World War 2 Covering: RAF, Radio/Radar, Home Guard, ATC, and Observer Corps. Plus those general snippets.

Now Alan and I have been working on this talk for ages and we both feel as if we have parachuted behind enemy lines. Believe, it or not, (Stephen) I was still just a twinkle in my Dads eye, and Alan (I) was so busy selling and fitting silk stockings on the black market that he didn't realise the War was on. Indeed some people thought he still operated a rationing system well after the War at the Westcountry Inn, as only spirits seemed to be available after hours.

We have tried to divide this evening into two parts, Stephen will detail the association of Hartland with the technology of the War and I will fill in those important details of life during the period.

When you attempt to talk of the effects of the Second World War on any village there would be so many avenues to explore that it quickly expands to become a book. With Hartland we could cover the men who joined up, the work on the farms with the girls of the land army, the arrival of the evacuees, the rationing or many other such topics. We have chosen a slightly different approach and will try and cover a longer period of time to include some of the longer term effects of Hartland's association with the services.

STEPHEN I have started my part of this story with the First World War and in the South East of England, as quite a few of our society members have links with that area.

When in the 1914/18 war a German airship piloted by Captain Linnarz managed to get right above the East End of London and drop 3000lb of bombs. The only type of advance warning available was visual recognition by any citizen. Instruction were issued to everyone to telephone "anti aircraft, London" to report the sighting, should they not have a telephone then "you are to send a post card with details of the sighting". There was a whole string of such airship (Zeppelins) raids over the south east and only one such ship was slightly damaged by defence gunnery

To combat this threat and the growing raids by German aircraft a searchlight and gunnery ring was established. To assist our fighter aircraft intercept the incoming force large white arrows where placed alongside the searchlight positions and rotated to indicate the direction of the incoming craft. This proved successful and the Germans resorted to attacking at night and flying at higher altitude. This primitive answer to a new form of warfare would lead to a whole new technology. Many different approaches were made to develop methods of detection, communication and deterrent. This included work on radio and radar, increased visual warning systems and further deployment of defence gunnery.

In the early inter war years the powers that be, had reduced the development of visual warning, Incorporating its activities within what we would term fighter command, there it dwindled away to nil. In the late 1920's a General Ashmore convinced of the effectiveness of the previous system, undertook experiments and exercises to show that the system should be re-established and improved upon. This was adopted and a new observation ring was started, again within the South East. Initially under the supervision of the police recruiting civilians and ex-service men, who were sworn in as special constables., with typical specific instructions not to talk of their activities. They became known as the Air raid precautions group, or as we know them ARP's this being later in two parts with the Air raid warden and the observer corps.

It was not until 1934 that the observer corps were suddenly expanded within a six year plan that would cover the whole of the British Isles. Hartland seems to be an out of the way corner of the country, with its open spaces, windswept plateau's. But these are the very attributes that led to Hartland's military presence. Our area observer corps was established in the spring of 1940, with posts built at approx 13 mile intervals, Thus there was, Holsworthy, Torrington, Barnstaple, Croyde, Horns Cross and a local post at Kilkhampton. This can be still seen on the hedge line just to the south of the rest home as you drive into Kilkhampton. It was later relocated to a position about a mile to the North. The coastguard station at Hartland Point was also an associated post.

When the Second World war came, the German bombing raids again started and the observer corps where firmly established and started their work. The warning posts could provide a period of advance warning to the population, airfield defence and the anti aircraft ops. rooms.

The actual observation work was by means of triangulation. Upon sighting an incoming aircraft then the post would report back to its H.Q. and there the staff would take the readings of direction, speed and height into account then from readings from three of the reporting posts could produce a fairly accurate report of the threat. This visual sighting was particularly effective in warning of the approach of Doodlebugs, as they were hard to spot on the new radar technology also in force.

You have to now think of the advance of technology, and in particular the work on radio and radar which had been going on in earnest since the mid 1920's. Experiments on the South coast, with fixed concrete parabolic sound mirrors, had shown that sound detection could be achieved to a distance of 21 miles which is three times better than human hearing. This method proved unreliable in the information it produced and was discontinued, but a form of portable listening device was developed and used by the observers to help in detection.

