates from the times when troops were always on the move, here today and gone tomorrow, thus places of worship were never consecrated. The new chapel at Sir John Moore Barracks was dedicated on Easter Day, 30th March 1986 by The Venerable W.F.Johnston, CB, MC, QHC Chaplain General.

An early 14th Century oak screen taken from the Garrison Chapel in Winchester now fences in the organ and font at the North end of the new chapel. This screen was the subject of an article by Dr Charles Tracy in the December 1994 Volume of the Journal of the British Archaeological Association. An extract is given below:

"The sections of miniaturised oak screenwork have had a chequered history. The earliest known manifestation was as part of the new furnishings of the rebuilt medieval church of St Maurice south of the High Street in the city itself, and practically within the cathedral precincts. St Maurice's was reconsecrated on 21 July 1842. In 1954 it was demolished, the screenwork passing into the guardianship of the British Army at Peninsula Barracks at Winchester. In 1985 it was moved to the new barracks outside the City.

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Unfortunately, there seems to be no reference to the setting-up of the screenwork at St Maurice's, in either the diocesan records or the Cathedral Chapter Act Book, the Chapter Minutes or the Treasurer’s Book. The possibility that the woodwork may have come from the cathedral will be discussed later. On its removal from the Peninsula Barracks to the new Light Division chapel, two of the ancient screen bays were mitred down the middle to facilitate the present un-historical three-sided arrangement.

There can be little doubt that from a stylistic point of view, the only one available to us, the screenwork must date from the second decade of the fourteenth century. The admixture of a skeleton of conventional Rayonnant-type arcading and reversed-curve decorated trefoils and quatrefoils in the arch heads, manifests a style in metamorphosis. A plank of oak could lend itself to a tracing ground for a master-carver. In this case the artist let free his imagination with compass and dividers. With his prolific and playful exploitation of the reversed curve, he seems to have been feeling his way towards full-scale tracery reticulation, which had already been achieved by architects, as early as 1311, for instance at the Wykeham Chapel, Spalding.

It is almost certain that the screenwork came from a greater church. As there was one within a stone's throw of St Maurice's, the likelihood that the furniture had travelled no further than the radius of the cathedral precinct to find a new home seems overwhelming.

From where in the cathedral could this length of miniaturised screenwork have emanated? At ground level it might probably have looked out of place in such a large building. Too high up it would not have been seen. That it was intended to be set up above eye level is confirmed by the fact that the faces in the oculi are looking down. As on the earlier choirstalls, the eyeballs are gouged, and would originally have been filled with paste. No doubt the screenwork was polychromed, like most choirstalls above seat level, although all trace of this has gone.

There is a vacant space above the feretory in the cathedral for such a structure. The bases of the transverse arches which site on the platform above the screen consist of three courses of rough masonry at the bottom, with two courses of finished and decorated stonework above. Our screenwork must have always been about the height that it is today. If it were to be stood on the platform above the stone arcade of the feretory screen it would overlap the finished courses of the plinth masonry by about 6 cm. Moreover, there is a pair of scored lines along the length of the platform running in a north-south direction. These are not mason's tuning out lines. Rather, they indicate the line of some structure to be laid along the top of the platform. It is also noticeable that the back of the arcade crockets of the feretory screen have been mutilated in places to accommodate something behind them.

Whereas it can be shown that the height of the wooden screen is appropriate for the adduced position, the lengthways measurements do not conform. The bay widths of the stone and wooden screens, being 89.5 cm and 35.3 cm respectively, do not conform either singly or in multiples of two. Whatever it was that embellished the top of the refectory screen, it cannot have been our screenwork. Nor is it likely that the screen was used as a backing to stalls, as in Bishop Stapledon's contemporaneous choir refurnishing in Exeter Cathedral.

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This leaves the possibility of a raised fence around a monument, or something similar. The fact that the screen is only single-sided would support this hypothesis. Such an object was and may still be exemplified in the chapel of St Gobrien in the church of St Servant in Brittany. In an early twentieth century photograph a two-tier wooden 'cloture' surrounds the stone tomb of the saint. The tomb seems to have been always standing in the same position in a corner, as only one of the long sides of the surrounding screen is decorated. The carving is only of provincial quality and is probably of the late thirteenth or early fourteenth-century date. There are no comparable wooden tomb enclosures of this date remaining in England."

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1985

December 1985

An account of the transfer of Green Jackets Training from Peninsular Barracks Winchester to Flowerdown Sir John Moore barracks was found at:- http://www.greenjackets-net.org.uk/assoc_new/publications/newsletters/Newsletter_1987.pdf broken link!

Editor Lieut Colonel (Retd) I.G. Elliott

THE LIGHT DIVISION DEPOT SIR JOHN MOORES BARRACKS - WINCHESTER

The present site of Flowerdown, first recorded on 18th Century maps was purchased by the War Office from the Deane (this conflicts with the ownership details above) Family of Littleton Farm in 1914. At first it was utilised as a camp by the Royal Flying Corps. In October 1914, the 80th Infantry Brigade of the 27 Infantry Division, consisting of 2 KSLI, 3 KRRC, 4 KRRC and 4 RB was billeted in the Winchester area prior to moving to France. It can be safely assumed that one or more of these Battalions was located at Flowerdown. The first documented Light Division connection dates back to the end of May 1915 when the 7th Battalion The Kings Shropshire Light Infantry staged through Flowerdown on a march from Romsey to Odiham. Towards the end of the Great War, it was used as a rest and transit camp for Serbs, Croats and Indians in the service of the Crown.

After World War 1 it was converted into an RAF Apprentice Training College. In 1930, the Royal Navy took over the site as a Radio Station called HMS Flowerdown. It remained a Naval communication Y station throughout World War 2 and until the early 1960s when the Home Office took it over as a Communication and Listening Station. The Home Office were supported by the Royal Signals. It is of interest to note that the last unit to live at Bushfield Camp, which acted as the Green Jacket Depot on two occasions since World War II, was 223 Signals Sqn, Royal Signals who ran the Flowerdown Communication Site jointly with the Home Office until it was closed in 1976.

The site was left derelict until it repossessed for the new Light Division Depot in 1982. Some of the structures demolished for the new building were of RAF Apprentice College vintage. When the present-day Light Division was formed in 1968 the original charter required a single Divisional Depot incorporating the functions of both the Light Infantry Depot at Shrewsbury and The Royal Green Jackets Depot at Winchester. This development was not initially pursued for a variety of reasons, the main one being cost. In the mid 1970s the single Joint Depot became a reality and ten different sites around the country were studied. These were n mixture of existing 2nd derelict Army and RAF sites and not all were in traditional Light Division Recruiting areas. Indeed, one site is now one of HM Prisons! Some of the reasons why nine of the ten sites under consideration were ruled out was the lack of married quarters for all ranks, insufficient local training areas and ranges, remoteness and lack of real

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estate for possible expansion. Flowerdown met all these requirements and it was already a vacant MOD property.

Construction commenced in 1983 and the first building, the QMs block was handed over in October 1985. The cost of the whole project is said to have been £20 million at 1985 prices. Initially the occupants of Peninsular Barracks in Winchester moved to the new Barracks in early and mid-September 1985. The first intake of 105 adult recruits arrived on the 20th January 1986, The Officers Mess was occupied in March 1986 and on completion of the third building phase - the Junior Soldiers and Junior Leaders commenced training in August and September 1986, respectively.

1986

Sir John Moore Barracks combined the functions of the former Light Division Depots at Shrewsbury and Winchester. In April 1993, The Light Division Depot ceased to exist and became one of the five Army Training Regiments responsible for the basic training of all recruits joining the Army.

1993 - 2019

Presently, Sir John Moore Barracks is a depot of the Army Training Regiment who transferred there in 1993.

https://www.armygarrisons.uk/winchester-garrison/garrison/military-units-winchester- garrison-173835/ broken link!

The Army Training Regiment Winchester ATR(W) is responsible for training Standard Entry and older recruits on the 14-week course prior to Phase 2. Cap badges trained at ATR(W) include: RAC, RA, RE, R Sigs, AAC, RLC, REME, AGC and Army Medical Services. The Main Gate of the barracks is just off Andover Road North (B3420).

The Headquarters and Regimental Admin Office are housed in the first building on the right after passing through the Main Gate and past the Guard Room.

Key buildings such as HQ Squadron, Training Wing, Quartermaster, Messes, Mace and P&RTC (including swimming pool) are facilities within the Barracks.

There are about 240 permanent staff and up to 600 recruits under training at any one time.

ATR(W) Winchester offers soldiers under training and permanent staff and their families many facilities.

As well as modern accommodation, there is a shop, swimming pool, gym, weights room, climbing wall, ten pin bowling alley and restaurant.

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2020 and beyond

The MoD propose to close Flowerdown Sir John Moore Barracks by 2021 now deferred until 2024. This was announced in Parliament.

A Better Defence Estate November 2016

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/565858/20 161107_MOD_Better_Defence_Estate_FINAL.pdf

Disposal Site Description of Intended Re-provision Plan Prev. Estimated Date Capability Announced of Disposal

Sir John Moore Army Training Alexander Barracks, Army Barracks Regiment Training Centre Pirbright, 2021 Winchester Winchester near Guildford

Rifles Band Worthy Down Camp, Winchester

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Personal memories and accounts

Letter from Mrs. Sonia Armstrong

Letter to Dennis Holman (Littleton Local History Society) from:-

Mrs Armstrong

September 11th, 2000

Dear Dennis Holman, I do apologise for not writing sooner – I see your letter’s dated last March, which means I’ve been vaguely dithering about replying six months. I’m now spurred into action by a phone call from Jessie Biles this morning (Her maiden name was Knight, and the older men gave her the standard nickname for it – Bogey!)

My job at Flowerdown was reading high-speed Morse off a paper tape. Till we arrived, this job was done by ordinary Wrens who picked it up as they went along, but their Lordships (at the Admiralty) decided to make a new category for us, Wren A/M (automatic Morse) & I was among The Fifteen as they called the first of us to train for it. We were taught to do the transmission tapes, as well as read the reception ones. So, half of us ended up at Whitehall W/T, & half at Flowerdown, with various departures overseas as well. I felt that we at Flowerdown, were better off, being above ground & out in the country. We were watchkeepers, which I preferred to the “office routine” of the day men, & worked a system based on the sea-going watches, which meant I worked all the hours on a 24-hour clock over 4 days.

We were expected to do our share of spud-bashing, squad drill etc when not on duty. Odd – I don’t recall bashing spuds at all but squad drill has some hair-raising memories, especially when I became a Petty Officer, and to my horror, I had to take my turn in marching the Wrens down to Sunday Divisions. It meant falling in a gaggle of Wrens, in their Number one uniforms, into a tidy squad & then marching them to the quarterdeck. This was along a Z shaped route, involving a slope down, a slope up on to the quarterdeck, “eyes right” for 6 paces, “eyes front”, & “halt” before they marched on to the grass by the men’s Regulating Office. Then make sure they were in a tidy squad again, hand over, thankfully to the duty officer, and retire to a place at the back. If I recall, rightly, this was followed by inspection by the Captain, & then trooping into the hall for the Sunday Service. Whenever we sang “Oh God our help in ages past”, I always had a private grin at the line “short as the watch that ends this night, before the rising sun” because that, for us, was what we knew as the middle watch, a stretch from midnight to 8 a.m. – or 0800 hours (8 pm was 2000 hours).

Because of the necessary sleep before & after middle watch, the various watchkeepers were each housed in a block of their own. Jessie & I were in No 3 watch, but she lived in Winchester so she had no quarters on the camp. In each block were 2 & 4 Wrens to a room, with our names on neatly written little cards on the outside of the doors. (I remember one room occupied by Poore? & Good and another by Trim & Tidey!). Water was heated for each block by enormous coke stoves, but I don’t remember any radiators& there were fires in the sitting room in each block in winter, but I don’t recall who lit them. Probably the Stewards who looked after the place generally & we

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were expected to keep our own cabins in order, to the satisfaction of the Quarters staff. We had double-decker bunks, 1 or 2 to a cabin, and I usually preferred the top one – I don’t recall ever having any difficulty in getting in or out of it. There were facilities for washing & ironing in each block; bed linen & towels were provided. Meals were in the main mess – Wrens on one side of the gallery, men on the other, you brought your own issue of cutlery with you, knife, fork & spoon. If you wanted to stir your tea, you did so with the handle of one of them. (On watch, I used a pencil.) We queued at the main hatchway, and if there was a delay, sang “Why are we waiting? To the tune of a carol – I remember from time to time but the name of it escapes me. Slices of bread and part or all of our butter or margarine ration were saved for taking on duty, especially Middle Watch. All watches had breaks for tea and the Middle Watch had two breaks. For washing up our personal cutlery & mugs, a large container of very hot water was provided, but no soap or detergent, and the water looked unpleasantly greasy after! I kept my cutlery wrapped in a cloth which doubled as a tea towel.

We “de-tapists” worked in W?????. All our work was with bases, or, on special occasions, ships at anchor at shore bases ??? transatlantic ones mostly dealt with convoys, I imagine that we knew any more than the place of origin, since they were all in code (letters) or cypher (figures)- I’ve just remembered the carol! It was ‘All Come All Ye Faithful’. Later, I learned to de-code the headings of the messages, which made it more interesting. The tapes used to come in about ? messages to a tape, and always with a second run, and the spare telegraphists wound each run on a separate reel. If the reception was good, they’d come in at about 100 words a minute but one crackle of atmospherics could wreck several groups of five letters, & poor reception could mean up to a half a dozen runs of the tape, & I can recall failure to make legible Morse letters even so, and ending in the message(s) being sent out at ? hand speed, with the hapless operator taking down a 100 ?? group message. Even so, with the noises graphically called “crash x,s”, they had to ask for repetitions of several groups.

We worked with a couple of slots, about 18” wide fixed to our typewriters, into which we slid a couple of tapes, the reels put on an “axle” at one side, and which we pulled through as we read them. At one time, there was an arrangement to pull them through mechanically, controlled by a foot pedal, but since no two tapes were exactly the same length, they tended to need frequent adjustments, and I never used it. Jessie would collect our completed messages, and they were passed on by teleprinter to the Admiralty. There was a D.T.N. (Defence Teleprinter Network) machine which came connected to anywhere else where there was a T/P. Before I could use a teleprinter, & also operate our internal switchboard we began by working in the wireless room, but after some time?? We were moved to the T/P room. In the wireless room was a connection with Whitehall W/T called a GPO sounder? Which was a Morse key in a sounding box, which rattled away at times & which I found I could read, after a while. If they’d been louder, I suppose I could have read the ordinary Morse keys. After our training, we’d learned to receive audible Morse at the m??? speed of 12 words a minute _ I can still read Morse, but not? At that rate. Although with practice, I could probably regain it??. It was to the wireless room that air raid warnings came and if they were ‘red’, then the petty officer of the watch would switch on the camp siren, but I can’t recall any air raids as such that affected Flowerdown. If there was a raid in the Portsmouth- Southampton area at night, we could see searchlights, flashes of explosions, & so on, & the machine gun? Fire that included luminous bullets (can’t think of its proper name) which really looked rather pretty.

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I was watching it one night when I noticed what looked like one stray bullet coming our way accompanied by an aircraft-sounding hum, then? The engine stopped; I went flat on the floor – it was a flying bomb**! I expect you’ll be able to find out where it came down. When the flying bombs started, our skipper wanted all Wrens to go to the shelters at the first warning from the air raid people, but our Commissioned Telegraphist, Percy Price, said it would interrupt our work too seriously, and it was agreed that any Wren on duty should get under their desks or tables for safety. I heard one of the watches on duty one night, when the air raid warning came through, & a Chief telegraphist commonly called ”Soapy Joe” charged into the T/P room, saying “Come on, you future mothers of England! Under your tables! at which the girls laughed so much that they could hardly do what they were told!

My husband tells me that the machine gun fire is “tracer” which I ought to have remembered! The weather played its part, of course, high winds that ??? in the various aerials all over the place & hissed liked fighting cats in the barbed wire fences – freezing winters – rain, when I went on duty in my sou’wester, some T/P Wrens sang “The fishermen of England” – Going on Middle Watch in summer with glow-worms scattered in the grass near W Block, looking like recently discarded fag ends, & the nightingales singing in the hedges.

** An independent witness reported that on July 11th, Tuesday. “ Three alerts last night, we worked out that the sirens went 12 times, and our first experience of a flying bomb. It made a noise like a motor lawnmower in the sky, seemed to come straight for us, we listened to hear if the engine stopped; and it did! Rushed downstairs, but not a loud bang and no windows broken. Rumoured to have fallen at Martyrs Worthy”.

There was plenty of off-duty entertainment – hockey & soccer, but my preferred sport was rifle-shooting. If I was off duty 7 saw the day men going down to the butts, I’d attach myself to them, especially if our Marine dispatch rider was there, as he would lend me his Lee-Enfield rifle, which was a vast improvement on the dismal old things we had as a rule. I ended up captaining the Wren’s team – Jessie was one of our best shots, in spite of being left-handed – but it was not until VE day, when I went as a “requestman” to the skipper, to ask for the shooting to be continued, that he told me that we only did it when there was a possibility that we might have to defend Flowerdown! I thought of one or two ‘marksmen’ Wren or seamen who would have been a greater danger to us than any invading Germans!! There were dances every Saturday night, with our own ‘band’ & once I’d learnt dancing, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, there were amateur dramatics, good plays and the odd variety show, & cinema shows once a week.

On the whole, the relationship of men & girls was very good, & the watches kept together for a lot of their off-duty time; at dances, of course, & outings to local pubs, the Running Horse, if I remember rightly and one in Winchester, whose name I forget. On invading any pub, one of the men would put his cap on the table & they would each contribute a pound, whiles the girls added 5/- each, & various rounds of drinks were all paid from the kitty. My own consumption was very modest, & since any leftover money was shared out, they sometimes gave me some change, but if anything, I preferred not to have it – it was the nearest I ever got to standing a round, myself!! At busier times, on the Middle Watch, we’d be working away like mad, but as fast as the reels were emptied of tape, which made increasing heaps on the floor by our desks, more tapes would appear to wait their turn on the racks. (Except for priorities, which weren’t allowed to wait)

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It was difficult to spare girls for making tea, & the Morning Watch girls would relieve us just before 0800, & glance at the waiting tapes & ask, nastily, what we had been doing all night! As the war ended, & work became less & less, the girls were gradually replaced by men, mostly youngsters not long called up, who thought themselves hard done by if they couldn’t spend most of the Middle Watch asleep!!

I apologise for this writing – it was mostly done on my lap & again for my delayed response. I was at Flowerdown for over 4 years, and although I’ve given you what I hope is a general idea of life there, I have quite a lot of memories, some vivid. If I can give you any more help, I will, and I hope, with less delay.

Good luck with your project.

Yours sincerely

Sonia Armstrong (née Allen)

Mrs Dorothea M Carter

Dody Carter as Wren Polychromoniadis, commonly known as ‘Poly was one of the original Fifteen – She’d love to help you!

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Letter and account from Dody Carter

September 19th 2000

Dear Mr. Holman,

I am sending you something I wrote during two of my lunch hours at work years ago for my children and grandchildren. You can take what you want from it. The newspaper article was from the “Houston Chronicle” so I am sending that too.

I loved Winchester. Whenever I become homesick for England it is always for Winchester. By the way, the photo in the newspaper pf me was taken in front of Winchester Cathedral before D-Day. I was drafted to Fort Southwick – a huge underground fort near Portsmouth from which – the invasion of was planned.

We often used to eat at the Old Chesil Rectory in Winchester. I suppose it’s still there? I left England in 1946, and have never returned, but England, and especially Winchester, will always be part of my heart. Alas, the England that I knew growing up, just doesn’t exist anymore. I have given talks about my experiences in the WRNS around Houston, because I want Americans to know what the British went through. These talks have been well received.

Sincerely,

Dody Carter

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Dody Carter’s story……….

There the girl in the poster stood gazing into the "wild blue yonder" - all very patriotic. I made up my mind when I saw the poster in little toy-like Emerson Park railway station (Near Hornchurch – East London) that I wanted very much to be a Wren. I had to wait until I was seventeen and a half. Finally, the great day came when I had to go to London to the WRNS headquarters in Queen Anne' s Gate for my physical examination. A truly horrible experience, even though my mother was present. I had to stand in line with other shivering 17, 18- and 19-year olds minus clothes for my examination. They let us put on our own clothes after the actual physical, but the rest of the examination took all day and I was a nervous wreck by the time they were through. I forgot to bring my glasses and could not see the print in the eye doctor's office and a very testy old nurse read me the "riot act". By this time, I was definitely having second thoughts about it all.

I had to wait for two months before they accepted me. At last, the great day came and my little brother had to escort me to the Royal Naval College at Greenwich. The kid was only about fifteen, some "escort". I promptly became so homesick that I "whoopsied" and was ordered to bed in the sick bay along with two other homesick teenagers. So began the next four years of my life. It is the memories of these four years that I want to share with you.

For the first two weeks at Greenwich, we were Probationer Wrens. During this time, all the "unsuitables" were weeded out, (including two prostitutes) and a few other girls who were not up to the high standards of the Royal Navy. I remember the greatest thrill was the day when we reported to the supply to get "kitted up". Each girl was handed a pair of black shoes in a box, two jackets, two skirts, six shirts, tie, hat, cap and arm tallies, these had to be sewn onto the appropriate places. Some of us who had never sewn anything in our lives, ended up with HUGE stitches which had to be unpicked - this by order of a very stern Leading Wren Frazier. Who could ever forget Leading Wren Frazier, what a harpy! to say the least, we were petrified of her! She made us stand at attention when she passed through a doorway!! We could take the uniforms to the tailor (Hector Powe of London) and have them altered to fit. The great day came when we picked up the uniform, put it on, and went home to show our mothers. The pride I felt when I got off the train in Hornchurch and walked up the High Street followed by a train of little cockney boys saying: "Coo-er she's a real "siler". My mother was so proud of me.

We stayed at Greenwich for one more month before being drafted to our assigned stations. I can remember how rambunctious we were at Greenwich. After supper we actually played "off- ground touch" in our "cabins" as they were called. Each cabin or room had about ten beds in it and we found that we could go completely around the room leaping f r om bed to bed and onto the dressing tables without touching the floor! We became quite expert at this. When we weren't doing this, we were having wild pillow fights!

One of the windows had an etching high up on it with the initials of some forgotten midshipman and the date "1729" on it. Little did he dream that 200 or so years later, ten little Jenny Wrens (as we were called) would be playing "Off ground touch" in his room!

Some of us were drafted up to Scotland for three months of intensive WIT and Automatic Morse Transcribing training. We were the first batch of AMT operators. We arrived in ,

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at one o’clock in the morning on a bitterly cold day, half frozen to death. "The Flying Scotsman" was not heated, and, after eight hours of sitting or lying on a bunk on the train, I felt that I would never be so cold again. I was wrong, because 40 years later I found that Minnesota was far, far colder!! We were to be trained by Post Office personnel. We lived in Dunfermline but our AMT training school was in Haymarket in Edinburgh. We had two ancient Post Office men to train us. They were quite "flummoxed" by us. We used to play tricks on them, during our break we would go outside and play games, they would lean out of a top window and growl "Och gairls we'll have a wee bit morrrse drrrill noo" and we would pretend we couldn't hear them, but eventually we did learn and became expert AMTs.

