Royal Air Force Greatworth
962 Signals Unit.
turner
| turner |
|
Member Joined Feb 10 2010
Actions
General Info
82 years old cranleigh
Site Memberships
|
Recent Activity
About Me
i was posted to Greatworth from Cranwell in 1948 as a wireless fitter. After some weeks on daily maintenence I was put on watch duty. Initialy there were 4 watches. But the long serving NCO;s were being demobbed and the watches reduced to 3. Eventually 2 more NCO;s were demobbed this meant that 2 LAC;s Tim Platt and I were promoted to corporals. Watches now consisted of 1 NCO and 2 mechanics. There was a table at the centre of the hall with a BC221 wavemetre and an AR88 receiver for frequency measurement. I remember having to change frequency and aerial at night time for the australian transmission. Most of the operators were at Stanbridge but there was one at chicksands. At about that time we had an inspection by the Air Commadore who was appauled at the lack of discipline. He sent 2 SP's and an RAF regiment flight sergeant to remedy this. Needless to say this had little effect on such a small community. At this time a new 150 watt transmitter was being built but we never new what this was for. It was to be a SSB transmitter. There was only one other such, an SWB10 which required careful tuning to avoid intermodulation distortion. I was eventually posted to the sister station at Dagnall which was a more modern station. The aerials were 250 ft pylons very different from the wooden structures at Greatworth. I was eventually demobbed from 25 december 1949.
Post a CommentOops!The words you entered did not match the given text. Please try again. 5 Comments
Hi Jeff, Any chance of a fullsize copy of your profile picture for the "Early Years" gallery? We are also interested if you would describe the camp as it was in your time. By the time most of us were there, all the buildings had been replaced with new ones of bricks and concrete. Nothing remained of the nissen huts. Derrick has described some of it, but as he was there in '54-'55, some was being pulled down and replaced, by the time of the sixties, our time, there wasn't a trace of the old stuff, except the transmitters. These were SWB 8's and SWB 11's. The giant Redifon had gone in its place were two STC DS-13's.
Your time in 1948, is as far back as we have hear from anyone, so please tell us all about it. Use the Blogg utility if you can, or you can email me on virgoprestige @yahoo.co.uk okay?
This is quite remarkable info Jeff, it adds questions about the dating of the aerial photo in the gallery, thought to be between 1945 and '50 but may be wrong?. The Air ministry purchase of the land in 1949? That could posibly be restitution for a wartime land requisition by the War Ofice? From what you write you imply that RAF Greatworth was well established by the time you arrived?
How about you write something in our blog, rather than filling your profile with this conversation? This is, after all, very interesting stuff. Have you got any photos of back then? Your profile picture is interesting.
I think the station was probably started just before the war. It was probably built in a hurry, hence the Nissen hut construction. Dagnal was a more permanent construction and built at a later date. The equipment was the same mix of SWB10's 11's & 8's & 1509's
We were allowed 1 liberty run per week in the 15cwt to Banbury.
Very interesting Jeff, 1948 eh? Have you further information about greatworth at that period? I have been trying to establish RAF Greatworths origins and I found referance to an Air Ministry purchase of land dated 1949 and an aerial photo taken between 1945 and 1950, showing empty fields, both uncoroberated. So Jeff, pray tell all, yes I have clocked your photo above, have you more?
my complete attention is yours Martin aka Tom
Welcome to the site Jeff? (going by your email address), the name Turner does have an echo, have we met? I was there '62-'63 then went to Jurong. Good to have you on board anyway.
|
Recent Forum Posts
Wikimapia of "Greatworth Park", This scrollable map is `mouse controled' (Click the box to go to Wikimapia)
Code
Visitors Map
Send to a friend
Usefull site links
Bed and Breakfast at Astwell Mill Helmdon www.astwellmill.co.uk
Forces Reunited - The largest dedicated UK Forces Community on the web
Forces Genealogy - Military Genealogy and history website
The Tourist Office address (e-mail) - banburytic@cherwell-dc.gov.uk (Tel 01295 753725)
Recent Videos
We used to tune to Frequencies, Now 888 tune for Speed!
situated in the acommodation buildings
(Shades of the old Speedrace Transmitter?)
Triple Eight ocupy the acomodation site.
Tim Samways occupy the east of the `T' in the TX Hall
And John Austin's Furniture, at the North end.
Angus Watt's Campers.
VW Campers's in the Centre Hall.
Oops!
Oops, you forgot something.