A radar system of detection works by a signal being sent out, it will bounce back from any obstruction in its beam this returning beam being picked up and a display on a cathode ray tube shows this reaction. As this was developed it became possible to give further advanced warning of incoming aircraft and by the characteristic of the signal the operators became adept at differentiating between the types of aircraft.

As the principle became a working system a number of these stations were established, Particularly along the south of England, Hartland was chosen to have a radio installation and this was duly constructed in 1939 at Baxworthy corner. You can still see the remains of a number of buildings in the fields thereabouts. The site original consisted of a control and admin. Centre with adjoining bomb shelter, necessary as two such other sites were hit by bombing. The admin block is now a holiday house and the site of the Ariel is harder to spot but is within the hedge just to the south east of the admin block. The radar beams sent out from this chain of stations could 'see' well down over the English Channel and more important over the French coast.

Their prime job was to assist with fighter control and also had a homing beacon that would bring in foreign aircraft such as Polish, Dutch, French etc that were escaping or returning having lost direction and need guiding to an airstrip. The observer posts also had a role in this work as they often posted the first spotting of a lost plane, then had available flares to give visual indication to the pilot. This radio team worked shifts in pairs with one operating the radio and the other being in telephone contact with H.Q. in our case this was Portreath in Cornwall.

The personnel that ran the Baxworthy station were all billeted with local families. Originally at Welsford but then later dividing to ease the pressure on just one household. Nonus Keens was one such person, he arrived here in 1941 as an RAF technician and was billeted with my parents at Stitworthy farm, that is until he took the fancy of Ida Headon who lived with her parents at Baxworthy Cottages. Nonus was later transfered to duty in South Africa and then Egypt before he returned and they married and  lived at Baxworthy. Ida had worked during the war at Seckington farm. Nonus was the only person from this radar station to remain at Hartland.

With the outbreak of the War came conscription, both official and voluntary. There was a number of reserve occupations that gave an exemption to signing up. The main local one was agriculture. Suddenly the farms had a pressing need for additional labour to keep them running and relatives came 'home' to work. Another such exemption was as a youngest son when the elder sons had already signed up. As far as I know Hartland only had two girls from the land army resident in the Parish, and by coincidence they both married and still live within the Parish.

Those who were classed in the reserve occupations often joined the Local Defence Force or Home Guard, which was established here in 1940. There were 4 Units in Hartland, Town, Bursdon, Elmscott and Welcombe. My Dad was in the Bursdon platoon who were under the local command of Mr Bill Nicholls and their operation centre was on Bursdon moor, The Bursdon post was basically a greenhouse come hut. From there they would keep a visual watch on aircraft movements, in particular they were able to give advance warning to South Wales and the Midlands as the aircraft would try and sneak up the Atlantic coast before turning inland. The Elmscott platoon had their ops. base at Spekes together with a cliff lookout at Mansley cliffs. Welcombe was at the valley to Wecombe mouth.

The Town platoon were best catered for, having their ops. room in the balcony at the Church hall also shared with the school who were having to teach a greatly expanded no of pupils, The Town platoon were also able to undertake their drill in the comfort of the main hall. I believe they also considered themselves the elite of the platoons as they were trained to use the latest high tech equipment within the village, yes the telephone. All the local platoons had their well known work of securing the area from invasion and from the operation of spies. Long after the war many people had suspicions regarding the presence of a person at Welcombe who was regarded as a spy, but was never arrested although I believe he was taken into Bude on one occasion for questioning. All of the Home Guard did this work out of normal work hours with exercises scheduled for weekends. In all over 100 men were enrolled. They came under the Torrington division with Colonel Cruikshank and often went there for exercises including rifle practice on the range at Beam House.

There have been numerous stories relating to our Home Guard platoons all with a tinge of the T.V. version, Dads Army. My three favourites are.

1) When Bill Nicholls took a platoon on a weekend map reading exercise, he had given a bearing as to the final destination. They all set out religiously following his bearings only to discover that he had read his map upside down and they were heading for a point some miles off land at Speaks Mill.

2) The second would be when the same team rather worse for a drink after a illegal game of darts at Westcountry, returned to duty and fell asleep. One rolled over and upset the paraffin stove setting the hut on fire, he grabbed the stove and threw it out the door only to set the whole moor alight. There were calls coming in from Hartland Point and Wales asking if the post was under attack and needed assistance.