One very cold day, I wanted to go into Edinburgh just to browse around. I was walking up Princes Street in a blinding snowstorm and a wee Scottish lady stopped me - she was only about 4 ft. or so and said "Och Lassie, ye canna go aroond like that" 'and the dear :~. little soul made me stand still while she stood on tiptoe and brushed the snow off my shoulders and hat! How could I ever forget the sight of a lone piper with his sheep silhouetted against a pale blue sky over a Scottish hillside or the sight of the Black Watch marching proudly down Princes Street, their kilts swaying in unison and the wonderful skirl of the bagpipes. One day I had a date with a British army officer and we drove into the country and walked over some hills and found an old inn. I needed to go to the ladies’ room and the window ~as open and to my horror a HUGE cow stuck its head in the window and MOOOOED at the top of its voice at me!!! I hadn't expected it and let out a piercing shriek. It's head almost filled the room!

My postings after Scotland were Winchester, The Admiralty, Fort Southwick (for D-Day) and back to Winchester.

We were drafted to the W/T Station outside of Winchester, "HMS Flowerdown" in the middle of the beautiful Hampshire countryside. I loved it there. The streams were crystal clear, the air was pure and the little villages, with their quaint names were lovely , Little Wallop, Tidworth, Crawley, (that one sounded like an American movie star, so we thought). How clear the moonlight was there, or so it seemed. Long brisk walks back to Flowerdown from Winchester, the last bus left Winchester at ten o'clock or so, we would eat and chips out of a newspaper wrapping, this was standard practice in England, how unhygienic - but oh, how delicious! I have tried to recapture that taste here in America! but nothing can compare with it!

That was when we saw our first American soldiers. We thought they were from the Salvation Army until we heard their accents!! We had large American encampments all around our camp so, of course, there was much fraternization! They used to send their trucks twice a week to bring us to Matthew Barracks at Tidworth, for dances. Have you ever tried to get into the back of an army truck in a tight skirt? At least I can say that I heard Glenn Miller and Count Basie in the flesh. This was where we learned to jitterbug, I tried to show my tall, dignified English Mother how it was done. She merely looked frigid and said, "How barbaric!" that was the end of that! One day I went into Winchester Cathedral with my American• Jimmie. They had moved some old coffins from their wall niches preparatory to putting them down in the crypts, probably to protect them against damage from air raids, and much to the horror of Jimmie, who was a staunch catholic, I opened one of the coffins and removed a bone - a vertebrae of possibly

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Ethelred the Unready. I took it home to Hornchurch to my mother who was shocked and made me take it back! Poor Jimmie had to accompany me again to put the darned thing back! Jimmie's Irish American face was scarlet with embarrassment! I used to embarrass that boy quite a few times. We had a date one evening, and because we had green onions with our evening meal in the WRNS mess, I carried one down to the guard house, a distance of half a mile, where our "dates" waited for us. As soon as I saw Jimmie I clapped the onion in his. mouth, and his green eyes became as big as saucers because he wasn't expecting that. At that moment two Naval Officers came up behind me and he had to salute them, he had the presence of mind to whip the onion out of his mouth just in time!! These memories span the two periods that I was stationed in Winchester. I think that was around the time when we had been to a movie in Winchester and my feet hurt, and dear Jimmie hailed an American tank which was rumbling by and put me on top and thus I rode back to Flowerdown in splendour - on top of the tank! The British sailor on guard duty did not think it was funny, no sense of humour! It was at Flowerdown that we had to go into a gas chamber (the real thing!) to test our gas masks and see if they worked! That was a very scary thing!

During the air raids on the Portsmouth area (Winchester was close enough to Portsmouth that the sirens sounded there too) we were supposed to pile into the air raid shelters on the camp. In the middle of the night when the German bombers came, my best friend Eileen, a little Irish girl, was actually putting rouge on and when I told her to hurry, her response was "Faith, and I’11 not let these Bloody Germans see me· without me pink cheeks! 1 It didn’t I t matter that she had on a nightgown and curlers!

We were comparatively well-fed in the services, compared to the civilian population, but like all kids we had gargantuan appetites. We devised a way to get more food. We would go up to the hatch in the mess and get our food, go back to a table and eat it, then clap our hats on and borrow someone's eyeglasses and go up for second helpings. Eileen would tuck her chin in, which gave her a chinless look. We thought we had the stewards fooled, until the P.O steward caught on and said, "Leading Wren I think three helpings are quite enough, don't you?" I tried to explain that it was for my dog, but she was not fooled! I did get a dog in a couple of weeks, and by then she really did not believe me. I got rid of the thing a month later because it kept baying at the moon!

Some birds had made a nest in the roof of the Quonset hut we slept in - inside the hut, actually inside the hut. How would you like to wake up in the morning and find a pair of beady little eyes looking at you from your navy blanket accompanied by a merry little chirping? We reached a mutual agreement, they left us alone and we left them alone. It was no use complaining to the officer of the watch, her reply was the standard "There's a war on, Leading Wren" besides, she too had birds in her cabin!!!

We were also subjected to squad drill. I cannot, for the life of me, imagine why the Royal Navy felt it was imperative that we march in perfect formation, after all we were fighting Germans, but we did not have to step smartly to do so! To alleviate the boredom, we had to take turns in leading a squad. Complete chaos! I only lead them once, and I had them marching nicely when I thought I would vary it a little. I started them running, easily done, but in order to stop a running squad you have to first slow them to a march. I couldn't remember the command.

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We started laughing helplessly, and the P.O had to step in. Needless to say, I was never again given the dubious honour of leading a squad!

About the same time a Royal Marine was sent to teach us the art of self-defence (probably because there was a fear that Hitler would invade England) thank God we never had to use the gruesome things we learned. The Royal Navy sticks strictly to tradition. In Portsmouth Naval Barracks, we had to run across the quadrangle because Lord Nelson did so before the Battle of· Trafalgar. After a particularly stodgy meal this was hard to do!

My little" brother had, by now, reached the age when he could join the Navy. I always remember when I went down to Portsmouth to see him. I met him at the train station and the train arrived a few minutes early. There he stood before a plate glass window admiring himself. He pulled his jersey down and then did a saucy little flip to his hat over his left eye. Later he got a commission and became a Sub-Lieutenant (pronounced Leftenant in England.) He bought a second-hand car. A strange looking little thing with three wheels. Once when we were both home on leave together, he was going to an officers' party in London and I was going to meet someone in London. Going through the Stratford (not on Avon) he took a corner too fast and the whole thing tipped upside down. I wasn't really hurt, just a little "shook up". I was miffed with Peter because he wanted to continue up to London and leave me in Stratford. I was so miffed with him, in fact, that I "neglected" to tell him that he had split his pants and his drawers were hanging out!

One sunny afternoon, after we returned to the quarters from duty, Eileen, "Johnny" and I decided to go for a bicycle ride. Remember there was no gas for civilian cars so there was very little traffic on the roads, aside from troop transports. We were bowling merrily along a country road when an American training plane landed on the road behind us and taxied until they caught up with us, the occupants got out and asked us for a dinner date! Then they took off and flew into the "wild blue yonder!"

Around the same time, we three Wrens were again on our bicycles and we rounded a corner and careened into a troop of GIs also on bicycles, there must have been about twenty or so, part of their drill I suppose, they parted and let us through and to a man they wheeled around and followed us - without one word of command being given and still in formation!!

"HMS Flower-down" which was the name of the Winchester camp, was one of the biggest wireless stations in the world, partly because the reception was very clear. It gave one an uncanny feeling to stand among those huge pylons and feel the vibrations of Morse, you could actually feel the pulsating rhythm in the air. Inside the radio room was a different matter. I will never forget the sound of the high frequency Morse coming in and going out from dozens of WIT sets. It was all very exciting. This station was for incoming and outgoing wireless traffic. There were actually two stations there, one for allied messages and the other was for enemy interception - ~. German and Japanese.

Three or four weeks before D-Day, we noticed how everything seemed to be going at a much faster pace. During the night hours, one could hear troop transports going all night, sometimes the men were singing. You must remember that we had many foreign troops

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stationed near Portsmouth and Southampton - Winchester was close to both those towns. It was a very eerie sound to hear soldiers singing in Polish, French, Hindu or some other foreign language. Later on, we were to hear German P.O.Ws singing a very plaintive song, I later learned that the song was "Lili Marlene". We were also placed on double watches. A group of us were on three hours and off three hours for twenty-four hours a day. Four of us took turns manning a radio reception unit, we were placed in a sort of little cage off to ourselves. There was a nonstop call signal coming through followed by a cypher, it never stopped. If, for any reason we had to leave it, we had to signal one of the sailors to come and relieve us, we had to stand and clap the earphones on his head before he could sit down. This went on for a number of weeks, then one day it just stopped. We were never told what it was and we never asked! I have never been so tired in my life, in fact some of us did not bother going back to the Wren Quarters to sleep we just crashed on the floor and made ourselves as comfortable as possible on a pile of Morse tape. It’s amazing what the body can put up with if sorely pressed.

There was a Third Officer who for some reason kept a pet goat. She used to milk the thing! It was an incongruous sight to see a Wren Officer in full uniform milking a goat. Anyway, "Johnnie' s" father was a wine merchant. He kept her supplied with exotic wines, which she used to imbibe under the bedclothes until we discovered this and made her share it with us. One night she imbibed too much and was out like a light, we, who were feeling no pain, crept out in the night, grabbed the goat and put it in her cabin, and shut the door. In the morning not only did she find the goat, but he had left some droppings! She had a massive clean-up to do!!

Some of our American friends used to give us K-Rations. When we came off watch at midnight, we used to cook up a batch of K-Ration powdered eggs, if you've ever tried to cook powdered eggs without oleo or butter in a pan you know they stick. We would get bread and put a piece on top of the potbellied stove, it would come out with-the imprint of the manufacturer's name on it, never mind - it tasted delicious! One night, Jimmy gave me a package to take on night watch with me - two fully cooked pork chops! A prize indeed. I felt guilty about eating them, so I promptly gave them to the hungry sailor sitting at the next radio set to me, I could not stand his accusing eyes! There was rivalry between the Americans and the British sailors around those camps. I waited until he had eaten them then sweetly told him that my American had given them to me!!

These memories of Winchester encompass both times I was stationed there. Before D-Day and then when I was transferred back after the landings.

We did not have central heating, only a few potbellied stoves spaced very sparsely around, but we did have an abundance of hot, hot water. It was hard to keep warm; I took many baths every day to try to warm up. However, it was not always convenient to do so. Eileen, Johnnie and I came up with a brilliant solution. We filled the bathtub with hot water, took off our stockings and sat around the edge of the bathtub with our feet in the water, fully dressed, overcoats and gloves on. , We read or just sat and socialized! We must have looked like giant navy blue~ starlings perched around a bird bath! This worked fine until our stockings wore out. Remember that clothing was rationed, so we had to darn the ones we had until there was no material left to darn. Then one simply tucked the torn foot of the stocking up under the feet. Eileen came up with the suggestion that we simply pull the stocking up over the ankle when we sat around the bathtub! A wonderful

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suggestion, that way we were fully dressed and when our feet had warmed up, we dried them off and pulled the stockings under the foot and put our shoes back on. Because we had our feet in water so much and because of the extreme cold, we suffered from Athlete's foot and chilblains. To say nothing of feeling rather weak from all the hot baths.

I think one of the saddest and most horrible duties we had as AMT's was to transcribe the names of sailors who died or were missing when their ships were torpedoed. I used to dread getting to the names beginning with "P" the first letter of name. At that time, my little brother was on the "King " later he was transferred to tank landing craft.

It was from Winchester that I was eventually going home on leave, I noticed that there were some fried eggs left in the kitchen so I asked one of the stewards if I could take them home. You have to realize that civilians were rationed to one egg a week, (if they were lucky), so I took a tray of about two dozen fried eggs with me - covered 'with wax paper - those eggs went in the train from Winchester, up to Waterloo Station, in London, a distance of about an hour and a half f , across London to Fenchurch Street in the Underground, (another half hour) and from Fenchurch Street to Romford (another forty five minutes) and from Romford to Emerson Park (another twenty minutes) and then a walk from Emerson Park station to my house (another twenty five or so minutes) and I then handed them with a flourish to my astounded mother!!!

In order to get essential clothing, apart from new uniforms and things which the Navy supplied, we were issued "Chits" these covered things like basic underwear, slips, panties etc. One Wren became a marvellous forger she could take your chit and change "slip" to almost anything within reason. Then we would take these Chits to a sleazy black marketplace in the East End of London and get nightgowns, robes, etc. Another friend got .a hot pink diaphanous negligee with marabou feathers around - the edge, she t bought it from a place which catered to prostitutes! It was her pride and joy. It lightened her day and she wore it with aplomb. You must remember we were going through a very bleak and frightening war.

The Admiralty built an underground extension called “The “Citadel" we worked there, although the WRNS were quartered in a block of what had been luxury apartments in Kensington. We were across from the Natural History Museum. During the heavy raids we were not allowed to sleep upstairs in the quarters. It became somewhat over-crowded on the main floor and basement so some of us had to take our sleeping bags and sleep in the air raid shelter at the Museum. But, the air raid shelter was crammed full of prostitutes, or "Piccadilly Commandos" as the Americans called them, so a friend and I decided we would sleep in the main hall of the museum, which housed the prehistoric animals, many a night I slept under the Brontosaurus. I could gaze right up at his bones arching above me and I felt comforted. Next time you go there, please give him my love.

In our Kensington quarters there were four floors and an attic, each floor had a bathroom but they became very overcrowded. Rather than line up for a bath, two of us decided to look around the building for an extra bathroom. We were lucky, we found an extra bathroom tucked away under the eaves I must have been servants’ quarters. One day, I had just finished a bath and was drying off when the door burst open and the officer in charge accompanied by a Naval Commander came in - she was showing him around the WRNS quarters, they completely ignored

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me, dripping wet and draped in a towel, after she had shown him the room he turned to me and said, with typical British aplomb, 1100 carry on Wren! 11 a very British Stiff Upper Lip " reaction. By the way, the whole place was positively overrun with mice. They even shared our beds with us! I do not know which frightened me the most - the mice or the German bombs!

One day I was waiting for a bus near the Admiralty, and a Piccadilly commando" sashayed up to me and jerking her thumb said, “Ere shove off ducks, this is my pitch.” There I stood with my baby face innocent of any makeup except pink lipstick, and my gas mask! I never did mention this to my family, my mother would have promptly told me to stop wearing the pink lipstick.

Just before D-Day I was sent to Fort Southwick (SHAEF - Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force.) These forts were built long ago on top of a line of hills in Portsmouth, originally to keep out enemies. The" Allies took the largest, Fort Southwick, hollowed out the hill itself and built a massive and very sophisticated underground fortress, surrounded with gun emplacements. When these guns went off, the noise was deafening and even though we were one hundred and eighty feet underground we could still hear them. It was a self-contained citadel. It had its own air conditioning and heating housings, electricity, cafeterias with kitchens, sleeping quarters, huge radio rooms, map rooms, plotting rooms, etc. This was for all branches of the allied services. Although it was highly sophisticated , for some reason one had to walk down and up the stairs. One hundred and eighty of them, not so bad when one is young, but we had a few pretty old male officers in all the services. To us they appeared old. Now, that RAF, Royal Navy and Army and allied armies took over the rest of the old forts for sleeping and living quarters, we went to these when we were 'off watch. They were something else! Ours had to be the worst, remember these old forts were built centuries earlier and were condemned by the British Government for sightseeing and had lain in disuse for some time. That’s how bad they were!

The “bathrooms”, if you can call them that, were converted ammunition rooms. Six washbasins with lights had been stuck in the middle and the “toilets” and “bath cubicles" were around the walls. The only windows were the original slits where soldiers long ago fired their muskets or bows and arrows!! No glass in the slits!! No lights!! To take a bath you had to literally feel your way to the tub and feel for the taps, I shudder to think what creatures of the night accompanied me when I took a bath!! Our sleeping cabins were hugh cavernous rooms, twenty WRNS and four WAAF I s to our cabin. The ceilings had been shored up with massive girders. Imagine lying in bed during an air raid, there were no air raid shelters there, and looking up at this mass of steel above you and wondering or rather hoping that some little German up there was not going to unload his bombs on you!! Achtung!

One day I was late going on "watch" and I was running down a corridor, rounded a corner and literally bumped into a small and rather insignificant British army officer. A testy little man, he said "Watch where you're going girl" I thought him very rude, then it dawned on me - those high cheek bones, that beret - "Monty" - Lord Bernard Montgomery of El Alamein! I still thought him "testy".

Eisenhower often came into the cafeteria to get coffee. A very nice man and well respected.

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D-Day itself! How can one describe it - I will say here that, in all honesty, nothing, but nothing in my life has ever approached the excitement of it!! I was on watch that night, and during my break I went into the plotting room and asked one of the Wren officers to show me the LCT's, because my brother was a lieutenant on one of them, I needed to get a "fix" on it. My heart was in my throat as I watched her push the LCT's closer and closer to the continent. There was an absolute hush in Fort Southwick, we had to keep radio silence until the actual landings. No one wanted to leave their "stations'" even to go to the restrooms in case they missed anything. The morale was wonderful, we were all working together, it's rather a sad thing to say but true, a war brings people closer to each other. Even the class system of England seemed to weaken. I had more than a casual interest in the landings because the green eyed American (he of the Winchester Cathedral escapade) was in the American contingent landing on Omaha beach, his was the "9th Division Engineers" which later was involved with the tasking of the infamous Remagen Bridge.

Before D-Day there was quite a little tension in the air, we were not allowed to communicate with our families or leave the area. So, we did ridiculous things to relieve the tension. Two other Wrens and I draped sheets on ourselves and crept down one of the dark old passages where we could see a very young, oh so young, American soldier on sentry duty and' when we were about twenty feet from him we wailed like banshees and waived the sheets, this was down a dark dimly lit passageway. The poor little fellow yelled and almost dropped his gun!!

I was in a train going home on leave, the air raid sirens started, the train stopped on its tracks and I can still feel the terror of hearing those bombs dropping closer and closer. They fell in sticks of seven. An old cockney woman sitting next to me must have sensed my fear. She put her hand on my arm and said, "Never mind ducks, its only 'Old 'Itler droppin' 'is false teeth all over the place". The spirit of the British people was amazing, particularly the cockneys of London. They were magnificent, they were cheerful, courageous and unflappable. This was truly their finest hour!

I have tried to put down my memories, as well as I can, after all over forty years have passed. So many articles have been written about the horrors of that time. War is a terrible thing.

Although you may think these memories were frivolous, they are only a veneer of what war is really about. War has to do with fear, hunger, depression and a feeling of hopelessness. To combat these feelings, people dealt with them in their own way. One did things sometimes which were alien to one's nature. The case of frightening the young American soldier, for instance, I look back and think "how could I have done such a thing" but war does this to one. We lived for that day, and that day only, we had no future, after all none of us knew if we would be alive a week or so later. We took life in both hands, we lived for the moment so that we could shut out all the pain and suffering around us. We were at war, after all, for six years. When war started, I was a school child, when it ended I was an adult.

What I have recounted here are only the four years I spent in the WRNS.

Dorothea M. Carter January 5, 1990

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Dody Carter’s newspaper cutting.

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Dody Carter’s WRNS Certificate of Service

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Dora Ackerman’s story

1st letter to Dennis Holman (Littleton Local History Society) from:-

Miss N.M. Raban 26th June 2000

Dear Mr, Holman, You recently asked for memories of Flowerdown. My old Nannie Dora Ackerman née Vaine lived in Sparsholt until her marriage. She is now 96 but remembers when she was ten and soldiers billeted at Flowerdown and later Yanks. She says the gate nearly opposite Eve’s Stores was known as “The Yankee Gate”. She says she and friends used to walk via the Avenue (alas no longer as I remember it!) to go and look at the horses tethered in long lines at Flowerdown. She says it was Kitchener’s Army first at the beginning of the war with no uniforms etc. My father was Vicar of Sparsholt 1918 – 1941 and Dora came to look after me on my first birthday and she was 14½ so we have known & kept up all our lives. She is now 96 & very frail but NOT her memory!! She was so excited when I asked her about Flowerdown. Her husband was RAF and at Worthy Down. Her children, David was in the Navy, Bob (twin to Ruby) Army and Michael and Sonia too young for the Services. Only Bob has died. So, she like many others has seen two World Wars.

I hope this is useful, Yours sincerely

Norah Raban

P.S She said Bomber Harris was C.O. at Worthy Down when her husband was there but I’m not sure this bit is accurate as she gets Worthy and Flower Down mixed.

2nd letter to Dennis Holman from Miss N. M. Raban

7th July 2000

Dear Mr Holman, Thank you for your letter. Mrs Ackerman (Nannie) lives in Enfield! I shall be staying with her at the end of this month & I will get her talking & make notes to let you have, about Littleton. She moved there from “The Beeches” (off Littleton – Crawley road) when her first twins were 10 months old – and they are now in their 70s!! If you were in her area she says that she’d love to see you and tell you about Littleton herself. Yours sincerely,

Norah Raban

3rd letter and final? letter to Dennis Holman from Miss N. M. Raban

7th August 2000

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Dear Mr Holman, As promised I spoke to my old Nannie about Flowerdown. At the beginning of the 1914-18 war, she said conscripts (Kitchener’s Army) were stationed anywhere. The Villagers took them in & her mother had one. Later, these men were transferred to huts at Flowerdown and then followed the horses “stretching nearly from the Pumping Station side of Flowerdown to the Andover Road”.

She “walked out” with some of the men but added “I did not marry until 1920 and he was RAF !!” She also told me that immediately after the war Flowerdown was used to train RAF. I questioned this because I thought she meant Worthy Down but she insisted they were trained at Flowerdown. She said towards the end of the war (again 1914-18) USA soldiers were stationed at Flowerdown & at the Littleton end, hence the gates into the Camp were called the Yank Gates.

I hope this is helpful.

I was made to repeat back to her to make sure it was right.

Yours sincerely,

Norah Raban

Mrs Ackerman lived in Littleton for a long time & brought up her 5 children there. The eldest boy worked at the Stud for a time. He is now 70 & has lived in Australia for years.

Wally Smith’s story

Wally Smith was a much-respected smallholder renting land from the MoD. Part of this land is now occupied by Fyfield Way and Pitter Close.

Wally Smith’s Flowerdown Memories

It was around that time, in 1927, that the Royal Air Force moved its Apprentices' School from Flowerdown to Halton. Although the Royal Navy occupied the camp at Flowerdown from 1930 until some point between 1955 and 1960, it did so on a much lower scale than its predecessors, who may have had as many as 1000 personnel there, taking all categories into account.

Flowerdown naturally had a considerable impact on the village community. For example. 3 cafes operated. Somewhere between 1918 and 1920, Mrs. Hatt opened a shop and cafe at Ratcliffe House on the corner of Bercote Close and Main Road. A First World War hut which made up one half of the cafe is still there. There was a. second cafe in a bungalow on the present caravan site, owned by the Hilliers. There was also a bowling green and a tennis court there, privately owned but available for use by village residents. A third cafe was at Eve's Stores.

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Flowerdown was important to the village in other ways as well. Its gymnasium was open to village residents on two evenings a week and its cinema on Friday nights. There was a sizeable coal store at the camp, tapped by the village. A cobbler named McKee served both camp and village.

The Commanding Officer, Flowerdown, lived at Harestock Lodge, while the C.O. Worth¥ Down, occupied Flowerdown House. Flowerdown was said to be the only place in England capable of communicating with the entire world.

At one time Worthy Down was a. centre for night flying training. Twin engine aircraft could be heard circling Littleton all night long. twin-engine Vickers Virginia aircraft could be heard circling Litt1eton all night long. Since my father was employed for a time at the Navy establishment at Flowerdown, I was one of those village residents who was able to make use of the Camp’s sports and social resources until just after the Second World War. I particularly remember a Commander Winter who arranged firework displays from time to time.

I think that there were about 40 Navy personnel at Flowerdown before the Second World War, plus about 12 billeted in the village and about 12 civilian workers.

Stan Herridge. (Mr. Herridge settled in Littleton with his family in 1931 or 1932, when he 7 years of age).

N.B As a result of the Littleton Enclosures Act 1843, Flowerdown, approximately 179 acres, lost as common land. Villagers no longer had general rights of grazing.

James Millar’s story

JAMES HENRY MILLAR [1895-1966]

James Henry Millar served in the Army from 1911 to 1920. He enlisted into the Royal Air Force as a musician on 12th April 1921 and was posted to the Electrical and Wireless School, Flowerdown on the 23rd June 1922 as bandmaster of the Station.

During his time at Flowerdown, he built up the band to become a major feature of the Station. He showed exceptional ability in raising voluntary bands from the airmen - namely a Brass Band, String Orchestra and Trumpet Band. By his energy ability and tact, he brought them to a very high state of efficiency. An item in the publication "The Planesman", March-April 1925, gives an appreciation of the station band and its activities.

Bandmaster Sergeant Major Millar transferred to the RAF Reserve on 11th April 1928 and in addition to his work, he pursued his musical career leading numerous groups, bands and orchestras for various occasions playing styles as wide ranging as light classical, musicals, dance music and choral works. His groups were known as The Lyra Salon Orchestra, Lyric Old Time Dance Orchestra, Lyricals Modern Dance Band and Jay Millar's Floridan's Orchestra.

James Henry Millar was born on the 6th July 1895 in Stonehouse, Plymouth. He was the

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eldest of three children of James and Mary Millar. He was enlisted into the 1st Battalion of The Prince of Wales Leinster Regiment at Devon port on the 23rd January 1911 as a boy soldier on the expectation by his parents that the Battalion would remain in the United Kingdom, having just returned from a long tour of duty in India. However, the Battalion was posted back to India and he embarked overseas on the 11th September 1911 at the young age of 16 years. It was in the sub- continent that he began his training as a musician.

He later saw service in the First World War on the Western Front during 1915116 and was then posted to the Salonica Force in 1917, serving in Mesopotamia, Palestine and Egypt as part of the Camel Corps. He returned to Bombay via the United Kingdom in November 1919 and subsequently purchased his discharge on the 23rd September 1920 after serving over nine years with the Colours.

On the 12th April 1921 he enlisted into The Royal Air Force as a musician in the rank of Sergeant. He was initially posted to The RAF Central Band stationed in Uxbridge, and was then posted to the Electrical and Wireless School" Flowerdown Winchester, on the 23rd June 1922 as bandmaster of the Station. He married Frances May Pewsey, elder daughter of Percy and Eliza Pewsey, on the 27th August 1922 at The Catholic Church of St Anthony, Uxbridge. He met his wife- to-be whilst serving in Uxbridge.

During his time at Flowerdown, he built up the band to become a major feature of the Station. It was reported in 1925 that it was an uphill fight in the early days and that great credit was due to the bandmaster, Sergeant Major Millar. He had shown exceptional ability in raising voluntary bands from the airmen at the E& W School, namely a Brass Band, String Orchestra and Trumpet Band. He had brought these bands to a very high state of efficiency by his energy, ability and tact. An item in the publication 'The Planesman', March-April 1925, gives an appreciation of The Station Band and its activities. An extract is reproduced below:

‘Bandmaster Sergeant Major Millar transferred to The RAF Reserve on the 11th April 1928 to pursue a career as a musician in civil life. He and his wife bought a Tobacco and Confectionery shop at 28 Sussex Street, Winchester, which they ran until the outbreak of The Second World War. The Electrical and Wireless School moved from Flowerdown to Cranwell in Lincolnshire in 1929. James Henry Millar Senior, who was a civilian instructor at the School and who also played with the String Orchestra under the direction of his son, transferred with the establishment.’

During the 1930s James Millar Junior joined The in Winchester and it was in this capacity that he transferred to the Ministry of Home Security in 1940 as Air Raid Warning Officer and Area Alarm Controller on the outbreak of war. He later became Chief Air Raid Warning Officer for Hampshire. During the next five years he gave many lectures and talks to personnel at various factories and shipyards on the work of The Royal Observer Corps in addition to his other duties. James Millar Senior returned from Cranwell around 1935 and subsequently joined No.3 Group of the ROC in Winchester, where he served throughout the Second World War.

After the war James Junior, who had by this time adopted the old Devonshire family name of Byers and was known as James Henry Byers Millar, joined the Civil Service in The War Office

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[later renamed The Ministry of Defence]. He served as a clerical officer in the Record Office at Bushfield Camp and Peninsular Barracks, Winchester. He retired from the Service on medical grounds in 1958.

Hampshire Chronicle cutting – James Millar.

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Elisabeth Beresford MBE (Creator of the Wombles)

https://twitter.com/bletchleypark/status/1148622743409242113

The creator of some of Wimbledon's most famous residents, The Wombles, worked for Bletchley Park? Elisabeth Beresford MBE worked as a WRNS Y Service wireless operator at Flowerdown from 1944-1946.

https://bletchleypark.org.uk/cms/record_attachments/1883.pdf

Recollections of Mrs Elaine van Hattem, née Beamish Flowerdown and Colombo 1942-1946.

Mrs Elaine van Hattem, née Beamish Flowerdown and Colombo 1942-1946. WRNS Intercept Operator. Interviewed October 2014. Life before the WRNS and volunteering Before I joined the WRNS, I lived in Hornchurch, Essex and worked for the Prudential. I was then evacuated to Torquay, which I hated. I was there for a little while and thought ‘this isn’t me’ and so volunteered for the WRNS. My father was in the Merchant Navy, my brother in the Navy and I had decided that I didn’t want to go into the ATS. And so, I was interviewed at Brentwood by a doctor, who also discovered that I apparently had appendicitis! After seeing another doctor, it was actually confirmed that I didn’t have appendicitis at all! Training at New College As so I ended up at New College, London (near Swiss Cottage) on 5 August 1942, where I met Bobbie Whitby, and others. We had a choice of being a wireless operator or motor mechanic – I chose wireless operator, as did everyone else. I didn’t know what was involved; I don’t think the others did either!

I completed my basic WRNS training in about two to three months, before we went on to Flowerdown. It was very nice at New College; the food was edible and we were near the theatres. We learnt Morse and were instructed by Commander Bloodsworth, who was very strict. We didn’t use any machines, as I recall. It wasn’t hard to learn, as we all helped each other and had some very good Petty Officers looking after us – it was a very happy time. We had to set to work when we left there to go to Winchester, though at Flowerdown We were offered the choice of posting – some chose Scarborough but I was very glad to have chosen Flowerdown, and we went straight to Winchester from New College in late 1942. We did visit Scarborough a couple of times.

Flowerdown was five miles out of Winchester, next to the base, in lovely countryside. We lived in cabins – there were about eight of us in each and we used to take it in turns to get up and make the tea! We eventually got bicycles as the mess was a long way from where we were sleeping. It was quite a big camp, as I remember. Petty Officers were based in a special row, going up to where our accommodation was.

There were aerials all around Flowerdown, picking up the signals. It was a free and easy life there, with lots of grounds. We went to dances in London, at the Royal Overseas League, in St James. I remember having our photos taken. We couldn’t do much as we only had about £5 to spend. We stayed in the Piccadilly Hotel a couple of times and went to a tea dance there once! We did this during our couple of days off – they didn’t keep track of us during this leave, but woe betide you if were late coming back. Once I had terrible trouble getting back, I

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caught the train and it didn’t stop – we went straight to Portsmouth. When I eventually got back and walked in on them having ‘prayers’, I got a terrible telling off. The Work We each had our own radio set, which was a 2 ft square black case – nothing elaborate - and earphones. We would sit twiddling the dial and would search for mainly submarines, ships, minesweepers etc. We listened and as soon as a signal of Morse came in, we would try to locate it. We would then take down the code as a group of four letters onto a pad. These codes didn’t mean anything to us – it was the Charge Hand who knew how to tell the difference between ships and aircraft. It could be a very frustrating process. Once we finished taking the signal, the Charge Hand would take them away and we’d work on the next signal. We didn’t know where these codes were sent on to. It was only later, after the War, that we knew about Bletchley Park. We often couldn’t hear all of the Morse and the Charge Hand (who was watching over us) would shout if we didn’t catch the message! The only really exciting thing was if we caught an enemy submarine or aircraft. Lord Mountbatten used to visit a lot and did something to the code; he was certainly interested in this. He also went over to Ceylon afterwards with his wife. We worked four-hour shifts on three-day patterns. We then had a day off. After this, we’d go on watch at about 6 am. One was a night shift and I think it was a bit longer. It wasn’t tiring as you were with everyone you knew and you just got on with it. One clear memory I have is of the enamel tea mugs being almost black, as they were so dirty – however, I got used to it! The boys used to have their ‘tot’ at 1pm and sometimes we’d have a sip, depending on who you sat next to. We weren’t allowed to smoke.

I never heard of Bletchley Park during my time at Flowerdown and it was only many years later, after we left the WRNS, that we went there to find out about it. Once we had signed the Secrets Act, we knew not to talk about our work and not even our families knew what we did. Colombo After around six months at Flowerdown, we went to Colombo. I remember us leaving on a Saturday night in coaches and it was pouring with rain. We had no idea where we were going. The coaches took us to Newcastle, where we boarded a boat, for Bombay. I don’t recall volunteering for this posting; we were just told we were going, although I don’t think they’d have minded if we had refused. We had a terrible time travelling from Bombay to Ceylon, as the boat in front (which was full of naval personnel) was sunk and all on board died apart from a one Wren. It made us so miserable - the poor girl was in a terrible state. I can’t remember the name of our ship. It took about a week to get down to Colombo and I don’t know the route we took. Pat Smith married the midshipman on the boat – I’ve tried to get in touch to find out more details. I think his name was Douglas. When we got to Bombay, we had to work in a factory for about three weeks, working on something to do with bricks, which we were a bit indignant about, as we had these wireless skills, that weren’t being used! My cousin was out there and met me, which was nice. He knew all the best places to go, the Club of India etc. We were the first batch of Wrens who went over so maybe they weren’t ready for us in Colombo. After we finished working with bricks they sent us on to Colombo. It turned out they didn’t know what to do with us in Colombo either. There was a bossy Petty Officer in charge. He would give one set of commands and then some else would give us a different set of commands. This is where our group was split up into one of three groups. One group went to Beaver House and I went with Vicky Smith in another group. Beaver was a big private house with sheds (bandas) in the garden. About 12-14 people would be in each banda, which had brick walls, no windows but a space below the thatched roof, to let the air circulate. We also experienced a lot of theft of our jewellery when we were out

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there. I remember my friend Jean Carr constantly getting up during the night to tuck in her mosquito net, to protect her jewellery! We used to have a newspaper whilst we were there and in the end we had to pay for it. We were called HMS Lanka 3 A bus would come for us to take us to work at HMS Anderson. In our spare time we used to go to a very nice swimming pool and played tennis a lot. We also went swimming a lot as we were near the beach. It was a lovely crowd. We didn’t get the same freedom as at Flowerdown. The work was similar to Flowerdown – we were on the sets, doing interception on Japanese forces. The German work was done at Scarborough. We did some Italian work to begin with in Ceylon. The shift pattern was still four hours. We wore white uniform. I met my future husband at a tea dance on the first day we were off duty. He was one of two Dutch boys we met and they took us everywhere – my future husband had his own jeep! He was in a special branch of the Dutch navy and his ambition was to rescue his sister from a Java camp. All she had saved from her house fire was a bed, which she had taken into the camp. She was so afraid that her son would starve, that she befriended the guards to ensure he ate properly. The Dutch government sent them to Australia afterwards for six months and then they returned to Holland. I married my husband in Ceylon – we went to Nuwara Eliya for honeymoon and stayed in the Grand Hotel and then the Hill Club. We had about one month off, which was lovely. Afterwards I went back to work and my husband would be gone for up to six weeks at a time. We had a flat just outside of Colombo, sharing a house with three other girls. We were lucky. End of the War We were simply told the War was over and put on a troop ship along with prisoners of war. I was in cabin with three Singhalese women and all the men gave up their cabins for the prisoners of war. My father met us at Southampton and met my husband for the first time. My husband had to report every day to the police station as he was an ‘alien’ – this made my mother very cross as he had fought for our country! Close to where we lived there was an MP, Chuter-Ede, who acted as sponsor for my husband to retrain in cake making at Westminster College, London and then run a cake business at the local shop. He duly became a British Citizen. I was demobbed in 1946. We went to two reunions at the Festival Hall and met Prince Phillip at both.

Leading Seaman Telegraphist 368 - A Sailor's Tale http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/44337-lst-368-a-sailors-tale/

…but back to my personal position at HMS Mercury: once again I did not have long to wait before my name was called to report for draft: in this instance, a number of drafts was being handled at the same time and all draftees were instructed to muster on the parade square where the Drafting Officer stood with a long list and called each man out individually, to be informed of his draft location or number as was applicable. When I went forward on my name being called, he mumbled something like “I see you've been on destroyers” (obviously having seen the reference to HMS Burwell on my service record but apparently not noticing that the draft had lasted only a few weeks) and to my disgust I found myself drafted to Flowerdown W/T (Wireless Telegraphy) Station just outside Winchester in Hampshire.

Now it was not done for ratings to query with Drafting Officers the whys and wherefores of drafts - so it was to Flowerdown W/T I went. To be perfectly honest, Flowerdown was situated in a very pleasant location and the task was to listen to, record and report to

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Admiralty Headquarters (to which one was connected by land line) signals being transmitted by naval overseas radio stations. This meant working watches day or night as required which at times could be very monotonous as when atmospheric conditions were bad sometimes one could sit through an 8-hour night watch just listening out and not being able to pick up any signals from the overseas station to which one was allocated. The night would then be spent simply reporting to Admiralty every hour or so “There is no ------” (whatever was the call sign of the overseas station to which one was tuned). In many respects, Flowerdown could be rated a good draft: there was a keen Social Club in existence through which various activities were organised – Housey-Housey, dances, dancing classes etc. (there were a number of WRNS on station and some Officers also lived on site with their families). In fact, the station was often loosely described as “Flowerdown Social Club” with a little official wireless telegraphy thrown in for good measure!

It was, in my opinion, the sort of draft to which a sailor who had spent long periods at sea in convoy work or similar hazardous duties - possibly a survivor from a sunken ship in need of rest and recuperation - should have been appointed but it was not the sort of situation that I sought or wanted. I'd joined the Navy because I fancied going to sea: I'd now been enlisted for about 10 months, spent approximately 6 months of that time on initial and Combined Operations training, about 2 months on HMS Burwell of which most had been spent ashore and the rest of my time in barracks or travelling to and fro on drafts. My sea time so far consisted of several crossings on the Gosport ferry, one on the Stranraer to Larne ferry and a voyage from Londonderry to Liverpool on HMS Burwell. Hardly a situation meriting a shore billet!

I stuck life at Flowerdown for about 4 months: I won't say I didn't enjoy it: the atmosphere was very friendly; the social life was good and I'd chummed up with another telegraphist who hailed from the London area. There was an excellent pub in a small village not far from the base which we used to visit and where we used to join in the merriment with a group of locally based soldiers and Winchester was not too far away with available cinemas and servicemen's clubs. One facet of Flowerdown which was not so good was the food: generally speaking, I had found the food produced by Navy cooks considering the numbers for whom they had to cater as quite reasonable, but I think they must have drafted all the culinary failures to Flowerdown! The meals seemed to consist of corned beef, day after day: we had corned beef cold, fried, encased in pies or pasties and seemingly used in numerous other ways probably unknown to anybody other than Flowerdown cooks! Now I like corned beef (I still do) but in moderation: when it is served up day after day it gets a little much. In one respect, however, I was quite happy with the apparent loose system of messing used at Flowerdown: I can't recall the circumstances now, but friend Den happened to be in the area and called in to see me (in uniform, of course): I was able to take him into the Mess and obtain meals for him without anybody querying the fact that he was not borne on the base numbers. Very handy! I think that was the only occasion since our training days together in Collingwood that Den and I managed to meet up during the whole of the war. [/FONT]

But I still felt that I wished to play a more active part in the war and get to sea: so eventually I took the bull by the horns: having made some tentative soundings I knew it would not be easy to get away from Flowerdown - it took a while for one to get used to the procedures and the powers that be obviously did not like spending time getting people trained up just for them

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then to leave - but I thought I knew a way in which it could be done! So, I put in a request to be transferred to the submarine service (the submarine service was always looking for volunteers): in retrospect, it was a very foolhardy thing to do as the life expectancy of submariners was not very long, but I was young (perhaps slightly mad) and it was a way of getting me away from Flowerdown and a chance to get to sea.

Shortly afterwards my request for transfer was granted and once more it was back to HMS Mercury: probably fortunately for me, the actual request for submarine service was not accepted, possibly due to the fact that telegraphists on submarines also doubled as signalmen and my eyesight was not good enough for signal duties: perhaps there is something to be said for slightly defective vision after all! It was early December 1942 when I re-joined HMS Mercury, where again it was not too long before I was called for draft: on this occasion there was a very large draft of men all scheduled to leave together, although apparently to a number of different individual appointments but obviously initially in the same general direction. My personal draft was listed as to 'LSTP8' - which meant very little - and from casual conversation with others who had similarly coded drafts, it meant little to them either: naturally, there was much speculation and guess work as to the eventual destination(s) and craft involved.

Recollection of the War of Frank Weeks, a sailor in WW2

http://www.mikekemble.com/ww2/LST368.html broken link!

…and to my disgust I found myself drafted to Flowerdown W/T (Wireless Telegraphy) Station just outside Winchester in Hampshire. Now it was not done for ratings to query with Drafting Officers the whys and wherefores of drafts - so it was to Flowerdown W/T I went. To be perfectly honest, Flowerdown was situated in a very pleasant location and the task was to listen to, record and report to Admiralty Headquarters (see section 13.8), to which one was connected by land line, signals being transmitted by naval overseas radio stations. This meant working watches day or night as required which at times could be very monotonous as when atmospheric conditions were bad sometimes one could sit through an 8-hour night watch just listening out and not being able to pick up any signals from the overseas station to which one was allocated. The night would then be spent simply reporting to Admiralty every hour or so “There is no ------” (whatever was the call sign of the overseas station to which one was tuned). In many respects, Flowerdown could be rated a good draft: there was a keen Social Club in existence through which various activities were organised – Housey-Housey, dances, dancing classes etc. (there were a number of WRNS on station and some Officers also lived on site with their families). In fact, the station was often loosely described as “Flowerdown Social Club” with a little official wireless telegraphy thrown in for good measure! It was, in my opinion, the sort of draft to which a sailor who had spent long periods at sea in convoy work or similar hazardous duties - possibly a survivor from a sunken ship in need of rest and recuperation - should have been appointed but it was not the sort of situation that I sought or wanted. I'd joined the Navy because I fancied going to sea: I'd now been enlisted for about 10 months, spent approximately 6 months of that time on initial and Combined Operations training, about 2 months on HMS Burwell of which most had been spent ashore and the rest of my time in barracks or travelling to and from on drafts. My sea time so far consisted of several crossings on the Gosport ferry, one on the Stranraer to Larne ferry and a voyage from

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Londonderry to Liverpool on HMS Burwell. Hardly a situation meriting a shore billet! I stuck life at Flowerdown for about 4 months: I won't say I didn't enjoy it: the atmosphere was very friendly; the social life was good and I'd chummed up with another telegraphist who hailed from the London area. There was an excellent pub in a small village not far from the base which we used to visit and where we used to join in the merriment with a group of locally based soldiers and Winchester was not too far away with available cinemas and servicemen's clubs. One facet of Flowerdown which was not so good was the food: generally speaking, I had found the food produced by Navy cooks considering the numbers for whom they had to cater as quite reasonable, but I think they must have drafted all the culinary failures to Flowerdown! The meals seemed to consist of corned beef, day after day: we had corned beef cold, fried, encased in pies or pasties and seemingly used in numerous other ways probably unknown to anybody other than Flowerdown cooks! Now I like corned beef (I still do) but in moderation: when it is served up day after day it gets a little much. In one respect, however, I was quite happy with the apparent loose system of messing used at Flowerdown: I can't recall the circumstances now, but friend Den happened to be in the area and called in to see me (in uniform, of course): I was able to take him into the Mess and obtain meals for him without anybody querying the fact that he was not borne on the base numbers. Very handy! I think that was the only occasion since our training days together in Collingwood that Den and I managed to meet up during the whole of the war.

But I still felt that I wished to play a more active part in the war and get to sea: so eventually I took the bull by the horns: having made some tentative soundings I knew it would not be easy to get away from Flowerdown - it took a while for one to get used to the procedures and the powers that be obviously did not like spending time getting people trained up just for them then to leave - but I thought I knew a way in which it could be done! So, I put in a request to be transferred to the submarine service (the submarine service was always looking for volunteers): in retrospect, it was a very foolhardy thing to do as the life expectancy of submariners was not very long, but I was young (perhaps slightly mad) and it was a way of getting me away from Flowerdown and a chance to get to sea.

Edwin Douglas Ramsay Shearman

https://ethw.org/Oral-History:Edwin_Douglas_Ramsay_Shearman

I was directed from ASE at Lythe Hill House to HMS Flowerdown near Winchester in Hampshire. This was not a ship; it was a shore establishment of HF (High-Frequency 3-30 MHz or shortwave) receivers, HF-receiving antennas and receiving antenna switchboards, but the Navy only knew about ships to they called it ‘HMS’ (His Majesty’s Ship). There were some fifty receivers in each room. Wrens and civilians were receiving signals with this equipment. The task I was involved in was to introduce radio-teleprinters into naval ship-shore and shore-to- shore HF communication. The station's main task before this had been the interception of German and Japanese Morse traffic for decoding by Bletchley Park. We found techniques such as ‘radio fingerprinting’ and analysis of the received signal used in this work to be very useful for our task of analysing ionospheric echo distortion and fading as it affected inter-symbol interference on radio teleprinter signals. In this period, I was involved at HMS Flowerdown with developing receiving techniques, primarily in order to get radio teleprinter signals over a

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fading, multipath shortwave link. We had to use diversity, and we had large, three-receiver installations connected to three different spaced antennas, providing triple-diversity reception. In this way we could connect a radio teleprinter directly to the digital output of the diversity receiver and our digital signals (then known as ‘Mark’ and ‘Space’, rather than ‘1’ and ‘0’) went up the line to the underground communications centre under the Admiralty Arch in London.

Mrs Irene Underwood

I believe that the following was recorded for the Hampshire Record Office. It is full of local colour and she must have been a truly remarkable person.

Mrs Irene Underwood, nee Clewer, born 1916, interviewed by Sarah Bussy at 25 St Johns North, Winchester on 24 Jan 2001; her husband, Norman, born 1915, can be heard occasionally. Tape 1 Side A Born St Catherines Road, Highcliffe, 1916. Family in house over 50 years. Youngest of 6; now only 2 left. Went to Danemark Central School then, now St Bedes. Work at Boots, which was then a chemist’s shop, as window dresser - then Timothy Whites. To Watford, then World War II. Becomes WRENs radio operator, gets married, back to Winchester 1951, marriage breaks up. Remembers International Stores, where Laura Ashley is now, first shop to become self-service. Marries Norman 1963, to Australia, 1970, back 1981. Describes Sainsburys with marble counters and white tiles, patting butter up. Coopers Hardware shop where C&H Fabrics are now. Maypole in Piazza, Liptons, Home and Colonial, Pinks. Buses going through Westgate. Tasks she had to do as a child - cleaning brass, tiles, skinning and paunching rabbits from rag and bone shop in Middle Brook Street. Story of taking jam jars to rag and bone man - Carrie Glover and wheelbarrow. Horses and carts - manure from streets for allotment - sisters Kit and Eve. Beginnings of Stanmore School in 1920s - beating bounds of school perimeter - Prince of Wales there. Danemark School and headmaster Dusty Miller. Father butler to Winchester College housemaster, Southgate House, later a steward on White Star Line, then clerk at Army Record Office, Bushfield. Mother lived Chesil Street, was pupil teacher at St Marys School, Abbey Passage. Maternal grandparents called Diver. Grandfather has photograph in 'In and Around Winchester', where he is incorrectly named as Driver, he bought Fulflood Dairy, had cows and milk round, first milk float in Winchester. October Fair, cake walk, making humbugs, gas jet lighting. Swimming pool in recreation ground was just fenced off river. Bulls Drove, Lido, walking on St Catherines and St Giles Hills. First radio, gas lighting, oil lamps, old black range in living room Tape 1 Side B Long silent hiatus. Tea on Sundays. School and Dusty Miller. Jack Hammond, Harold C Spikens. Tunnels in Winchester. Slum areas of Winchester and the poor. Time in hospital. Father brought home candlesticks from Winchester College. College clothing. Soldiers in Winchester before war. King Alfreds College boys in distinctive scarves. Parental discipline. Weekly bath, etc. Tape 2 Side A Window dresser at Timothy Whites, Watford. Becomes WREN when war breaks out because of uniform.

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Teaches herself morse code under bedclothes during blackout to become wireless. Joins up Aug 1940 - to Royal Naval College, Greenwich - air raids on East End and dog fights. Learns different codes, becomes Chief Wren - describes ranks. Posted to Flowerdown as watchkeeper. Describes watches. Describes listening to stations - one in each ear - for German and Italian call signs - sent messages to Bletchley Park. Y and W Station at Flowerdown - secrecy. Worked in prefabricated huts - 100s of wireless masts - billeted in Littleton. Mr and Mrs Bath, schoolteachers at Danemark Central. Visiting mother in Winchester. Rationing. Dances at Audrey Tea Rooms, Winchester - mostly soldiers. Ritz and Odeon. Officer Training Corps and time as Wren Officer, North Hill House, Flowerdown. Lunch in Painted Hall, Greenwich, on OTC. Remembers SOS at Flowerdown from Italian ship. Learnt from Station X television programme. Work at Portland Bill - Marie Stopes cottage taken over by Navy. Air raid in Weymouth. Mentions people killed at Hyde, Winchester. Could see fires in Southampton from Winchester and hear the bombs. American troops in Winchester - Crawley Court - dances. Winchester before war - pulling down St Maurice's church where Norman sang in choir - Giffords corn merchants became Woolworths. Remembers opening of Woolworths. Was one of first Wrens to work with Visual Direction Finding, Crawley - working in huts.

Tape 2 Side B American soldier walked into back door by mistake in blackout. Rationing - national bread, no oranges or bananas. Chief Wren 'Number one' suit made by Gosport tailor - uniform - Pusser's stores on camp at Flowerdown.

Flowerdown - Extracts from BBC2 Series ‘The People’s War’

The BBC asked the public to contribute their memories of World War Two to their website between June 2003 and January 2006. The following recall memories of Flowerdown.

Brian Hewitt BBC web site http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/76/a3583776.shtml broken link!

Contributed by Brian Hewitt People in story: Leo Hewitt, Lily may Hewitt, Brian Hewitt Location of story: HMS Flowerdown, Winchester Background to story: Royal Navy Article ID: A3583776 Contributed on: 27 January 2005

I was born in May 1934, at my grandmothers in Wallasey. My father was a serving sailor in the Royal Navy and had originated from Liverpool and his mum now lived in Wallasey. Dad joined the Royal Navy at Shotley Barracks in Suffolk as a 16-year-old boy in the early 1920’s. He became a Wireless Telegraphist and spent all his early naval life at sea. This included a spell in the submarine service, and he spent three years out on China station on HMS Oswald. Oswald was a brand-new boat that Dad ‘stood by’ at Vickers yard in Barrow — the year 1928. After sea trials Oswald sailed from Portsmouth, in company with three other O class boats, to Wei Hei Wei in China, up close to the Korean Border. The function of the submarines was to help protect shipping in an area notorious for pirates. Dad stayed there three years after which time the crew, or part of the crew, were sent back to the UK. Dad eventually met and married Mum in Weymouth. She was a tailoress

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altering sailor’s uniforms and her father kept a pub overlooking Town Bridge in Weymouth. The combination looked irresistible.

I think Mum was probable one of the reasons Dad joined the Naval Shore Wireless Service and was posted, in about 1936, to HMS Flowerdown a naval wireless station on the outskirts of Winchester. HMS Flowerdown had been a RAF Electrical and Wireless Training Establishment for aircraft apprentices but the RAF moved out to RAF Cranwell and the Royal Navy moved in. (By coincidence I joined the RAF in 1950 as an Aircraft Apprentice at RAF Cranwell) .We lived in Married Quarters which were wooden huts with the minimal of creature comforts by today’s standards but considered adequate for the time. Mum had to cook on a coal fired range and Sunday lunch took all morning to cook. Groceries were delivered by the Home and Colonial van, which came once a week from Winchester. We also had fresh milk and bread deliveries and as far as I can remember we seemed to live pretty well. I started school in a primary school at High Walls in Winchester in April 1934. Dad took me for the first day in the child’s seat mounted on the crossbar of his bicycle — no off-road 4-wheel drives in those days on the school run. After that I took the school bus every day.

I remember little of school except the daily bus ride and swallowing halfpenny from my bus fare one day and being rushed to Winchester Hospital. Everybody seemed very concerned but nature took it’s time and the next the coin duly passed through. I was a bit upset that I didn’t get my money back — perhaps it was part of the hospital fee. The war came quietly, it made little difference to us children except that instead of Cowboys and Indian’s it became English soldiers and German soldiers, and mum and dad spent lots of time making sure the blackout was observed. There were already underground air raid shelters built on the wireless station and I think we all went down into the shelters, for the first practice air raid, the day after war broke out. It all seemed a bit of a laugh really and life seemed to go on much as it had done, dad went to work, mum cooked and cleaned and I went off to school every day.

The photograph shows me in the middle with wooden rifle, aged about six.

One thing did upset me early on in the war was the start of sweet rationing. I had got used to getting a halfpenny wrap of sweets from the corner shop near the school, then suddenly no more sweets without coupons. I believe sweets were one of the last things to come of the ration; I must have been a teenager by then and more interested in Woodbines than Mars bars. Most food went on ration but I don’t think we lived that badly. Dad had an allotment and he also set snares for rabbits all over the Wireless station. A large area of the station was open grass land with blackberry bushes. We often depended on dad to snare Rabbits to have meat on a Sunday, but he was a bit squeamish about the skinning and gutting — a job for the mum the cook.

The war really came home to us in the air war during the in 1940. We could see all the aircraft contrails to the south of us and the papers were full of our brave fighter pilots’ victories in the air against the menacing, evil German Luftwaffe.

The night-time was frightening for me because I often heard the sound of German flying over; the bombers had a peculiar drone partly because they de-synchronised their engines to fool the sound location systems. At night, when they flew over, I used to cry for dad and he would come in and say, lie quiet and they will soon have gone over. Mostly they did but one night the naval station did get bombed and I think a couple of people were killed when a bomb hit one of the married

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quarters. There was talk after that of the children being evacuated to Canada but it came to nothing.

Life was very simple really we were the goodies and the Germans the baddies and there were no shades of grey. I was only six and one day I asked Dad what would happen if we lost the war and he got very angry with me for even suggesting that there could any winner but Great Britain. The truth was I suppose he really was not sure we would win; the rest of Europe was overrun by the Germans and it was only a question of time before the Germans crossed the channel. Early on the naval station became a temporary home for servicemen evacuated from and they mostly had only the clothes they stood up in. The Navy had built static water tanks on Flowerdown to be used as emergency water supplies in the event of fires after air raids. I remember me and my pal climbing the ladder on the outside of one of the tanks to look for tadpoles. I of course fell in and since they were 5 feet deep could well have drowned but my pal yanked me out by my jacket collar. There I was saturated from head to foot, half drowned but all I could think of was — my mum will really go to own on me coming home soaking wet. She did have go when I got home, the marks where she smacked my leg probably still show.

My grandmother was bombed out of her bungalow (where I was born) in Wallasey and came down to live in a rented cottage in Littleton, close to Flowerdown. She was my father’s mother had been widowed when granddad William had been killed in World War 1. We, the children called her ‘Nanny Stalker’, she had married twice more after William was killed and her last husband was called Stalker. She outlived all her husbands and died eventually in Liverpool in the late fifties. I think life in Hampshire in 1940 was a bit more peaceful than life on Merseyside.

Both my sisters and brother were born at HMS Flowerdown and it was a tradition that each new child had a tree planted complete with name plaque, as I remember Horse Chestnut trees. I last visited the site about 1990 and then Flowerdown site belonged to the army so I wonder if the trees are still there. The old main entrance to the site was then a public road and original RAF 1920 guard room and brick built married quarters were private houses.

Early in 1941 the Royal Navy moved Dad and us to the Burnham-On-Sea so that dad could serve at Burnham Radio Station, which I believe had become the Royal Navies main ship-to-shore for the North Atlantic.

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© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Dermod J. Kirwan

Dermod J.Kirwan

BBC web site https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/25/a8259825.shtml

On reading this story, his son contacted me to say that his Dad was in lodgings in Littleton during his time at Flowerdown. The house is still there!

Dermot J. Kirwan

People in the story: Dermod J. Kirwan Location of story: U.K. and Jamaica Article ID: A8259825 Contributed on: 04 January 2006

Admiralty Civilian Shore Wireless Service.

During World War 2, I was a civilian radio operator employed by the Admiralty, and the service of which I was a member was known as the Civilian Shore Wireless Service, sometimes referred to facetiously as the Co-operative Wholesale Society because of the similarity of the initials. The work was interception of enemy naval signals and taking direction finding bearings on enemy ships which were mostly submarines.

In 1940 I was working as a radio operator in an aviation radio station in Ireland. One day a friend of mine showed me an application form for the Admiralty Civilian Shore Wireless Service and some information which came with it. Entrants were required to be able to receive Morse at 20 words per minute. My friend changed his mind but I filled out the application form. Three weeks passed, during which they may have been “vetting “ me in case I would turn out to be a spy, and then I got an invitation to attend for interview at the signal school of the Royal Navy barracks in Portsmouth on Monday 27th May 1940 at 9a.m. The first question I was asked was “Assuming that you pass this interview, would you be able to start with us today?

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I joined a class of about twenty men. During a course at Portsmouth R.N. Signal School we were told that submarines could only transmit when they were on the surface, and when they were submerged they could receive, but only on low frequencies. When on the surface they could of course receive on all frequencies. When they surfaced they had to dry out their antennas. They did this by pressing their key which made a particular sound which we had been trained to recognise. The moment we heard this we had to call out the frequency to the controller who was permanently connected to several DF stations and they would hopefully be able to locate the U boat position very precisely.

At Portsmouth we also learned and practiced the Morse symbols for accented vowels, which are extra to the ordinary letters, figures, and punctuation marks which every radio operator must learn for his certificate. Other skills learned on the course included target practice with the .45 revolver, known officially as a pistol, never a “handgun” in those days. We also had rifle practice but ammunition for this was limited to only five rounds each.

After three weeks in Portsmouth, I was transferred to Flowerdown R.N. W/T station near Winchester. In the main building there were perhaps forty operators on duly, some of them civilians and some were girls in the uniform of the W.R.N.S., all copying traffic from German or Italian stations. The German radio stations controlling the Battle of the Atlantic were Lorient, R X Ú, and Berlin Á D A. Four letter code was used, and naval ships used no call signs, transmitting their messages on the same frequency as the shore stations and using a prefix which distinguished between a weather report W, and an enemy sighting report É, which we called an E bar, (Morse symbol ..-..). e.g., É ZMPQ CLRB FXDS JTLM RNOX. There were also prefixes for other categories of messages.

The German broadcasts would come up on known frequencies, at the same time, ten minutes past the hour, long messages of four letter groups. The message would then be repeated from another base in the area so that should any of their intended recipients miss a group or letter for any reason there was a second chance for their operators (as us as well) to check the message and insert any missing letters or groups. By using another station to repeat the message there was the chance that the second station might not have the same atmospheric disturbances as the originator. Ships were not supposed to ask for groups to be repeated for fear of being D/F ed but occasionally they did. If so the operator shouted the frequency and the control person would direct, via his land lines, his choice of D/F stations to that frequency.

I had been there a couple of weeks in Flowerdown when one morning a supervisor came around and said, “Has anyone had experience of short-wave direction finding?” I was the only one who answered and I stood up and told him of my experiences at an aviation radio station in Ballygirreen.

From then on, until May 1945, I was continuously employed on taking bearings on enemy ships, mostly submarines, when they transmitted with their radio, and after Flowerdown I served at Cooling Marshes, on the Thames Estuary, Lydd on the Southeast coast of England, Kingston (Jamaica) and Wick in the north of Scotland.

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We had Direction Finding stations at strategic points around the U.K. so that when an enemy submarine transmitted with his radio, provide that at least two of our stations got bearings his position could be determined and so a convoy might be diverted out of danger or its escort reinforced At Cooling Marshes we were having air raids every night, so I had some anxious times with enemy bombs exploding nearby and our anti-aircraft shells exploding overhead and showering their fragments all around. In the end of April 1941, we got instructions to close up the radio station at Cooling Marshes and transfer to Lydd, near Dungeness, where a better site for a D/F station had been found.

This really sounds like ancient history, but it was decided that when the time came to warn the people of England that Hitler’s invasion had started the church bells were to be rung all over the land, and the signal for this to be done was to be the code word “Cromwell”. Therefore, there was no bell for Mass, or Church of England, or other religious service.

On Sunday, September the 8th I went on duty at 8 a.m. from my lodgings in the nearby village of Littleton (Charlton 76, Main Road) and in those days my instructions were to collect a rifle and ammunition at the main receiving station and to take them with me to the building known as D/F one. On arrival at my place of duty I was surprised to see two armed soldiers at the door, and I was even more surprised on going inside to see that Mr. Kenward, whom I was relieving had two revolvers on the table beside the receiver.

His reply to my question “What is it all about?” was “Oh haven’t you heard? The church bells have been rung, and the Germans have landed. Hardly had he said this when we heard the sound of a large formation of aircraft approaching. It was a day of low grey clouds, just below which and partly shrouded in mist we saw the twin-engine planes, several abreast and more behind them.

I don’t know if the others with me expected a low level bombing or machine gun attack, but my own expectation was that we were going to be in action against paratroopers within minutes and that we might shoot some of them on their way down. Of course, we were all looking anxiously towards the oncoming aircraft, when one of the soldiers was the first to see the markings and called out “It’s all right, they are ours”. I can truly say I was never more relieved in my life. The explanation of the mistaken ringing of the church bells came to me long after the war in a book called “Invasion 1940” by Peter Fleming. It seems that there was doubt or confusion in London among highly placed persons as to whether “Cromwell” meant that an invasion was imminent, or that the Germans had actually landed. The night of 7th/8th September was that of the first heavy air attack on London. At the same time there was a concentration of enemy ships sighted off Calais, and so in the belief that the invasion of England was on the way, the dread code word was sent out.

Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. BBC-WW2 People's War

…later Dermod’s son sent me the following letter from a former Wren who gives us an insight into her duties as a W/T and D/F operator working at Scarborough, D/F training at Flowerdown and then in the nearby Portsmouth area…..

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November 18th 1997 Dear Mr Kirwan,

The Tel(s) 1942-1945 Association Newsletter of July mentions the fact that your late father worked in the Admiralty Civilian Wireless Service during the war. I was one of the second group of W/T Chief Wrens posted to Scarborough W/T Station in April 1940. We had had three months intensive training in London. The first group of four to go were morse-trained ex Post Office people who did not have to start from (almost) scratch. We were rated as Chief Wrens on draft because we would be working with ex-Chief Yeomen of Signals etc, retired from the Navy and it was felt that we should not be paid as mere Wrens where doing the same work as men on much higher pay! Very nice for us too! The C.O. was Lt Cdr Rogers. Chargehands in charge of watches were Mr. Cox, Mr. Bardell, Mr. Griffiths, and Mr. Markham.

The watch system was one chosen by the men themselves:-

1. 0830 – 1300 and 2300 – 0830 (We called this our “Waterloo”) 2. Sleep 3. 1300 – 2300 4. Day off

When I went to Scarborough on April 8th 1940 there were two receiving rooms. Downstairs was the main receiving room with about 12+ ? operators working HRO receivers. There was also the man at the control desk who directed the Direction-Finding stations to the frequency a ship or U Boat came up on. The upstairs receiving room had huge sets I likened to “blocks of flats”. I only spent a short time there before being moved to the downstairs room. Also, upstairs was a Chief Petty Officer known as “The Gestapo” – presumably because he kept an eye on our work. Luckily I never got into the hands of Scarborough Gestapo! I was mainly dealing with broadcast signals which the Germans sent from their coastal bases on the French coast (i.e., Brest) to their vessels in the Atlantic and the Norwegian coast (i.e., Oslo – call sign OLŌ) and Stavanger (CĀY) to their shipping in the North Sea. The broadcasts would come up on known-to-us frequencies at, for some time, tem minutes past the hour, long messages of four-letter groups. The message would then be repeated from another base in the area so that should any of their intended recipients miss a group or letter for any reason there was a second chance for their operators (and us at Scarborough!) to check the message and insert any missed letters or groups. By using another station to repeat the message there was the chance that the second station might not have the same atmospheric disturbance as the originator. Ships were NOT supposed to ask for groups to be repeated for fear of being D/Fed but occasionally they did. If so the operator shouted the frequency and Scarborough control would direct, via his landlines, his choice of D/F stations to that frequency. If bearings were obtained these would be reported to Scarborough control when he asked the station if it had obtained a bearing and these bearings would be reported b telephone to the DSD & Duty Officer at the Admiralty. The D/F stations would be told what frequency to “sit on” and if they heard a ship or U Boat come up on their frequency they would shout i.e., “E-Bar” (U Boat transmission) and frequency over their landline to Scarborough at the same time taking a bearing of the transmission. Scarborough Control would direct probably another two D/F stations to the frequency desired, if possible, to produce a “cocked hat” where the three bearings intersected. Speed was of the essence as U boat transmissions were of two or three groups only, to avoid bearings being taken and their presence in a certain area detected. I believe these were often sighting reports. The German base stations would change their operating frequencies according to the time of day or time of year. Sometimes, after a change, we would have to search for the new frequency. One got to know the tone etc and were usually lucky enough to pick them up again. But usually, we operators were told what frequency and time transmissions should be expected.

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I never knew the bigger expanded Scarborough as in 1945, I was posted to a radio van working on Portsdown Hill behind Portsmouth. I loved it there as it was highly exciting! There we worked with a German-speaking Wren on watch, she on R/T transmissions and W/T operators on Channel or A/craft. Mostly, we D/Fed in the mornings the beams the enemy were setting up to guide their bombers to that night’s target, and the occasional E-Boats. From the time I went on a D/F course at Flowerdown and thence to Chicksands and later Penhallow Cathode Ray D/F huts in ploughed fields! We were connected by landline to Scarborough, with a fireman’s axe to cut the landline and smash the set and a Webley revolver to shoot undesirables (I never knew if it was for saboteurs or Para troops!). We also had a sentry at Chicksands but by the time I went to Cornwall we only had fleas to contend with and eventually the gathering hordes of US troops arriving to prepare for D-Day. The four-letter code, Enigma, would be sent from Scarboro’ to “Station X” – Bletchley Park we now know. I attended a Bletchley Park reunion in Bedford in September and we had some very interesting talks on how Enigma machines were obtained etc, and spent a half day at Bletchley Park where they are hoping (fingers crossed that they can obtain the necessary pounds) to reopen it as a permanent tribute to those who worked there and, they believe, shortened the war by a possible two years and, at one time, made such a contribution to the allied cause that was at the time on the brink of defeat caused by U-Boat activity in the Atlantic. Intercepted enemy “traffic” was arriving at Bletchley Park by phone, Teleprint and (mainly) despatch rider. We were shown the small side entrance where the D/Rs came in, at a rate of often 40 per hour. The ‘Colossus’ machine has been rebuilt and, if funds can be raised, the ‘Bombe’ will also be rebuilt. After the war everything at Bletchley bar the empty huts were destroyed and the Post Office took over the site. But it is all being restored, largely by “supporters” who also tend the grounds. The site is opened at certain weekends and is well worth a visit. Scarborough, on the other hand, is still operational – visitors not provided for, but in any case, on a Scarborough reunion visit a couple of years ago, our escorted coach trip to he station meant little to me – I did not recognise it. And we could not go inside. I never saw Scarborough W/T Shore Wireless Station after 1941. So, I cannot help a great deal concerning the work your late father did at Scarborough – or was he at Flowerdown (Yes) or one of the D/F stations, among which was Cupar, (Fife), Shetlands, Lands End, Sutton Valence etc? My father (1896-1969) who was born in Dublin but brought up in Galway where his father was Resident Magistrate for that area (including Aran Islands), spent much of his army service in the Limerick area, hunting race-riding and shooting (or playing poker to finance himself!) He was very happy there I believe.

With best wishes, Rosemary Lyster

Josie Page https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/42/a4241242.shtml

Submitted to the People’s War web site by a volunteer on behalf of Life in London and in the WRNS by agecon4dor

Contributed by agecon4dor People in story: Josie Page Location of story: London/Winchester Background to story: Royal Navy Article ID: A4241242 Contributed on: 22 June 2005

This story was submitted to the People’s War web site by a volunteer on behalf of Josie Page and has been added to the site with her permission. She fully understands the site’s terms and conditions...... (the article continues)

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…In 1942 I decided to join the WRNS. After six months training in wireless telegraphy (Morse Code) I landed up at HMS Flowerdown (it sounds like something from a Gilbert and Sullivan opera) which had previously been a civilian station. We had four watches, 6 pm — midnight, 1 pm — 6 pm, 8 am — 1 pm and midnight — 8 am. Then the day off to sleep and the next day commenced at 6 pm again (each day beginning a watch earlier). Flowerdown was a few miles outside Winchester on the Andover road. Food was more plentiful than in civvy street. We were issued with two suits, the one kept for best was referred to as the “tiddley suit” and we had a pair of bell-bottom trousers also. Black stockings when nylons came in were “one up” on the other services! We cycled around Hampshire but invariably got lost as all the signposts were removed! When American Servicemen in lorries took us to dances we were inevitably late getting there and in the small hours, getting back. The drivers went around in circles in the dark and we were perished. We were not keen on the Yanks, much preferring our own Matelots but candidly admitting we went for the food. We worked alongside the sailors and our work was to intercept the German Naval Enigma. We were referred to as a “Y” station and there were other “Y” stations including Wick and Scarborough. The German Naval Code, which we intercepted, was sent on to Bletchley Park although we knew none of this at the time. When we took on this work we were sworn to secrecy and believe it or not even those “in their cups” never leaked it. Only comparatively recently has the tale been told. How awful of Churchill that he ordered so much at Bletchley to be burned and destroyed at the end. Through the taking of exams, I had become a Petty Officer after 18 months and by the Autumn of 1945 was demobbed. On VE Day we danced in the High Street of Winchester with the statue of King Alfred looking down and VJ Day was spent in London. Food came off rationing finally by 1953 but clothes and materials for clothes and furnishings went on for a very long time on points. Life that had been spent for many years surrounded by hordes of people and close friends was flattened overnight with VJ celebrations and a return to civvy street. To quote a song of the time: “those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end” ………..

Josie Page née Barrell - b.1922 http://www.bcs-kidmm.org/bcsmgc/StationXScript.pdf broken link!

Video Script for Women of Station X /Ruth Bourne’s story Note: Text in black is narrative; text in blue is Ruth’s words from her interview with Ann Day or her demonstration with the Bombe replica. The symbols indicate a cut in audio that is possible because the video content is not, at that time, the speaker.

A wooden tray inscribed H.M.S. FLOWERDOWN

A wooden tray inscribed H.M.S. FLOWERDOWN HANTS 19th April 1943 – 8th October 1945 40 x 61 x 3 cm plywood base + wooden edge trim all varnished with names signed in black ink many illegible. Owned by Mr Richard Sacree of Winchester

His recollections:- Tray signed by all at the base WWII.

Given to Richard by Joan Sacree whose name is on the tray.

• 3 quirky postcards 1915 – one certainly of Flowerdown (see above)

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• Father-in-law worked there. • He knows two people who worked there. • His Mum’s neighbour worked there after the war. • Dick Lyons – Maintenance (Generators etc) • Father-in-law at Flowerdown then Taunton • Joan Hill?

The names that could be read are given below:-

Some of the names on the wooden tray are in the 1945 Navy List.

1 Myfanwy Rodwell 2/O WRNS (From THE LONDON GAZETTE, 2 APRIL 1943, 1527 Miss Myfanwy Nancy Rodwell). The following are promoted to the rank of Acting Third Officer, W.R.N.S., with seniority of dates shown: — 7th March 1943. 2 Monica K Cotterell 3 Malcolm Sinclair? 4 Martin E. S. Boissier Captain RN (Captain Martin Edward Scobell Boissier DSO Married Leila Hervey 1940 Died 1964) thePeerage.com (Station Commander living at Flowerdown House, Deane Down Drove) 5 Aloysius??? Simpson ?????(S) RNVR 6 ‘Bungy’ Williams 7 W.K. Faulkner Lt Cmdr. No.1 RNVR

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8 E.E. Dalbeaty or Dalhear SCO (SWS) or SEO (SWS) 9 W? Cocker WRNS 10 J.E. Dames Schmr RN 11 J? or F? Wrixan? Or Nixan? C (This may be F.W.Nixon April 1945 Lt RNVR Navy List) 12 J? McGregor (Also April 1945 Navy List) S/Lt (S) RNVR 13 H Snape (Tex) 14 ? Philberton? Or Fulberton 15 J.S Ruston or Rutz 16 Maureen M Ivery? NAAFI 17 Joan Sacree (Joan Sacree’s family own the wooden tray) 18 Lesley Bilsonan? 19 F.C.J. Smith 20 Margot Cooke (2442 THE LONDON GAZETTE, 26 MAY 1944 The I/O WRNS following Acting Chief Officers W.R.N.S. are confirmed in rank of Could this mean Chief Officer, with seniority of dates shown: — Mrs. Margot intercept Carruthers Cooke. 22nd October 1943) operator? 21 Pamela Mair or Hair 2/O WRNS 22 Elizabeth Davis Chief P/A WRNS 23 Laura Gill 24 Constance Devreux Master at Arms WRNS 25 J Cleopee?? Cooper? 26 R. William Evans (Taff) 27 E. Glanville 28 E.G. Collins 29 T Stevenson 30 J.E. Tuffney 31 E.F. Hayman (Also April 1945 Navy List) (S) 32 J. Handley 33 E.J. Green GPO 34 S Blackburne-Daniell?? 35 B.J. Dismore 36 Vicky Moody 37 Harry Young 38 Brenda Austen 39 Maisie Pettitol?? 40 Frank D Pill 41 Joan H. Ewing 42 Fred Dawson alias “Plum” 43 Doreen Mackenzie 44 F. Carter Tel RN 45 W.E. Stafford SBA 46 A. Webster WSBA or LSBA 47 P.H. Crowther WRM

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48 J. Simpson or Simison?? (This may be A.M.Simpson April 1945 Tel Navy List) 49 “Knocker” White 50 L.A. Parker 51 K. Strong

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British Pathé & Reuters silent film records of Flowerdown in the 1920s. https://www.britishpathe.com/video/passing-out/query/flowerdown

1925 - Air Marshall Sir Hugh Trenchard inspects Wireless School

1926 – Pass Out Day & Cuts. Sir Philip Games attends inspection of aircraft apprentices.

1926 - Pass Out Day Air Vice Marshall Sir J.M.Steel inspecting RAF Aircraft Apprentices

1926 - Cuts (out takes, rushes) for Pass Out Day

1929 - Passing out parade. Air Vice Marshall Scarlet inspects Aircraft Apprentices at Flowerdown

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Photographs HMS Flowerdown

The following images were found at:- http://www.seayourhistory.org.uk/index.php?option=com_search&Itemid=48&searchword=graph %2C&searchphrase=all&ordering=oldest&limit=5&limitstart=5 broken link!

Personnel from HMS Flowerdown 23 April 1937.

Dance hall, HMS Flowerdown.

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Officer's Mess, RN Wireless Station, Flowerdown Camp, Winchester

Officer's Mess, RN Wireless Station, Flowerdown Camp, Winchester

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Billiard Room, RN Wireless Station, Flowerdown Camp, Winchester.

Entrance, RN Wireless Station, Flowerdown Camp, Winchester

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RN Wireless Station, Flowerdown Camp, Winchester.

Married Quarters, RN Wireless Station, Flowerdown Camp, Winchester

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RN Wireless Station, Flowerdown Camp, Winchester

A and B Blocks, RN Wireless Station, Flowerdown Camp, Winchester

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RN Wireless Station, Flowerdown Camp, Winchester.

P Block, RN Wireless Station, Flowerdown Camp, Winchester

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Chestnut Avenue (Yankee Gate) Entrance, RN Wireless Station, Flowerdown Camp, Winchester.

M Block, RN Wireless Station, Flowerdown Camp, Winchester.

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Tree planting at Flowerdown pre-WW2?

The intercept station at Flowerdown

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Bletchley Park - Neptune Project Project: Bletchley Park - Neptune Story Title: Listening to the enemy Learning outcome(s): • Understand the Signals Intelligence process, as made up of a series of steps from intercepting radio (wireless) through to communicating with government • Understand that those working at Bletchley Park did not themselves understand the whole process – they only understood their link in the chain • Be excited by the challenge of reading secret messages • Appreciate the great importance of Y stations – that Bletchley Park depended on them to collect information. • Understand that radio (wireless) is the basis for all messages intercepted and understood at Bletchley Park. • Make the connection between domestic radio (wireless) and government radio communications – it’s all radio. • Understand that messages were intercepted by radio (wireless) operatives at Y Stations listening to German radio signals (in Morse code), transcribing them and sending the information to Bletchley Park. • Listen to Morse code or other signals that were sent via radio (wireless) • Be impressed by the wide distribution of Y-Stations across the country • Have a go on a (replica) Morse machine, intercept or send a radio (wireless) message Display Location: C6 Story summary (1 The main way the opposing powers communicated with each other – sentence) and with their own government departments, armies, and navies – was by radio. So, we listened to their radio signals. Signposting or links to other stories within BP Story: The success of the First World War codebreakers in producing high quality intelligence from German military and diplomatic communications led the politicians and armed forces chiefs to decide that they wanted to continue to receive this intelligence.

They set up the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) by combining the naval codebreaking section, known as Room 40, and its military counterpart MI1b.

The main targets of GC&CS in the years immediately after the First World War were the Russians, the Americans, the Japanese, and the French.

The codebreakers had first to obtain the communications of these countries, and these were sent in a number of ways.

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Naval and military messages were sent by radio in either voice or Morse code. Voice was used at lower levels over shorter distances. Morse code was used for longer distances because it was clearer and less likely to be distorted by poor reception.

Diplomatic messages were sent in enciphered telegrams which travelled via the international telephone and telegraph cables which were laid at the bottom of the sea.

Radio messages were picked up by intercept stations in which operators scanned the airwaves listening in to radio signals. There were a number of different intercept sites in the UK run by the individual armed forces.

The main Royal Navy sites were at Scarborough and Flowerdown, near Winchester, the army site was at Chatham in Kent and the RAF site was at Cheadle in Staffordshire. A number of new sites were set up around the country at the outbreak of war.

There were also several British intercept sites overseas in Malta, Cairo, and Sarafand in Palestine, and for Japanese traffic at Abbottabad and Delhi in India, at Singapore, and later at Colombo and Mombasa. These intercept stations all worked closely with Bletchley Park.

There were also intercept operators based on ships and mobile army intercept units with British forces on the ground in the various theatres around the world. A lot of intelligence could be worked out from what the radio operators were saying to each other and their locations could be tracked down using radio direction-finding equipment. But most of the important messages were in code or cipher and had to be decrypted.

Some diplomatic communications were sent from embassies based in London by radio and these were intercepted by a Metropolitan Police intercept station based in Denmark Hill, south London, and sent to the codebreakers. But most were sent by telegrams.

The international telephone and telegraph lines were controlled by the British company Cable and Wireless and two US companies operating in the UK. The Germans, Japanese and the Italians still used them believing that because their telegrams were all enciphered, they were unreadable.

They cables were difficult to tap into. But the British government issued a warrant ordering the international telegraph companies operating in Britain and the cable stations in Malta and Bermuda to hand over the telegrams to the codebreakers. Once the war began in earnest, the diplomatic telegrams passing on the cables were passed to Bletchley Park for 'censorship'.

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An incomplete list of those who served at Flowerdown during WW2. http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/resources/file.rhtm/591882/pq.pdf broken link!

Good sources include Navy Lists and magazines of the time.

Surname Forenames Post-War Service, Summary of Service Title while or Initials surname, if Rank or Serving different Grade,

Page Anne Green WRNS Flowerdown 1942 - 1945. Intercept operator.

Perfett Harry Flowerdown. Intercept and DF operator.

Phelps Audrey Sands WRNS Abbot's Cliff and Flowerdown 1943 - 1945. Probably intercept operator.

Pitt Marjorie Lucas WRNS Scarborough Sep 1943 - May 1945. Flowerdown May 1945 - Jan 1946. Intercept operator.

Potter Margaret WRNS Flowerdown and Scarborough from Blanche mid-1942. Intercept operator.

Dain Patricia WRNS Flowerdown. Intercept operator. Olive Day Patricia M Humphries WRNS Scarborough, Clophill, Flowerdown and Cupar Apr 1942 - Dec 1945. Intercept operator. Baker C P Brook WRNS Scarborough 1942 - 1943. Flowerdown 1943 - 1945. Wireless operator. Baldwin Gwendolen Smith WRNS Flowerdown 1943 - 1944. Colombo Barnetta 1944 - 1946. Intercept operator. Beresford Beatrice Robertson WRNS Flowerdown 1944 - 1946. Intercept **See Elisabeth operator. below Bettington June Wilkinson WRNS Flowerdown Jan 1943 - Feb 1944. Intercept operator. Clophill Mar 1944 - Sep 1945. DF operator. Beynon Arnold RN Flowerdown and Cheadle, 1943 - Howard 1945. Telegraphist (Special Operator) ("Ginger”)

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Bingham Clare Hood WRNS Scarborough, Flowerdown, Southwold and Folkestone 1942 - 1945. Intercept operator. Blackburn D G Cliff WRNS Scarborough and Flowerdown. Intercept operator Blair Gladys Wilkins WRNS Flowerdown Jul - Oct 1943. Colombo Elizabeth Jan 1944 - Nov 1945. Boyle Betty Enser Scarborough and Flowerdown. Probably intercept operator. Bristowe Patricia WRNS Scarborough and Flowerdown 1942 - Leslie 1945. Intercept operator. ("Jay") Broadhurst Dorothy Dakin WRNS Flowerdown. Intercept operator. Brocklesby Mary Parker WRNS Scarborough, Flowerdown and Beatrice Colombo. Intercept operator. Broughton Margaret Davis WRNS, Flowerdown Autumn 1942 - late 1943. Lynette 3rd Messenger and morse slip Officer operator. Commissioned 1943. Colombo 1944 - 1946. Buttrum Valerie Winyard WRNS Flowerdown Dec 1943 - Jan 1946. Intercept operator. Foulsham. Stan RN Flowerdown receiving station (RN Transmitters – date unknown 1948- 55

Historical Survey, Posthumous and Freedom Nomination Forms. Information from veterans and their relatives and colleagues, included that collected by Margaret and Tony Sale.

Naval Section directories. A compilation of Naval Section telephone directories from between March 1942 and August 1945

Flowerdown January 1943 - Bettington June Wilkinson WRNS February 1944. Intercept operator. Clophill 7 Flowerdown and Cheadle, 1943 - Arnold Howard Beynon RN 1945. Telegraphist (Special 7 (“Ginger” Operator Flowerdown 1944 - 1946. Billinton Pamela WRNS 7 Intercept operator. Scarborough, Flowerdown, Bingham Clare Hood WRNS Southwold and Folkestone 1942 – 7 1945 Intercept Operator. Scarborough and Flowerdown. Blackburn DG Cliff WRNS 7 Intercept operator. Gladys Flowerdown July - October 1943. Blair Wilkins WRNS 7 Elizabeth Colombo January 1944 –

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Surname Forenames Post-War Service, Summary of Service Title while or Initials surname, if Rank or November 1945 Serving different Grade, Scarborough and Flowerdown. Boyle Betty Enser WRNS 7 Gale Alan James RN, L/Tel AlexandriaProbably Decintercept 1942 -operator. Dec 1944. Patricia Leslie Scarborough and Flowerdown Bristowe WRNS(S) Flowerdown Apr 1945 - May 1946. 7 ("Jay") Intercept1942 - 1945. operator Intercept operator. Gillespie Emily Chance WRNS Scarborough, Flowerdown and Elizabeth Colombo. Intercept operator. Glyn-Jones Annie WRNS Scarborough Sep 1942 - Jul 1943 and Nov - Dec 1944. Gibraltar Aug 1943 - Aug 1944. Flowerdown Dec 1944 - Sep 1945. Intercept operator against enemy and neutral shipping, Goide Thelma Alphandary WRNS Flowerdown. Probably intercept operator. Goldsmid Elizabeth Curry WRNS Flowerdown 1944 - 1946. Teleprinter Betty operator. Green Ann Leapman WRNS Flowerdown 1942 - 1945. Intercept operator. Green Rosina Rutherford WRNS Flowerdown and Colombo. Intercept Matilda operator. Green Ursula WRNS Flowerdown and Colombo. Intercept operator. Shepherd Jean Sybil Barton WRNS Flowerdown, Jun 1944 - Jun 1946. Teleprinter operator. Sims Rosemary J Lyman WRNS Flowerdown and Scarborough 1944 - 1946. Intercept operator

Broadhurst Dorothy Dakin WRNS Flowerdown. Intercept operator. 7 Scarborough, Flowerdown and Brocklesby Mary Beatrice Parker WRNS 7 Colombo. Intercept operator. Flowerdown Autumn 1942 - late Margaret WRNS, 3rd 1943. Messenger and Morse slip Broughton Oavis 7 Lynette Officer operator. Commissioned 1943. Colombo 1944 - 1946. Flowerdown December 1943 - Buttrum Valerie Winyard WRNS 7 January 1946. Intercept operator.

I started to search Bletchley web sites for those who served at Flowerdown – samples from A & B.

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Letter A

Surname Forenames Post-War Service, Rank or Summary of Service Source while or Initials surname, if Grade, Title serving different Ash Nora Elsie White WRNS Flowerdown 1943 - 7 1945. Teleprinter operator. Askin Eileen Mary Jacques WRNS Flowerdown 1942 - 7 1943. Intercept Operator Atkin Joan Hall WRNS Flowerdown 1944 - 7 1945. Intercept Operator Aven Catherine - WRNS, 3rd Officer Flowerdown Y Service 7

Letter B

Surname Forenames or Service, Rank Post-War Sources while Initials or Summarv of Service serving surname, if Grade, Title different Scarborough 1942 - 1943. Baker CP Brook WRNS Flowerdown 1943 - 1945. 7 Wireless operator. Flowerdown 1943 - 1944. Gwendolen Baldwin Smith WRNS Colombo 1944 - 1946. Intercept 7 Barnetta operator. Flowerdown and Colombo. William Henry Ballard RN Intercept operator on Japanese 7 James morse. Beatrice Flowerdown 1944 - 1946. Beresford Robertson WRNS 7 Elisabeth Intercept operator.

..and so on!

The Navy List

FLOWERDOWN.

Captain M. E. G. Boissier, DSO (ret) — Dec 42 Mrs. Mary Grace Davies (Flowerdown) ... 17 Jan 43

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Miss Rosemary Geraldine Cockerill (Flowerdown) 31 Jan 43 Miss Janet Nicholson Combe (Flowerdown) 22 Nov 42 Mrs. Mary Grace Davies (Flowerdown) ... 17 Jan 43

https://bletchleypark.org.uk/roll-of-honour/711 Name **Beatrice Elisabeth “Liza” Beresford (Robertson) Certificate of Service View online Service WRNS Summary of Service Flowerdown 1944 - 1946. Intercept Operator. Commemorated on The Codebreakers Wall No Other Information Children's author, notably of ‘The Wombles’. Appointed MBE in 1998. https://twitter.com/bletchleypark/status/1148622743409242113

The creator of some of Wimbledon's most famous residents, The Wombles, worked for Bletchley Park? Elisabeth Beresford MBE worked as a WRNS Y Service wireless operator at Flowerdown from 1944-1946.

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Some aspects of the technical operations at H.M.S Flowerdown

To receive enemy signals and to find the direction they came from and even the identification of the actual transmitter station meant that Flowerdown had to be equipped with the best technology available at the time.

Flowerdown radio receivers

Some of the radios used at Flowerdown to listen to coded enemy signals:-

The National HRO radio

This was an American radio built by the National Radio Company at Malden, Massachusetts. According to several accounts, Herbert Hoover, Jr. son of US President Hoover, and Howard Morgan (of Western Electric) designed the electronics in Hoover's garage in Pasadena, California.

Some of National Radio's tool makers marked their overtime slips with HOR for "Hell Of a Rush." So, management decided that a version of that abbreviation should be the name of the new receiver, choosing the slight alteration HRO to make it less objectionable. That was quickly countered by saying that HRO stood for "Helluva Rush Order". The HRO was widely used during World War II as the preferred receiver of various Allied monitoring services monitoring German and Italian radio traffic, including the Y stations associated with the code-breaking group at Bletchley Park (Station X). An estimated 1,000 standard HROs were initially purchased by Britain, and approximately 10,000 total were in use by the British in intercept operation, diplomatic communications, aboard ships and at shore stations as well as for clandestine use.

A good example of National HRO receiver was extensively used by Flowerdown.

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This photograph, taken at Bletchley Park, shows a radio that might well have been used at Flowerdown.

There were a few “Y” stations that used the Marconi and Eddystone receivers, but most used HROs. Examples include the navy stations at Scarborough which used 80 HROs, and Flowerdown, which used 40 of them. Hanslope used 66 HROs in 32 listening positions, 30 having two HROs each and two positions having three HROs each. Forfar used 60 HROs, Whaddon had 30, Nash and Weald each had 8 units Thurso had 14, Gilnahirk had 12, and St. Erth had 12.

We should also note that Nash and Weald used DC power supplies for the receivers and had a diesel generator to charge the batteries in order to eliminate power line noise; the other stations used "Mains" power.

DST100 Radio used at HMS Flowerdown. http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=78909

DST100 Receivers - who made them?

The following is an interesting conversation recorded on the web….

“..…documentation for the DST100 was a problem for a very long time. The gentleman that I visited told me he had been the station commander of HMS Flowerdown for most of WW2 and had the photos to prove it.

He had responded to an advert I had placed in RadCom and SWM magazines seeking information. I spent an hour with him. At the end he was rather tired, so his nurse suggested it was time for me to leave. His conversation was very slow, but interesting.

The DST100 was classified and was used by HMS Flowerdown for monitoring Kriegsmarine traffic. The specialist station near Whitby was the lead listening post, and the radios "were built near there, on a farm".

The DST100 was generally ‘paired’ with an HRO (see above) so that the operator could quickly pick up the station on the HRO, and then ‘vector-in’ (find the direction) on it for more detailed copy on

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the DST100 radio. This technique was especially important when receiving long distant transmissions that were fading and very weak.

Interestingly! I was given some original DST100 information, and never saw the man again. He lived in a very large house, still in Winchester. As for technical comments on the DST100, this was by far the most complex British receiver, and it covered a very large frequency range. It's a pig to operate, as you no doubt know. There is fixed pre-set regeneration around the IF amplifier when operating at high selectivity. And there is variable regeneration for the VP41 RF amplifier as well. There are multiple front panel tuning controls giving medium, fine, and very fine control of frequency. Measured image rejection is 72dB @ 30MHz. An input step from 1uV to 100mV causes only 8dB change in the audio, and the set is comfortable handling 1 volt signals. Noise figure measures 8dB at 30MHz. These are very good results! The DST100 is fatiguing to use but on the other hand, it will copy stations where the other sets fail. I wondered for a long time about the McMurdo serial number prefix. Before WW2, there was an American manufacturer called McMurdo-Silver whose best model was the "McMurdo-Silver Masterpiece", running in successive versions up to the 1937 model year. See internet for lots of information. This radio had a chromium-plated chassis... as used later by RAP. It was extremely complicated. It's all very puzzling. So many dots, but no obvious way of joining them up. But even in 2012, maybe there is somebody out there who knows for sure, who made the DST100. I hope so, anyway.

This post is a request for help to identify the maker (makers?) of these radios. There are two DST100s here. One is a Mk2, serial McMu257. This one works well after much effort. The other is a Mk3*, serial RAP495 which is incomplete and in scrap condition. The internet shows pictures of other DST100s with McMu and RAP prefixes. The handbook photo shows a Mk2, serial EL7. I would be extremely grateful for any information about the manufacturers of these sets. McMurdo? But did they make radios in approx. 1939? RAP seems likely to be another maker. I can't even guess who EL might be. Someone told me they were made on a farm near Whitby. It's all very enigmatic. Perhaps someone on this forum knows more. I would be very grateful for any information. Chris…..”

…and how those massive Flowerdown rhombic aerials were used. http://www.freewebs.com/ystations/

THE EARLY WW2 "Y" NETWORK

At the start of WW2, the military (Army, Navy and RAF) had only three, quite large, wireless intercept stations at Fort Bridgewoods, Flowerdown and Waddington, but a Post Office Radio Station in Smallford, St Albans (below) was already acting secretly as an intercept station for the Foreign Office and in 1938 it set up an experimental direction finding station which was quickly followed by two others at Cupar in Scotland and Stockland Bristol near Bridgwater. These three stations were funded, set up and manned by the Post Office to identify illicit transmissions within the UK under its peacetime remit but probably with the prospect of future enemy agents in mind. In December 1938, the Treasury Defence Committee requested the Foreign Office to urgently expand this network by building three intercept stations alongside the direction finding (D/F) sites. Three new intercept stations were built at Sandridge near St Albans, Cupar in Fife and Brora, Sutherland on the north east coast of Scotland. Once built, they were run by the Post Office on

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behalf of the Foreign Office as Diplomatic Intercept stations. These three stations (along with the Post Office Station at St Albans) monitored a long list of diplomatic wireless links. A comprehensive list of UK diplomatic intercept stations, frequencies and target transmitter locations can be found in the book 'Churchill's Secret War' by Robin Denniston.

St Albans Radio was a Post Office point-to-point radio station for commercial traffic built in 1926. It has been reported as acting as a diplomatic intercept "Y" station from as early as 1932. It was from here that the first experimental direction-finding station was set up and tested in 1938. It was also reported as receiving 50 National HRO wireless receivers (see above) in 1938, probably for their own intercept use as well as for the three new stations under construction. The links below show what the station looked like from the air in 1946 with the building shown on the left at the end of a curved access road and two aerial towers. The towers no longer exist as can be seen in the second link. http://www.ukaerialphotos.com/viewer.asp?d=H&l=Ordnance+Survey+Historic&x=519275&y=208 245&s=500&sl=1&year=1945%20to%201950 now a pay wall link

St Albans Radio current Google Maps view http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF- 8&tab=wl&q=51.7606323%20-0.2728438

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Flowerdown intercept station aerials

The intercept stations were usually located in buildings containing a number of operator positions with a "farm" of aerials on the surrounding land. The aerials used were mainly "rhombic" type (see below) and consisted of wires supported on tall steel poles laid out in a diamond shape. The long axis of the diamond which could be up to 300m (1000ft) was pointed in the direction of interest and intercept sites used many rhombic aerials of different sizes pointing in different directions. These aerials were not usually visible in aerial photographs.

A technical explanation of how the Rhombic aerial works https://qrznow.com/the-mighty-rhombic-the-king-of-antennas/

Rhombic aerials required a lot of space! The aerial probably has six masts spaced over several acres. Look carefully at the various Flowerdown aerial photographs and you will see a number of tall masts. These were often 160’ high and hold up the aerial wires. Each mast was guyed to the ground and secured by buried concrete blocks. A ground/earth plate was also required. Each mast had four concrete blocks at the base to which aerial support cables were attached. The blocks constructed before 1939 measured approx. 3 cu m. Whilst those built during the war were approx. 1.5 cu m.

Description of a typical aerial http://www.rnmuseumradarandcommunications2006.org.uk/what%20the%20stations%20looked% 20like.pdf broken link!

In general, the radio station receiver buildings are in the centre of the site near to the central mast, the centre of the aerial tower being about 12 feet away from it. The aerial is in four independent sections; each section extends from the central mast to a jackstay (length of line

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secured between two point to which one can make an attachment) between two of the 160-foot masts, thence outwards and downwards to a jackstay between two of the 60-foot masts. Sets of feeders are taken up from the aerial tower and the four jackstays between the 160-foot masts to feed the four sections.

The galvanised steel earth plates are buried on edge in a circle 300 feet radius round the central mast as centre; 200 galvanised iron earth wires are taken from the aerial tower out radially to the earth plates. These wires are supported at one end on a ring of poles running around near to the earth plates, and at the other on the aerial tower, the wires being kept overhead and just out of reach at their lowest point. http://www.rnmuseumradarandcommunications2006.org.uk/1908%20two.pdf broken link!

Earth plate at Flowerdown Aerial tower concrete anchorage

General view of Flowerdown aerial site

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Direction finding (D/F)

Having heard and recorded the radio signal, the next challenge is to locate its position. This is called direction finding or D/F.

This letter mentioning Flowerdown, describes the initial trials with the experimental D/F station. The document was located in The National Archives.

The first and largest of the new D/F intercept stations was built alongside the experimental D/F station near the village of Sandridge (St Albans). The original architect's drawing for the main building is shown below.

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These Direction-Finding stations were designed to identify the location of distant wireless transmitters. Most used the Marconi-Adcock systems (see below) which involved a small operator’s hut with four vertical monopole aerials located around the hut at North, South East and West positions. Short-wave (HF) stations were most common dealing with frequencies between about 2 to 30 MHz These had monopole aerials around 10m (30ft) high. There were also a smaller number of MF, below 2MHz stations and these had monopole aerials up to 30m (100ft) high. Sometimes they can be seen in aerial photographs as circles in the middle of fields. The circles probably outline the earth mat or earth radials laid out on the ground. The circles were also a different colour to the surrounding vegetation and solutions of salt or other chemicals may have been added to some sites to improve the earthling efficiency.

D/F requests were received from a controlling station by telephone line and the operator was given the frequency and the sound of the transmission. He listened to the telephone signal in one earpiece of the headphones and listed on the other earpiece as he adjusted the frequency of his receiver, when the two signals matched the bearing was obtained sent back down the telephone by Morse code. The whole process was usually achieved in seconds. Some operators were located in an underground metal tank to minimise any interference, for the same reason the D/F sites were almost always located in the middle of fields. At the control site they combined the results obtained from two or three D/F stations to plot the location of the transmitter.

Typical Adcock antenna direction finding and receiver hut.

How did the D/F operator find the signal bearing?

Marconi Direction Finding Set DFG 12 D/F Set http://www.jproc.ca/rrp/dfg12.html

The DFG 12 (Mk1) was a high frequency, Adcock type, direction finding set manufactured by the Marconi Company (UK). Mk 1 was a transportable set used in conjunction with Adcock Aerial No. 2 which comprised of 20-foot masts (see above). The radio frequency range was 1.5 to 20 MHz.

The DF set consisted of two physical units - a coupling unit/receiver containing the search coils and a separate unit for the two radio goniometers. One goniometer covered the upper radio band while the other covered the lower band. Power for the receiver was derived from a 6-volt battery and a vibrator power supply.

The Mk.2 model was similar but was intended for use in fixed station applications. As a result, it used 30-foot masts. Following that set, was the Mk.3 model which was also intended for

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use as a fixed station. It was provisioned with new features such as spinning goniometers and a cathode ray tube as an indicator of bearing.

Supplied with the unit was an Adcock aerial system (see above) which consisted of four vertical aerials which were installed on the corners of a square with diagonals of 20 feet (for Mk. l) or 30 feet (for Mks.2 and 3). A fifth aerial used to derive the 'sense' of the bearings was centrally positioned and the lead-in connected to the goniometer which was in the centre of the aerial system. It was normal practice to place the aerials on N-S and E-W diagonals. In the product literature, it was found that the sets were declared obsolete in 1945 and replaced by other portable and mobile DF systems.

1940: The original DFG12 DF set, Mk 1. It was a conventional super heterodyne receiver using an RF stage, mixer, separate local oscillator, two IF stages, detector, AVC amplifier, AF output amplifier and a BFO. (Photo provided by Louis Meultsee, Wireless for the Warrior Vol 3)

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Model DFG12-2. The Mk 2 variant used the original DFG12 design but only one goniometer was provided instead of two. Frequency coverage was 250 kHz to 545 kHz. The actual device did not have those huge letters marking the panel and knobs.

Model 579. It covered 260 to 545 kHz and was designed for use with a crossed loop aerial system. It shared the same goniometer as the DFG 12 Mk 2. (Both photos provided by Louis Meultsee, Wireless for the Warrior Vol 3)

The DFG 12 SPECIFICATIONS Type: MF-HF Adcock type direction finding set Modes: AM/ RT and CW Frequency Range: 1.5 to 20 MHz Intermediate Frequency: 400kHz Performance: Sensitivity: 5uV for 20dB signal to noise ratio Selectivity: 6.5 kHz at 6dB down Aerial: Adcock consisting of four 20 ft or 30 ft masts Power Supply: 6V LT and 160V HT (Units HT No. 1) Current consumption: HT 35 ma and LT 3.1 A

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Dimensions (inches): Receiver and coupling unit - 15H x 15L x 26W Radio goniometer - 18H x 12L x 18W Weight: Complete set - 1cwt,1 qr (63.5 kg? or 136 lbs?) Stores reference No.: DFG12 Mk.1 ZA 5955 DFG12 Mk.2 ZA12201 DFG12 Mk.3 ZA 12209 Tube Line-up: RF amplifier ARP15 Local oscillator ARP16 Mixer X63 (ARTH1) IF amplifier (2x) ARP15 Detector/AF amplifier ARP16 Output ARP17 AVC amplifier ARP16 BFO ARP16

This DFG 12 is one of the exhibits in HMS Collingwood collection. (Photo by John Wise)

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Radio fingerprinting (RFP) and TINA,

For completeness, the following is a repeat of an earlier discussion of events in 7.24.1

HW 14/19

GCCS Directorate paper on staff problems at BP, particularly recruiting and pay; and Naval Sigint station at Flowerdown using RFP (Radio Fingerprinting) and Tina as analysis aids. http://jproc.ca/rrp/rfp_tina.html

Radio Finger Printing (RFP) and TINA Edited by Jerry Proc VE3FAB

During WWII, the most common method of locating enemy radio transmissions was through the use of radio direction finding whereby two or more monitoring stations would obtain bearings on enemy transmitters then triangulate the results to obtain a fix. There were at least two other techniques which could provide data or intelligence about the characteristics of the transmitter making the transmission and the Morse code sending style of the operator. These techniques were known as Radio Finger Printing (RFP) and TINA and were used by the Allies. When used jointly, TINA and RFP were known as 'Z' intelligence or 'Z' service in the Commonwealth countries. As with many other WWII activities, RFP and TINA were shrouded in a cloak of secrecy.

(TINA was the method used to recognize specific radio operators by their Morse code "fist" and habits). One definition has the code name of TINA as being derived from the Latin word "tinea" which meant "worm". TINA was the process that involved studying the distinctive characteristics of particular Morse code operators to identify and tracing the locations of those operators, for which might show that a particular operator has changed ships which may indicate damage or destruction to the previous ship or even a re-assignment. Each operator had a distinctive touch, or 'fist'. Some were slower while others were jerky; some held down the key or paused between dots and dashes for different lengths of time and so on.)

The relationship between Whitehall & Flowerdown

Much of the material that I came across mentioned the lines of communication with the Admiralty in Whitehall. http://www.rnars.org.uk/documents/Communicator/The%20Communicator%20Vol%201%20No%2 03%20Autumn%201947.pdf

An extract from The Communicator Autumn 1947 Volume 1 No 3

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When you are next in London, walk across St. James's Park; then. when you approach the Horse Guards. you will see in front of you a long. low. massive. brown building, obviously colossally strong, lying beside the main Admiralty building like a battleship at anchor. This is the Citadel, humorously known as "The Mappin Terraces," and Whitehall Wireless Station is within it. Since the war it is better known to the Service than it was; in the early days it was the Holy of Holies of Naval Wireless Telegraphy, and to be picked up by it for a mistake was a very black mark indeed. As is filling for the main W/T station of the Senior Service, its history ha, been very long. as long as the history of service wireless itself; but to detail it all here would take far too much time and space.

The most convenient time to start this short survey of the history of the station is in 1926. The 1914-1918 War was over, and the present Officer-in-Charge had already started his long acquaintance with it. In those days, the station had one receiving line on Senior Officers' wave, shifting every four hours to communicate with the Port Stations (the Home Ports, Portland and Rosyth). The other line was working routines with Malta and Gibraltar, then the only fixed services. Broadcasts were not used. Group "K" was the method used for promulgating general messages on the Home Station. this being an “I” method group between Whitehall (keying transmitter at Ipswich), Pembroke and Aberdeen.

About this time experiments were being carried on with H/F. work, which was then known as Short Wave. An experimental receiver (two-valve) was constructed on the station. and in conjunction with an I.C.W. transmitter at Cleethorpes, experimental communications were made with overseas stations which also had built their own equipment. These trials were so successful that fixed services were quickly organised with Stonecutters, Matara, Singapore, Australia, and with certain ships on overseas stations. The interest of operators in this new method of communication was so great that they would arrive on watch an hour before time so that they could man this line!

The need for better equipment was immediately apparent. The then D.S.D., Captain Somerville, now Admiral of the Fleet Sir James F. Somerville, therefore purchased a Burndept two-valve receiver, which became known as the B-7. This was a vast improvement. as it removed all hand capacity effects. the bugbear of operators. and generally improved selectivity and signal strength.

Up to this time only one frequency had been employed for H/F. communication -8570 Kc/s

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Duplex working was now considered desirable, and 9060 Kc/s was acquired as a transmitting frequency. An improved three-valve version of the B-7, which later developed into the Naval B-9 receiver. and a new transmitter, the Type 26, greatly improved the working of the fixed services. A better receiving site was soon needed and H.M.S. Flowerdown was taken over from the R.A.F. and developed as Whitehall's receiving station. Communication with Whitehall was effected by one telegraphic line operating a sounder. Cleethorpes was the original transmitting station, but with the advent of the 26 transmitter, Horsea Island was established. The control of the transmitters was effected by one line to Horsea and one to Cleethorpes, neither of which, we were mournfully told, were first-class. More frequencies were required; by experimenting with H.M.S. "Yarmouth" on her trooping cruises, frequencies of the order of 15-17 Mc/s. were found to be of advantage for long distance communication. The heavy hand of governmental economy was. however. laid upon further developments and until the 1939 War there were only minor improvements in the station.

Since its inception Whitehall Wireless Station had been situated in the Admiralty Tower, but after the Munich crises its exposed position and the immediate danger from air attack. (for invasion had not then threatened), necessitated a shift to the Admiralty basement in the summer of 1939, but luckily it was not to stay there very long. Much the same equipment was installed. with the addition of a six-channel V.F. system to Horsea. however. After the outbreak of War, it was obvious that more and better equipment was needed. and due to the great exertions of Captain C. L. Firth, Captain E. W. J. Bankes and Commander C. D. Bonham-Carter, this equipment quickly arrived: it consisted mainly of S.W.B. and C.S.3.B. transmitters, with many more control lines. the then new receivers H.R.O. and Burndept B-28. which replaced the Burndept B-11 sets. The ease and reliability of communication was greatly increased.

The year 1942 was memorable, although you may have memories of your own for that year!, for the fact that the station took up its palatial quarters in the newly built Citadel, to the immense delight of all. High-speed Morse services were rapidly developed. The Undulator method of receiving this traffic was later superseded by the Re-perforator and the Direct Printer. Broadcasts became the method of transmission to ships. Ship-shore communications rapidly developed from the pre-war M/F system into the present H/F. working. controlled by special stations.

R.T.T terminal positions for fixed services showing transmitter equipment indicator board.

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Main R.T.T room

High speed reception positions showing direct printers.

The vast system of teleprinter circuits replaced the old system of the Port Stations passing all traffic into Whitehall by W/T. After four years of war the position was that of Whitehall controlling one receiving station and five transmitting stations. This remains unchanged.

With the end of the War the development of (RTT) Radio-Tele-Type was paramount. To this end new types of receivers were installed at receiving stations and selected fixed services were used to develop it. To-day most of them use it. However, as a word of warning, whilst we have become so mechanically minded. it must not be forgotten that Morse and the human element are still essential during bad ionospheric conditions if communications are to be maintained at a constant level of excellence. The future, except for those rash enough to forecast with false confidence, is as usual, dim. The present trend is towards R.T.T. and the making of efficient circuits for employment on the tape-relay system. It may be found of advantage to pursue the facsimile reproduction of communications. Experiments will show.

It is difficult to talk of the personnel of this station without mentioning personalities, especially in such a rampant hive of individualism. Let the bare numbers suffice. In the early days one P.O.

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Tel., and three Leading Hands were ample for all needs, including decoding and routing. The growth was such that during the peak War Years a Duty Officer and a watch of seventy P.O. Tels., Leading Tels. and Wrens were required. Since hostilities ended, with the consequent reduction of traffic the number has fallen to forty per watch. Originally the crew were entirely Shore Wireless Service, but during the War a motley collection of Pensioners, Wrens, Wireless Auxiliary Reserves, H.O.s and Continuous Service ratings worked with them, doing a splendid job. To-day, as the S.W.S. dies out. the majority of the ratings are Continuous Service. with a goodly contingent of the humble H.D. (Sorry! National Service) trying to help (or otherwise). However, no matter who composes the crew, the aim of Whitehall W/T will be to serve the Navy in the future as well as it has in the past.

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Nearby military sites associated with Flowerdown

Worthy Down A good account of Worthy Down RFC airfield and its relationship to Flowerdown can be found at https://www.airshowspresent.com/worthy-down-airfield.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Worthy_Down

Lat/Long 51 06 45N/01 19 10W.Grid ref SU 468353.345 feet ASL.2.5 miles N of Winchester.

RUNWAYS: Grass. N/S 770 yds. E/W 1400 yds.

Helipad at 51 06 23N/01 19 03W,formerly operated by RAPC.

Worthy Down as shown on map from 1920s.

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Google map of South , Worthy Down and Flowerdown

Maps of northern area of Flowerdown & Worthy Down (1946)

Worthy Down 1946 (via Mike Lomas).

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Satellite view of the 1946 photo – many of the 1946 roads etc are still visible.

Bushfield Camp

From: http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=14920

This web site has some good pictures of the now derelict Bushfield Camp.

The web site author writes – “Bushfield Camp is a former disused army camp situated near Winchester Hampshire. It is a bit of an odd place being that very little can be found out about the site’s history and use. I have Googled the site but very little comes back. Others have said the same in that the Internet is strangely silent about the site. It appears that the camp was in place during the Second World War and that an airstrip (built by the US Army) was constructed around about the time of D-Day near the camp although I have not been able to locate this.”

Reference to this can be found via the following link - http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/ah1900/ab.html broken link!

Bushfield Camp: (N51.02/W001.19): The US Army had an airstrip there in the build-up to D-Day.

The web site author writes “During the 1950’s, the camp was used to train National Servicemen before they were posted to Germany or Malaya. 1961 to 1964 saw the Royal Green Jackets move in whilst their barracks in Winchester was refurbished. After this there is little history that I have found recorded. It appears the site may have been used by Composite Signals Organisation (GCHQ) staff during the 1970’s who used Bushfield as a billet. These staff were based at the Listening

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Station at Flowerdown near Winchester. I have heard rumour that these staff listened into Russian spy trawlers in the North Sea during the Cold War from Flowerdown, but I do not know if this true.”

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National Archive Flowerdown references For those wishing to expand on the details in these notes, the reader should refer to the National Archives. Cover Former Title or Scope ing Reference Ref Dates RN W/T Station, Flowerdown: housing for civilian wireless 1946- CE ADM 1/28382 operators provided by Winchester District Council 1963 51275/63 Intelligence Communications: institution of teleprinter ADM 1935- Case No. service between Government Code and Cypher school and 116/4088 1939 5616 RN W/T Stations Flowerdown and Scarborough 1949- ADM 220/244 Royal Navy W/T Station Flowerdown: technical reports FS/FDN 1951 Plan for immobilisation and evacuation of RN wireless 1940- ADM 179/167 0115/4/13 telegraphy station, Flowerdown, Hants 1942 1921 Aug Electrical and Wireless School, RAF Flowerdown and RAF ADM 338/33 01 - Worthy Down, Winchester, Hampshire 1950 Jul 31 BANDS AND MUSIC: Bands and Instruments (Code A, 1926- AIR 2/1055 14/2): Request for loan of sealed pattern of heraldry on 707395/26 1928 RAF drums: Flowerdown Station. GIFTS, DECORATIONS AND AWARDS: Badges and Crests 1926- AIR 2/1055 (Code A, 32/1): Request for loan of sealed pattern of 707395/26 1928 heraldry on RAF drums: Flowerdown Station. No. 2 Mark III voltage control box, modified by the AVIA 6/205 1926 E.E.200 Electrical and Wireless School, Flowerdown Flowerdown: Royal Air Force School: Training Scheme for ED 114/266 1924 Boys Royal Naval Wireless Station Flowerdown, Winchester: 25 HO 199/128 1940 HSI: 6/116 Sept 1940. 1939 H.M.S. Flowerdown. History of 'Y' Station during the years Sep 1939-1945. This Admiralty 'Y' Station was mainly tasked 01- HW 8/97 with interception of Italian and Japanese Naval 1946 Communications, but also intercepted German, French Jan and Russian Naval high frequency Morse communications. 24 Appeals by AGD against careless talk; GCCS staffing, salaries and organisation as at Aug 1st, prepared for 1940 HW 14/6 Treasury, AGD requests increased salaries for certain July- grades; new permit for visitors to BP; security rules for Aug Hut 3, cypher system for transmitting Sigint reports from

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Hut 3; staff vetting; contingency plan for Sigint convoys to be sent by road from BP in event of invasion, mobile BP unit, BQ, to proceed to Peatwood Hall, Market Drayton, discussed at second meeting of BP SAC; transfer of GAF cover from Chatham to Chicksands, organised protest to Services by 7 top cryptographers, receiving unfavourable comments from War Office (WO) and AM; heated dispute between GCCS and RSS on solving illicit German cyphers; German code found on man remanded in UK; German agents in USA; cover of German police traffic; security of UK cypher systems; liaison with French, list of ten French officers to form first French Mission at BP, deployment after French capitulation, case for monitoring French communications; liaison with Finns, Captain Godfrey follows Lt Col Tiltman's visit to Finland, investigation into lost Sigint equipment; locations of Army officers in GCCS, reply to WO request; Lord Farrer of Ministry of Economic Warfare (MEW) requests permission for Sigint to be used to support UK case in Prize Court; weekly cover plans for RN Wireless Telegraphy (W/T) Station Flowerdown; standardisation of Sigint terminology, DNI proposals, Admiralty plans to bring its Y Service up to strength by end of year; build-up of CBME, transfer of GCCS tasks, staff and equipment, setting up of dedicated Sigint channels Exchanges between AGD and C on invasion contingency plans and BP's mobile BQ column, ADG's MS draft on dispersal of GCCS staff and records in a number of different scenarios; proposal from AGD to C on formation of Central Intelligence Section, later to be known as Intelligence Exchange (IE); BP staff positions and salaries; letter from John Saltmarsh of BP to Cdr Bradshaw, Chief Admin Officer at BP, offering to store secret Sigint papers at King's College, Cambridge; BP dealings with BTM; AS staff problems, pay and grading, letters to AM from JES 1940 Cooper, Head of Air Section (HAS), summarising staff HW 14/7 Sept- problems and appealing for more RAF officers; complaint Oct to HAS from EHL Whitestone, a senior computer at Cheadle, concerning status of computers there, similar letter from JD Simmonds, conciliatory reply from Cooper; AD Knox bitterly complains to AGD about his work allocation, unsympathetic reply from AGD; UK Sigint school to be set up under auspices of 4 IS at BP; handling of German Secret Service material at BP; personal letter from AN Dakin of Naval Section (NS) BP to HNS, presenting a very critical view of the Admiralty Sigint Cell, ID 8G, during his visit there, supporting MS notes from FH

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Hinsley of NS; Sigint liaison with Poles, Canadians and Americans; Daily Sketch of Oct 3 compromises UK Sigint capability by quoting foreign diplomatic telegram of Sept 27; Captain Godfrey's detailed report of his visit to Finland and talks on Sigint exchange, sent to Lt Col Tiltman; FO Sigint cover at PO and Metropolitan Police intercept stations; weekly cover plans for Flowerdown; contingency plan for dispersal of UK Service Sigint stations; list of RAF intercept positions in UK and number of additional sets required for full cover; instructions for disposal of Sigint taken in India, liaison with Burma Defence Bureau; radio stations at Seaforth, Lands End, Cullerscoat and Wick intercept German messages; increases in war establishment of 4 IS at BP, with detailed breakdown of sections and posts, by Lt Col JH Tiltman, Commandant of 4 IS; formation of CBME, AGD appeals to C, summarising tragic farce to date by Services over CBME and asks for his support for CBME and appointment of Major F Jacob as its head, C prompts Chiefs of Staff to issue directive establishing CBME with Major Jacob as head; list of RAF intercept positions in UK and additional sets required for full cover First official high level US Army and Navy Sigint delegation to visit BP, accompanying 6 cases of technical Sigint equipment, discussions on UKUSA Sigint exchange, Americans to be accommodated in Lord Cadman's residence at Shenley Park; list of all GCCS personnel, excluding those engaged in UK cypher production at Mansfield College, Oxford; Hut 3 request to AM and D of I for provision of supporting intelligence that could lead to improved Sigint service from BP; Hut 3 liaison with RAF 80 Wing, counter-measures against German systems; MS article on GAF navigational beams used to assist bombing, by Lt G Biddulph of Hut 3, plea to AM from Hut 3 to 1940 HW 14/9 destroy German river beam stations; FV Freeborn's Dec requirements for equipment for Hut 7, the BP machine room; problems with BP's buses and other vehicles; rules for BP Signals Section; developments in 4 IS, liaison with Finns, Russian cover by Poles, staff problems; support to BP from BTM; liaison with Polish Sigint station in Stanmore area, exchanges on Russian cover, liaison with Greeks; liaison with Bertie, now apparently working in complete security in Vichy France, French desire E keys but BP insists on safeguards; BP paper to Colonel Butler of MI 8 on case for increasing military Sigint, gives history and scale of German military Sigint; Operation Wildcat,

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scheme to pass disinformation to German radio operators on German radio networks; Services dissatisfied with cypher table issued by GCCS from Mansfield College, Oxford; Army Sigint station Chatham claims ability to forecast GAF bombing raids by intercepts of German weather traffic, questions raised of action-on; study of medium frequency (MF) transmitters by Naval Sigint Station Flowerdown; copy of captured German military radio working aid, published in Berlin in 1940; CBME correspondence and liaison with GCCS and MI-8, dissemination of Sigint to ME commands, Hollerith machines for ME GCCS Directorate paper on staff problems at BP, particularly recruiting and pay; paper from MI-8 to Director of Military Intelligence (DMI) highly critical of BP work, suggesting necessity for more London control of UK Sigint, paper from BP hitting back at MI-8; JCC minutes; division of effort (DOE) between Hut 6 and Traffic Office on Sigint from ME; Hut 6 problems as presented to EWT by G Welchman, including request for more Bombes, Jumbos, Mammoths and Quaggas, Hut 6 procedures; listing of UK Sigint intercept positions at home and abroad covering various German code systems, paper on potential of E efforts and evaluation of listings, detailed tables on cover and exploitation of German cypher systems; access to Hut 3; staff and tasks of RAF Section, also known as; contingency plans for GCCS party to deploy to GHQ Home Forces if Germans invade; grading and pay of GCCS staff; WRNS Admin Officer to be appointed to 1941 HW 14/19 GCCS, EWT informed by Director WRNS; WRNS Sept complement of Hut 11, totalling 220; support from BTM; HC Kenworthy reports to EWT on his visits to PO Y stations at Cupar and Brora; developments at PO stations Sandridge and Whitchurch, operators at Sandridge request more feedback on their intercepts; paper by FL Lucas giving evidence that Germans were reading Russian cyphers, suggests that Prime Minister would take a grave view of fact that Russians had not been informed 2 months after evidence had become available; proposal for Sigint Met Section to be taken over by RAF Sigint; police intercept station at Denmark Hill tasked with Russian KGB communications; Service comments on BP report on German SS; code words for various Sigint sources when sent by Type X, census of Sigint Type X machines in UK, mainly at BP; assessments of named intercept operators; HC Kenworthy's memo to EWT on purchase of high speed

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recording equipment, Kenworthy's listing of commercial and diplomatic tasks at 6 PO stations in UK; Army Sigint stations in India to cover German and Russian targets in south-west Russia; liaison with Canada; list of captured German signals' documents handed over by Russia to British Military Mission in Moscow, UK Sigint effort against Russia to be run down; technical assessment of RE equipment, Naval Sigint station at Flowerdown using RE, RFP and Tina as analysis aids; moves to improve exploitation of French communications; use of Syko code in Bomber Command, weaknesses; paper on exploitation of German Faut code by Cheadle and SALU Section at BP; correspondence with CBME, Sigint reinforcements, BP case against establishing decoding centre in ME Reply from GHQ Int (s) Mar 12 to EWT's letter of Mar 3 on GCCS liaison with GHQ and Y success in the field, agreed Mar 15 that GCCS GHQ Party be dissolved now danger of invasion remote; Hut 3 to EWT with evidence of Axis reinforcements for Tunisia via Italy, Mar 12; DDMI (O) to EWT Mar 15 on dangers of incorporating Sigint into ME Weekly Intelligence Report, AD (S) to EWT Mar 18 agreeing with DDMI (O); EWT to C Mar 12 with draft letter to Commissioner of Metropolitan Police asking him to put 8 extra PC operators into Denmark Hill, C writes to Commissioner Sir George Abbiss KBE Mar 15; Wing Cdr Jones of Hut 3 to C requesting permission to cut Sigint service to Cairo and Alexandria as Algiers was now main intelligence centre with attached draft to Ds of I summarising new policy Mar 19; more protests from BP 1943 on transfer of ATS from Beaumanor to ME Mar 11, BP HW 14/70 Mar summary of events, WG Welchman visits Beaumanor to 11-20 discuss subject Mar 12, exchanges between EWT and DDMI (O) on subject Mar 12-17; Newman of Research Section to EWT on recent machine developments Mar 12; AD (S) to AD (A) requesting extension of Photographic Dept Mar 13; HC Kenworthy to Lt Col Sayer and GPO re transfer of ex-Admiralty receivers at Flowerdown to GPO station at Sandridge, also question of suitable aerials for Hawklaw, Mar 15; Kenworthy at Knockholt to EWT on shortage of operators; exchanges between AW Bonsall, HAS and RAF Cheadle on problems with Cheadle's classification of Orchestra Kracs Mar 13-15; tasks and sub- sections of AS, staff and tasks of AS Small Cypher Section, SALU paper Mar 19 on Sigint sources that could be expected on a Western Front and case for creating section responsible for current collation of intelligence from all

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sources, letters from F/L Prior to Professor Boase on state of Prior's subsection on his departure for overseas; eleven-page summary of all intelligence reports received by AS including subjects, distribution and how received, also list of all permanent documents held in AS Mar 19, AS to 380 WU Algiers on Italian Delta anti-aircraft and anti- submarine vessel patrol network Mar 14; Capt. Sawdon leaves BP for tour of ME Sigint units Mar 17; AM takes action to stop using GP frequency following BP request Mar 15; liaison with WO and AM; BP correspondence with Acting Director CBME Dryden, with DDMI (Y) Col Scott in Algiers and with Blaire-Cunnynghame in ME, Lt Col Sayer to AD (S) on respective responsibilities of Dryden and Scott Mar 18, Cdr Saunders I/C comms at BP to Sayer on Sigint plans for Algiers, Constantine, Tunis and Tripoli Mar 17; exchanges between EWT and Major Stevens in Washington, cooperation with American Y, minutes of meeting Mar 18 at BP with US Army rep on BP liaison with US Sigint authorities in London, exchange of material, EWT and Sayer to visit Lt Col Bicher of ETOUSA, Handel Edwards of AS to Sayer on cooperation with US Y on Western Front suggesting tasks for US, Mar 14; EWT to Bayly in NY with details of German Hellschreiber printer system Mar 18; liaison with Kilindini, letter from Brian Townend at COIS Kilindini to Mr Foss at BP re work on Japanese naval cyphers Mar 11; problems with British Comsec, MI-8 to DDMI (Y) in ME, Germans continue to obtain British Orbat from decoded messages Mar 11; further to events of Mar 9-10, PM's concern over possible compromise of BP E breaking capability, signal from C to Gen Alexander repeating all top level exchanges on subject headed by PM's signal to Gen Montgomery of Mar 9 and ending with final warning from C to Montgomery, map provided by Hut 3 supporting Sigint details Mar 11, signal from C to Service Chiefs in Med/North Africa quoting Sigint report with GAF Tunis Air Corps convinced on Mar 13 that Allies knew beforehand routes of German supply convoys, Allied Commands ordered to carry out pre-strike reconnaissance in future before hitting convoys so as not to compromise Ultra, signal from PM to Admiral Cunningham in Med stressing need to protect Ultra otherwise Sigint service to Commanders would be restricted, orders from Chief Sigs Officer ME to 8 and 18 Army on Comsec measures following PM's concern over possible compromise of Ultra Mar 15; ME Sigint cover for

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Mar 12; GS Int (s) GHQ Home Forces to MI-8 commenting on MI-8 draft to DMI on Y organisation in the field Mar 12 Section Heads asked by EWT to list gaps in intercept Sept 18, reply from GPS Sept 21, GP cover at Shenley, GPS officers to visit Shenley, NS replies to EWT Sept 24, Lt Col Sayer to EWT Sept 17 accompanying statistics for GP intercept June 23-30, Sayer to EWT same subject Sept 19; processing of German printer from Knockholt, comparison of Newman's and Tester's processing techniques Sept 18; reorganisation of 6 IS Parties in Huts 3 and 6, both to be amalgamated and come under Lt Col Crankshaw of W/T C, reorganisation of BP cover control, to come under W/T C with new responsibilities, W/T C report on Beaumanor Sept 30; Lt Col Sayer to EWT recommending MSS clearance for key staff in Harrogate CRR Sept 21; W/T C paper on E set control in UK Sept 22; visit by JH Hancock of W/T C to Naval Sigint station Flowerdown, list of working aids supplied Sept 20; letter of thanks from WG Welchman after leaving Hut 6 to Head of 6 IS Central Party in Hut 6 Sept 25; AD (S) to C asking for external distribution for BP report WFP No 1 on German reaction to Operation Starkey Sept 25; AD (S) to EWT suggesting German Sigint establishments at Potsdam be added to 1943 COS paper on locations to be occupied in Germany after HW 14/88 Sept Armistice; letter from Maj Gen PG Whiteford of 21 AG to 16-30 EWT Sept 20 suggesting he asks C to bring pressure on WO to supply Sigint Comcen unit (R-Type Section) to 21 AG, EWT recommends Whiteford approach DMI, Sept 24; cover procedures for German alert exercise in the West Sept 19; MI-8 to EWT suggesting much greater BP role for Major Leatham of Hut 3 and promotion to Lt Col; comparison of Cheadle and BP AS code recoveries, (on back of Sigint Red Intercept Form S323), AS BMP distribution list Sept 20, AM to HAS on support required from AS Operational Watch to Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands Sept 24, duties of Operational Watch, distribution of GAF traffic from Comcen Sept 26, AS statistics for complement increases expected before end of 1943 totalling 91; Capt. FW Edwards at BP to Wing Cdr Oeser suggesting bombing or sabotage of Verona, current focal point for GAF land-line network in Italy, suggestion forwarded to C by AD (S) Sept 26; GPS to EWT with bid for more cover on GP in Italy and Yugoslavia Sept 27; AD (S) to C Sept 27, Sigint support for amphibious Operation Alacrity under command of Admiral Holt; meeting called by JS Colman of Hut 6 Sept 27 on Army priorities, points

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for discussion; note from Tech Section BP on German ionospheric investigations, sent on by Lt Col Sayer to AM Research Station at Great Baddow Sept 29; functions of Mr Williams' Cover Control Section including control of 5 FO stations; Wing Cdr Jones calls meeting of all sections involved in passing Sigint to Home Air Commands Sept 29; liaison with AM, WO, OP-20-G and Col O'Connor Washington; more on attachment of Cheadle party to HQ 11 Gp for culmination of Operation Starkey, suitability of certain officers for such detachments, Cheadle to HAS Sept 16; OC Beaumanor Lt Cdr Ellingworth RN (Retired) now promoted to rank of Lt Col Royal Signals Sept 30; BP 7-page report on German reaction to Allied deception exercise Starkey, Germans not fooled, Sept 27; SALU 8- page report on operational intelligence from GAF bomber and recce units Sept 30 Kenworthy to EWT Oct 1 on progress on German printer links, new Berlin-Bordeaux link Swordfish; JS Colman to EWT Oct 1 on E situation showing deficit of 275-345 sets, Colman reports Oct 4 on his Oct 1 visit to Naval Sigint station at Flowerdown, Colman to EWT Oct 5 on statistics for missed traffic and proposals to improve situation; Wing Cdr Jones to EWT on MI-8 suggestion to increase responsibilities of and promote Major Leatham, EWT to MI-8 Oct 7 opposing WO plans for Leatham; Lt Col Sayer to EWT on unsatisfactory state of Expansion Program Oct 1; Western Front Committee discusses ways of achieving maximum intelligence from W Front alert exercises Oct 1; paper by Wing Cdr Jones Oct 3 on issue of 6 reports by Hut 3 accepting German practice traffic as genuine, a 1943 grave error, Jones to EWT on information of value to HW 14/89 Oct 1- enemy being contained in BBC news, EWT passes on to C 15 for action; comments by AD (S) and Lt Col Sayer to EWT Sept 30-Oct 3 on WO paper of Sept 21 on Sigint and duties of MI-8 and DD (Y), comments by EWT to Col Tiltman of Military Wing BP on above paper Oct 8; EWT to Heads of Sections Oct 13 on Section Weekly Reports initiated by him in Feb 1943, in future reports to be in 2 parts; DD (S) Serial Order of Oct 13 on central control by W/T C of all GCCS cover; paper by Lt Col Sayer on failure of cover control at BP and accompanying notes from AD (S) to EWT Oct 5, Sayer to EWT Oct 5 on proposed new WO appointment CSO Y Stations, Lt Col Balmain of Sigs 4 to be first in post, Sayer's objections and proposed description of GCCS control of static Y in UK; John de Grey to Sayer on German Army Priority Cover Research showing

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percentages of messages missed, Oct 8, consolidated report by W/T C Oct 12 on replies from BP sections following EWT's request for details of traffic missed; letter to Lt Col Crankshaw at end of 3 months' detachment of Shenley NCOs to Kedleston Hall and Beaumanor, recommendation that they all be attached to Beaumanor and not return to Shenley; AD (S) to C Oct 3 accompanying Spanish decrypt relating to US Catalina in hands of Spanish, to be passed to AM as coming from SIS source; Kenworthy to EWT on state of German printer intercept at Knockholt Oct 11, comments Oct 13 by Major Tester with study of traffic for Aug and Sept; proposed switch of GP cover from Beaumanor to Shenley Oct 12; reply to Sayer from K Tremellen at AM Research Station Great Baddow on subject of German DF on atmospherics and radio propagation research Oct 8; German Siemens printer captured at Bari to be sent to BP Oct 1; all temporary civilian personnel in AS to be transferred to FO with effect from Oct 1, AW Bonsall of AS to Wing Cdr Garrett Oct 2 on exchanges of personnel between BP and Kingsdown and MSS clearance for certain personnel, PG Lucas to HAS pointing out that deception exercise Operation Starkey had in fact convinced Germans that they had nothing to fear from the Allies on Western Front, AD (S) repeats to Lt Col BE Wallace at GHQ Home Forces, report by HAS to EWT and AM on surrendered IAF cyphers and current state of IAF comms Oct 6, report sent on by BP to SIS HQ suggesting EWT visiting C at this time; DD (S) Order 124 of Oct 6, amalgamation of Major Lewis's and Major Gadd's W/T I parties, to both come under control of Lt Col Crankshaw of W/T C; HAS to AM Oct 7 on value to BP of GAF Zenit weather flights, RAF should not intercept them, AS report Oct 10 on GAF aerodrome serviceability reports; liaison between Hut 3/F and Hut 6 Oct 11; PS Milner-Barry of Hut 6 on liaison between Hut 6 and AS 3-figure party, E working aid for AS attached Oct 12; signal from OC RAF Cheadle to AM Oct 4 suggesting a tip-off from BP passed between RAF Commands may have compromised MSS source; liaison with WO and AM, with Major Stevens, Col O'Connor and OP-20-G in Washington, O'Connor informs EWT Oct 14 that Engstrom was to leave Washington for BP Oct 15, US sends progress report on Japanese Naval Systems Oct 1-15; liaison with ETOUSA, Col Bicher visiting North Africa; correspondence with Colombo; Secret War Order on CO's List, the handling of MSS reports, by Wing Cdr Swanborough, OC RAF Cheadle, with list of personnel

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authorised to see CO's List, Oct 1; paper by Handel Edwards of AS on missed F traffic, replying to EWT's previous request to Section Heads, similar reports on missed traffic to HAS from AW Bonsall and Dr McVittie of Met Section Oct 1; WO paper on Notes on Organisation and Functions of Field Y Units; BMP report series distribution amendments Oct 5; messages from Spanish AA Rome to Madrid, passed to C for sending to AM as coming from SIS source Oct 12-15 HMS Flowerdown to EWT May 9 thanking him for congratulatory signal, their thanks to BP for mutual co- operation; HC Kenworthy to EWT May 14 re future of non- Morse work at Knockholt; AD 3 to EWT May 15 re Col Telford Taylor's letters to C on US views on joint Anglo/American historical research project on Ultra, wishes to know UK intentions before his best Hut 3 personnel are lost; DD 1 to all Section Heads May 9, C requires total of intercepts received and numbers of reports issued by each BP section, all sections to produce statistics; paper by Head of Hut 8 AP Mahon May 9 on future of Hut, only 10 members of Hut being retained after May 14 and transferred to NS, all other staff redundant, Mahon to work in NS and compile Hut 8 History; CLS Williams to DD 1 May 6/7 re Naval Attaché transmitter on German/Danish border working Tokyo, continues active May 10/11; thank you signal to AD 3 May 11 from Rajah Army customers and Bari group of HQs for 1945 HW 14/127 Sigint service to Balkans and SE Theatre, Rajah closed May down May 14, all customers debriefed and all Sigint 1-15 material burned; AD (WTC) to DD (Y) May 1 re Bishops Waltham intercept site; AD (WTC) to OCs Beaumanor, Chicksands and Forest Moor re transfer of cover from German to Exotic world-wide tasks; AD (WTC) to DD (A) re Comms' Section Morse Room and Cypher Office since VE Day, reply from AD 2 May 13, AD (WTC) to DD (A) again May 14; Wing Cdr Smith of WTC to DD 1 May 6 providing details of his new Exotics' Sub-section for cover control and TA of French, Spanish and other countries, staff coming from Sixta and Kedleston; AS instruction May 1 to all sub-sections to produce lists of all documents held; Met Section notes for with effect from May 5 and 12, Section disbanded May 11, congratulatory letter dated May 9 from DMO to DR McVittie of Met Section May 13; paper by Spanish Sub-section of AS May 7 on Spanish DGS probable intelligence network; instructions by AW Bonsall of AS May 11 for Stage I of disbanding of German Air

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Section starting May 14; AS instructions May 13 for winding up of Orchestral and Small Cypher and Aircraft Reporting Sub-section; minutes of meeting at Broadway of May 2 over control of SLUs, Lt Col Gore-Browne to be responsible for SLUs world-wide, Wind Cdr Crawshaw for security in SHAEF area until replacing Gore-Browne; EWT to DD (Y) May 12 suggesting that Capt. Gordon and Sgt Sills from BP who had headed printer detachment in 21 AG since Feb be mentioned in despatches or decorated, detachment hit by V1 Mar 24 but regained operational status only hours later, DD(Y) replies May 14 agreeing, passes recommendation to Lt Col Winterbotham of 21 AG; AD (2) visiting 21 AG, to DD 1 May 5 re printer intercept by 21 AG, Capt. Gordon doing recce for new intercept site, AD (2) to return to BP, Major Tester now working for TICOM and searching for German printer equipment, Lt Col Brown at 21 AG to Cdr Bacon at BP May 5 re German printer station about to be captured by troops of US 6th AG and representing a good TICOM target, EWT to Col Bicher May 6, BP to provide details of German W/T printer comms continuing active in US occupied area, 1 SIC to be informed of similar data for British Zone, Brown at 21 AG for EWT May 6 re printer plain language, with details of transmitters still operating in British occupied Germany, 1 SIC to BP May 9, Gordon to recce Minden May 10 and return to UK after 20th, subsequently trial postponed until May 16, Brown to BP May 9 listing all SIC MW personnel for repatriation, reply from DD (MW) May 10; 1 SWG (Mobile) to BP, 1 SIC and SWG (Advanced) May 1; BP post- war tasking for 1 SIC May 6; AD (WTC) to Brown at 1 SIC May 13 agreeing Sigint unit be concentrated at Minden; Brown to Lt Col Gadd at BP May 3 asking how Blaire- Cunnynghame was employing his Sigint units in Italy, reply May 5, Brown again to Gadd May 11; 1 SIC to 7 SIC and BP May 4 re liaison with 7 SIC in Italy, DD 1 to EWT May 13 covering letter from Brown on events at 21 AG and future of Brown; AS tasking to Det A May 7 recover of GAF rescue vessels, possibly now engaged in evacuation of personnel, potential for Allies seizing cypher books and tables, Det A to BP May 11, intercepting German Naval traffic in clear from Kiel area; minutes of SHAEF meeting at Versailles Apr 28 on French signal and cypher security sent to Cdr Dudley-Smith at BP May 1, also notes of meeting from Bull to Wilson of CPOB then in Washington, Wilson to discuss with US side; Col Bicher of ETOUSA to DD 1 May 10 re French cypher device B-211, cleared for

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use by French in SHAEF Theatre; message from GOC-in-C Southern Command to Cdr German Forces in Channel Islands May 6 requesting unconditional surrender, sigs data given for reply, translated into German by Hut 3; SHAEF Forward to BP May 7, Germans sign unconditional surrender 0141 CET May 7, Allied troops to observe cease- fire from 0001 CET May 9; 12th US AG Sitrep for AD (3) May 3, TAGSUM No 46; 6th US AG to Lt Col Gore-Browne and Col Telford Taylor May 7 on de-indoctrination of Ultra-cleared personnel, 6th AG to Telford Taylor May 7 on future Sigint support to the AG, customers de-briefed, Sigint papers burned and SLU ready to move back; Lt Col Gore-Browne to all SLUs May 4 re Ultra regulations; SLU SHAEF (Rear) to AD (3) May 4 re requirement by USAF Gen Spaatz to receive Ultra on FE, USSTAF participation in Ultra historical study; Gens Strong and Betts to Cavendish- Bentinck of FO May 13, Dr Bowles, Scientific Adviser to US War Dept visiting London May 14, wishes to talk to Cavendish-Bentinck on proposed SHAEF Field Intelligence Agency; AD (WTC) to Allied Sigint recipient commands in Italy, ME and SHAEF with instructions for Sigint channels to be kept fully occupied as war ends so that their purpose is not compromised when there are no intercept details or reports to pass, codeword 'Ecclesiastic' to denote all spoof traffic employed to keep links busy, exchanges with Brown at 21 AG re Ecclesiastic May 2-8, 1 SIC MW detachment leaving for return to UK May 16, BP to 1 SWG (Advanced) May 15, Ecclesiastic to end May 18; SLU 6th US AG 1st TAF closing down 2200Z May 12, deploying to Versailles; Brown at SLU SHAEF to EWT re SHAEF conference on technical signals' problems May 12; exchanges between AD (WTC) and Blair-Cunnynghame at 15 AG re Ecclesiastic May 1-14; 15 AG to AD (3) from EWT and C May 2; EWT in Washington to BP May 1 re future liaison visits to BP by Col O'Connor's staff, starting with 2 majors in May-June; Col Telford Taylor to key US Generals and senior intelligence officers in European theatre May 5 with War Dept questionnaire on effectiveness of Sigint service introduced in early 1944, replies from 6th AG, 6th AG 1st TAF, 9th USAF, 12th AG and SLU SHAEF May 6-12; SLU SHAEF to Telford Taylor May 8 re Ultra de-indoctrinations; EWT to Head of Op-20 Wenger May 10 thanking him for congratulatory message, all now will concentrate on Japanese War; DD (NS) to SLU Washington May 6 for Hinsley, Washington to BP May 8, Hinsley, DD (AS) and Manson expected to leave Washington by clipper for UK

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May 11; Wing Cdr Garrett's newsletter to DD (AS) in Washington May 13; BP to BSC NY May 1, Chinese Naval Attaché traffic being signalled for OP-20-G from May 2, Hunt of BP NS to Bodsworth in Washington re CNA traffic for OP-20-G, SLU Washington to BP May 11 re sending of CNA traffic to Washington; various exchanges between BP and SLU Washington during period, May 11 COMINCH sending Lt Cdr SA Dulany Hunter to UK to assist in exploitation of German Naval docs, to be given access to BP, Lt Toplas sails for US on Isle de France May 14, accommodation requested, SSA ready to immediately implement agreement on handling Japanese commercial traffic May 14; technical exchanges between Bodsworth in OP-20-G and Alexander and Prof Plumb of BP NS; C to Lamplough at SLU SACSEA May 1; BP to SLU Washington for COIS BAD for Capt. Laird, Naval Summaries for May 1,7 and 10; BP liaison with HMS Anderson, Col Covering letter Aug 1 from EWT to DDs and Section Heads re letter from DMI, EWT would write to DMI agreeing proposals on Aug 5 unless hearing anything to contrary from DDs; order from EWT dated Aug 10 on replacement of Col Bicher of Sigs Intelligence Div USA by Col Earle F Cook of USA Sigs Corps; letter of Aug 13 from EWT to JIC Crombie at FO suggesting that FO should take over PO intercept sites at Brora, Hawklaw, Sandridge and Wincombe, Metropolitan Police station at Denmark Hill and PO station at Whitchurch to be closed; covering letter from DD 1 to DDMI (I) at WO Aug 2 with signals as promised by phone; Moore of Hut 3 to DD 1 Aug 4 re handling of Clover traffic from Berkeley St, suggests handing over to CSR; Capt. Barber to DD 1 Aug 5 re time 1945 HW 14/133 taken by Bays and Clover traffic from time of origin to Aug transmission by Windy Ridge printers; J de G to DD 1 Aug 1-15 3 summarising visits to IE by 2 MI-3 officers July 24, by DD (Y) July 29 and by DDI 4 Aug 2, room and telephone nos for IE after move to Block D, DD 1, PA to DD 1 and Miss Charnock Smith's copies; AD (WTC) to EWT Aug 2 with comments on CY/107/D of July 31, of general interest only to BP; AD (WTC) to DD (Y) Aug 3 re proposed transfer of Sigint personnel from Forest Moor to Kedleston Hall because of shortage of accommodation at Forest Moor, D of S Sigs 4 WO to EWT for AD (WTC) Aug 10 explaining problems, need to vacate Queen Ethelburga's College, Harrogate, Army dormitory for Forest Moor, by Sept 1, WO hoped to obviate need to transfer personnel to Kedleston, AD (WTC) to DD (AS) Aug 14 re Kedleston;

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minutes of meeting chaired by DD 1 Aug 4 on handling of French and Latin tasks, formation of new Latin Group to include French and Latin American tasks, DD (AS) to DD 1 Aug 8 re members of Latin Section to be transferred to French Section, DD 4 to DD (AS) Aug 14 re proposals for forming new Latin Group; paper by Dr GC McVittie to DD (AS) on met at GCCS in peacetime, argues case for new small met section, suggests Howse or Thompson be appointed Head as McVittie leaves BP end of Aug, covering note from Wing Cdr Garrett to EWT: DD 3 to S/L Macdonald Aug 7 re radio receivers for French, request from Col Gaudefroy, 118 sets available; DD (NS)'s copy of extract from JIC (45) meeting held on Aug 8 to discuss release of captured German documents to press and others (JIC/1075/45 of Aug 1), with comments by C dated Aug 6/7; record of all non-Tunny work done on Tunny machines up to Aug 13; letter from Col Scott at 21 AG to AD (WTC) Aug 11 requesting visit by Sayer with Wing Cdr Smith, suggests Army Sigint sites in Germany be tasked with Exotic and not just Taper tasks, reply Aug 14, Sayer and Smith to visit late Aug; Morris to DD 1 Aug 14 re Sigint support to Continent sent in clear by Wing Cdr Smith of WTC, BP to 1 SWG Aug 15 for Scott from AD (WTC) re comms problems with TA support from Wing Cdr Smith for 21 AG; DDMI (I) to DD 1 Aug 6 answering signal from Washington and stating no Ultra sent by WO to British Mission was passed on to Russians; 1 SWG Minden to BP Aug 5 re proposed liaison visits to BP by 2 officers, Major Wills to visit from BP for liaison on Exotics, Domeisen at 1 SWG to Wing Cdr Smith of WTC requesting details of Major Wills; 30 WGI Section diagram of authorised German Army comms in 21 AG area as at Aug 12; signal to Gen Macdonald Aug 8 stating service of Stark reports to US Commands to be discontinued, high level diplomatic, once useful to USSTAF, not considered essential to USAAFIE, such material in future only to be supplied to US Theatre Commander; Cook to Wing Cdr Crawshaw Aug 4 re Oats traffic and intelligence support for Lord Gort, reply Aug 6; Gp Capt. Jones in Washington to EWT Aug 1 re Laslett's detachment to US, requests 3-4 months' extension; Jones to EWT Aug 2 having met Capt. Wenger of OP-20-G for first time; Jones to EWT Aug 11 re classification of Admiralty CB 4377 sent to OP-20-G, reply Aug 12, exchanges Aug 14-15, ambiguous security instructions from Admiralty; letter from EWT to Capt. Wenger of Aug 13 with news update including UKUSA

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liaison on Naval tasks, EWT to Jones Aug 13 re his letter to Wenger; Manson, US TICOM rep at BP, to Engstrom and Ely in Washington Aug 2 re TICOM targets, Norris finishing at Vierling Aug 15, Manson and Hinsley of NS to Ebermannstadt Aug 6 to wind up there, Manson to Ely Aug 4, Nuelson leaving UK for US Sunday, Manson to Fabian in Washington Aug 8, leaving BP for Ebermanstadt with Hinsley Aug 9, expected to remain there 5 days; OP- 20-G to BP, Pearl Harbour and Colombo Aug 3 with exchange requirements for raw material; BP to Lt Toplas (RN) in Washington re working aids for US; Alexander at BP to Bodsworth in OP-20-G Aug 5-10 re JN decodes; CIC to Bodsworth Aug 14, 3rd Officer Darby, WRNS and future assistant to Bodsworth, sailed for US; congratulatory message to BP from OP-20-G Aug 15 following Japanese capitulation; BP to BSC NY Aug 5 re use of BSC for relaying Japanese traffic, BSC NY to BP Aug 12, BSC to Rockex II all JN from Flowerdown from Aug 13; Aug 3 Prof Plumb, visiting Anderson, to HNS re proposed tour Colombo- Kandy-Colombo- Delhi-UK Aug 8-18, problems with stranding at Karachi of WO Hogarth from BP who was intended to accompany Plumb, reply Aug 4; Cdr Saunders at BP to Plumb at Anderson Aug 4 re Hogarth, HNS to Plumb Aug 11, not to wait for Hogarth from Karachi, keep existing tour schedule, Hogarth being recalled; Loehnis at Admiralty to Capt. Keith at Colombo Aug 3, electric time clocks addressed to Anderson had arrived Colombo July 25; EWT to Keith Aug 4, translator John Sutcliffe to leave by air for Colombo Aug 8; EWT and HNS to Capt. Keith at Anderson Aug 6-8 re translator staffing problems at Anderson, repatriations and replacements; BP to Anderson Aug 8, CIC to Keith Joseph leaving UK for Anderson about Aug 13; 3-page letter from CO at Anderson, Capt. Keith, to DNI and EWT re problems and recent developments at Anderson, Aug 9; Alexander at BP to Parsons at Anderson Aug 3 re decoding machines for Anderson; BP to Anderson Aug 2 re provision of intercepts, BP discussions with Poulden and Alexander; Poulden at BP or Admiralty to Anderson Aug 3 re Guam link of BRUSA circuit, Poulden again to Anderson Aug 9 re forwarding of intercept by signal; BP to Anderson Aug 8 re criticism of Anderson's ZIP/JS reports; BP to Anderson Aug 3, Cassar left UK June 14, ETA Alexandria June 25, British Embassy Cairo asked to arrange air passage to Colombo after July 16, had he arrived yet at Anderson?; BP to Anderson Aug 7 re addressing of all for OP-20-G to

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BSC as well as to GCCS; EWT to Newman at FRUMEL Aug 3, sending Cdr (S) AR Thatcher (RN) if agreeable to Newman, to meet Newman's requirement of May 25, BP to NEGAT Washington Aug 6, Australians agree to appointment of Cdr Thatcher, to leave UK by sea for Melbourne early Sept; FRUMEL to BP and Anderson Aug 8 re comms circuits; FRUMEL to BP for DNI and EWT Aug 13, post-war plans for FRUMEL, demobilisation of all personnel within 6 months of ending of Japanese War, reply Aug 15, post-war planning to include Dominion co- operation, subject being considered by COSC, CBNIET via FRUMEL to BP and DNI Aug 11 re assignment of intelligence personnel after Japanese surrender; CBNIET Sydney to DNI and EWT Aug 2 re problems with Barnham's status at FRUPAC, rules imposed by OP-20-G, status should be same as USNLO at Anderson, i.e. complete openness; BP to CBB Aug 5 re JN traffic; NEGAT Washington to all BRUSA stations with congratulatory message from OP-20-G and NEGAT to all BRUSA stations after Japanese capitulation EWT's list of all Boards, Committees and Sub-Committees dealing with British Comsec, including Chairmen, Secretaries and present GCCS representatives, Aug 17; DO 68 of Aug 24, formation of Latin Section headed by JES Cooper, ex DD (AS), DO 71 of Aug 28, historical work at GCCS, composition of editing committee chaired by FL Birch, DD (NS); ACAS (I) to Chairman SB Aug 23 re disposal of Ultra, covering note from Sec SB, Wing Cdr Childs, to C, all documents to be centralised at GCCS, EWT agrees, reply to ACAS (I) from Childs Aug 27; EWT to C Aug 26 re paper from DD (CSA) re interrogation of Sigint prisoners; report by Joint Intelligence Sub-Committee of COSC Aug 1945 17 on security implications relating to release of captured HW 14/134 Aug German documents, draft of Aug 14 attached, draft 16-31 telegram to FMs Montgomery and Alexander ordering them to implement relevant security measures; PA to DD 1 to C Aug 29 apologising for delay in replying to C's minute of Aug 14 requesting Signint on Balkans, report will follow when possible; paper by J de G Aug 21 on dissemination of Balkan intelligence, J de G to Lt Col Thompson Aug 27 with DD 1's instructions for dissemination of Balkan Sigint; Wing Cdr Garrett of AS to AI 4 (g) at AM Aug 22 re AM working aid for Sixta; Latin Section report for week ending. Aug 26; historical notes on setting up of PO Sigint stations at Sandridge, Cupar, Brora, Whitchurch, Hawklaw (Kingansk) and Wincombe

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1938-1943, issued circa late Aug 1945; numerous exchanges between BP and 21 AG, mainly between EWT and Col Scott, on withdrawal of SLU 8 and taking over of SLU role by 21 AG; numerous exchanges between Scott at 21 AG and AD (WTC) on scheduling and re-scheduling of reciprocal visits, eventually Scott arrives UK Aug 31 for conference at BP Sept 3, AD (WTC) and Wing Cdr Smith from WTC to visit 21 AG Minden Sept 10 where they would also meet up with Lt Col Blair-Cunnynghame from 3 WIS at Pfannberg, Blair-Cunnynghame unable to make Sept 3 BP meeting because of moving to Vienna from Pfannberg to become GSO I GSI (s) at HQ BTA Aug 29, however would travel to Minden for mid-September, followed by trip to UK and visit to BP; Col Cook, replacement for Col Bicher and head of USA Sigint organisation in Europe also to be present at BP meeting of Sept 3; Brig Hitchens at 3 WIS to BP for DMI Aug 26, to visit 21 AG with Blair-Cunnynghame mid-Sept then UK leave followed by official business in London Sept 24-29, main GSI moving to Vienna Sept 1; AD (WTC) to Scott at 21 AG Aug 19, Scott's query on non-Morse lines passed to AD 2; EWT from Blair-Cunnynghame at 3 WIS Aug 19, Pfannberg ready to receive Bay-series reports, B- Cunnynghame to EWT Aug 24 complaining over comprises by BP of cover names and country names in clear, (e.g. Bay with Balkans), suggests only cover names should be used, B-Cunnynghame to Wing Cdr Smith of WTC Aug 27 re Bay intelligence, B-Cunnynghame to EWT Aug 27, Lamont had arrived 3 WIS to brief Cunnynghame on Sigint briefings and Ultra regulations, reply Aug 30, Aug 31 Cunnynghame to EWT, Lamont leaves for Naples Sept 1; Cunnynghame to AD (WTC) Aug 21 for DD (Y) whose flight to Klagenfurt and meeting with Cunnynghame was cancelled because of poor weather; 3 WIS Sigint highlight from Balkans traffic Aug 28 on expected result of vote on Republic; various exchanges between BP and 3 WIS recover plans; DD (MS) to B-Cunnynghame Aug 29 re cryptographic problems to be discussed when Cunnynghame visits BP, reply Aug 30; Cunnynghame to 1 SWG Aug 22, all future Sigint bags for Western Med to be addressed to OC 3 WIS, 7 SIC returning to UK and Cunnynghame now G1 at GSI (S) HQ BTA, Cunnynghame to EWT Aug 23 re GCCS representation in Med, OC 5 SIC to eventually take over from Cunnynghame, BP to 3 WIS Aug 22 re Bay-series of reports, Hut 3 series reports to be cancelled when Hut 3 Sigs Office merges with CSR, reply

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Aug 23; various exchanges between BP and 21 AG on visit of S/L Wills of WTC to 21 AG, arrives there Aug 24, to return about Sept1; Wing Cdr Smith in future to send all TA support for 21 AG by Typex and not in clear, Aug 18-20; Scott at 21 AG to DD (Y) Aug 28, sending Col Winterbotham to UK about Sept 4 to do job requested by DD (Y) on Sigint History of W Theatre, bringing drafts with him; EWT to Gp Capt. Jones in Washington Aug 23, Jones to EWT Aug 30 re Admiralty Fleet Order which gives full expansion of letters GCCS at only Restricted security classification, EWT to Jones Aug 31 re TICOM, Laslett to remain in Washington for TICOM, letter from EWT to Jones on Japanese Ultra History posted Aug 31; draft letter from Chairman SB to Jones Aug 29 re earlier proposals to send British officers to Washington to co- operate in writing Sigint History of Japanese War; Lt Cdr Chalkley, BP integree in OP-20-G, to EWT Aug 28 covering copy of 'All Hands,' monthly magazine of US Naval Bureau of Personnel; Lt Toplas, BP TICOM integree in Washington, to EWT Aug 22 requesting guidance on which Japanese material he should obtain/extract for BP; Maidment to Bayley of BSC in NY Aug 25, arrived UK and visited BP, HNS concerned over work of Lt Toplas, photographing captured Japanese documents in Washington, Maidment returning to NY Aug 30; BP to Toplas Aug 25 with tasking of captured Japanese documents for photocopying; COIS BAD Washington to DNI Aug 31 covering trip report by Toplas to PACMIRS; BP to BSC NY Aug 19 re personal baggage from US via BSC; BP to BSC Aug 22 re Flowerdown intercept to BSC via Rockex; minutes of 4th meeting on Japanese Commercial Problem held at Arlington Hall Aug 31; minutes of Combined Sigint Meeting held at SSA Aug 31; BP to BSC NY Aug 24 re signal to Anderson on restricting groupage of raw material to BCS, BP to BSC Aug 26 with explanation for increased Typex output from Anderson; technical exchanges between Alexander at BP and Bodsworth in Washington Aug 20-30; BP to SLU Washington Aug 22 re Flowerdown intercept to BSC via Rockex, BP to OP-20-G Aug 26 re reducing Typex output from Anderson; EWT to Capt. Keith, OC HMS Anderson, Colombo, Aug 25, delaying Keith's proposed visit to UK, EWT and DNI to Keith Aug 26 answering queries raised by Keith; probably Manson at BP to Engstrom in Washington Aug 18, Each us leaving UK for US Aug 18, Norris and Howard expected to follow Aug 20, Tomkins to return US about Aug 25, Manson to Engstrom

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Aug 24, Tomkins returned to BP Aug 23, will return to US after 5 more days' work at BP; BP to Anderson Aug 17 re staff movement, Aug 22 BP to Anderson despatching reports with target information for Malaya, Sumatra and Java, BP to Anderson Aug 21 re large traffic totals emanating from Colombo; CBNIET in Colombo to DNI Aug 28 suggesting Cdr Barham should go to Tokyo, requests status of Capt. Nave in Brisbane; BP to Poulden in Colombo answering Poulden's signal of Aug 22; FRUMEL to BP for DNI and EWT Aug 16 hastening reply to FRUMEL's request for post-war Sigint policy but question apparently still with Cs OS; SLU Cairo to Hut 3 Aug 31 re Tennyson's request to use SLU facilities Signals Division 9 at Admiralty to DD 1 and COs of Flowerdown and Scarborough Nov 14 proposing meeting at Admiralty Nov 26 to discuss improving value of Naval station daily technical reports with attached suggested new format, Maj Peck to AD (WTC) Nov 21 with draft on suggestions for modifying Scarborough and Flowerdown daily reports, H Hinsley , now PS to EWT, to DDSD (Y) Admiralty Nov 23 with names of BP reps for Admiralty meeting, report of Nov 29 by Maj Hanroot to Maj Peck of 1945 HW 14/137 WTC/TA on his attendance at Admiralty meeting of Nov Nov 26, AD (WTC) to DD 1 Nov 30 re provision of Spanish Naval 5-30 c/s's to stations as discussed at Admiralty meeting of Nov 26; paper by HC Kenworthy of FORDE Knockholt on peace- time interception of non-Morse transmissions; Gp Capt. Jones in Washington to DD 1 re exchanges with US ANCIB on use of special intelligence by Official Historians and protection of war-time Sigint sources, includes JIC paper on safeguarding intelligence sources in compiling official histories Relations with Y Stations. Notes on the relationship 1941 between Naval Section and the intercept ('Y') stations Aug providing the essential raw material from which 21 - HW 50/15/3 intelligence was obtained by decryption and analysis. The 1944 main stations in the UK were Scarborough and Apr Flowerdown 28 Intelligence and Statistics Department: Correspondence with the Ministry of Air concerning the rates of wages paid LAB to civilian transport drivers in Ascot, Andover, Biggin Hill, 2/1547/I&S39 Calshot, Croydon, Cranwell, Cardington, Donibristle, 1922 B20/1922 7/1922 Eastchurch, Flowerdown, Farnborough, Gosport, Howden (East Yorkshire), Henlow, Hawkinge, Halton, Isle of Grain, Ickenham, Kidbrooke, Henley, Lee-on-Solent, Leuchars,

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Lympne, Martlesham Heath, Manston, Milton, Old Sarum, Pulham, Spittlegate, Shotwick, Uxbridge and Upavon. 1923 Dec. ESTABLISHMENT. Air Ministry: General: Electrical and 4- T 162/98 Wireless School, Flowerdown; Appointment and E.12065 1930 remuneration of civilian Instructor. Mar. 28

The End!

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