3) My final is a true dedication to military rules. Sentries were set to monitor any traffic along the main road and to stop and identify all passers. Along came a car and it halted at the barrier with the declaration of who goes there. To which there was no reply. So Bill Westlake approached the car with rifle raised, whilst another went to the driver to ask for I.D. It turned out to be the area Home Guard commander on his way to a meeting, but as he was in civies and he also had no papers with him, the rules would be strictly adhered to and he was detained until the morning. When a report was received that all posts should be aware that the commander had been lost. Bursdon men reported in that they were holding a prisoner who was claiming to be the commander and could someone come to verify his identity. He was duly released but Bill Westlake was heard to say "I knew I would catch the B one day, I have enjoyed that".

I have my Dads Home Guard training manual and his maps they provide interesting insights into the duties to be performed to thwart invasion The methods to be deployed may seem rather trivial now but must have been taken serious then. One passage on how to delay an invasionary force has the following tips. Leave open all manhole covers, place containers on the road propped up with a small stick. Attach a string to the stick and trail it off to an unseen position, the enemy will have to inspect each one to detect any bombs, in brackets it said make sure every so often you place a live bomb. All residents were to be asked to prop open a window and place a straight stick or piece of tube out the window to simulate a sniper position.

In the build up to the Normandy landings, invasion stores were hidden alongside the roads awaiting transfer to the front. This area saw the practice flights of the glider squadrons as they were towed over, with a few crashing into the fields around the area at Trew. At the Taw/Torridge estuary amphibious vehicles were developed and tested. There were quite a number of airfields both British and American, with Bideford having a large American base positioned at what is now Morrisons supermarket. There was also a Prisoner of War camp at Bowden Green, Bideford. They never had any escapes in general the prisoners seemed glad to be out of the war. Many would undertake work locally and were invited into peoples homes for Sunday tea. Many ex-prisoners stayed or returned to the area after the war ended.

As regards this new radar/radio technology, with its advance, a second RAF group arrived in 1941 and a new area of land procured adjacent to Blagdon Farm at Hartland Point and further land around Baxworthy. This later site sprouted further buildings and two large metal lattice towers, for transmission and reception. The Blagdon site had contained a variety of mobile ops rooms, with staff billeted locally. This expanded and they took over the Hartland Quay Hotel to accommodate the service men. Over the years Blagdon site was to expand into a permanent site and a variety of new devices were installed, some spun round others nodded from side to side and even others nodded up and down as they scanned our skies. This was a fascination for us kids on the school bus each day. There was much discussion as to what they could see, with some of the more knowledgeable informing us that they could detect visitors from outer space. Others having 'inside' information, that the staff could spot birds flying all around the area, and as to the ability to identify the particular breed of bird.

After the War as the radar site expanded with a fresh lease of life in the 1950's, a Domestic site was built at Eastdown, along with a Military Transport depot. This area has always been referred to as the 'Camp' and in its heyday had a compliment of around 80 service and civilian personnel. Married quarters were added later, these are nearly the only remains now in use. The station was operated as one part of a chain of such installations in the South West, thus echoing the first Baxworthy command structure. From the 50's RAF Hartland point held a primary job for the control of the live fire range off our coast. The radar could see over a distance of nearly 200 miles and could detect shipping as well as aircraft.

Many of us will remember seeing the planes going over towing the Drogue target at which the fighters would fire. Their shells were colour coded so when the drogue was returned any hits could be attributed to the correct fighter. The command to live fire was given direct from Hartland Point. Secondary duties included the surveillance of aircraft through the area, air to air refuelling and interception of an attack on the U.K. The same towing aircraft also did duty for the gunnery range at Cleave Camp. Chivenor being the nearest full RAF establishment, Hartland was serviced from there. Later transferring to St. Mawgan and then again back to Chivenor. Over the years there have been a steady team of local people employed within the station,

With this influx of eligible young men there must have been some very happy girls, but puzzled boys in the village, and to readdress this the boys could only have added success of the football team to be content with. We had best not say more about the girls. Just to say that quite a number married service men. I would say at least 20 families over the years have such a connection.

The Royal Airforce left in 1983, having changed its roll many times from fighter control, direction finding, to work on the bombing ranges to the west of Lundy Island. Lastly the site at Hollowford was used in conjunction with testing work on Concord. You are all well aware of the Dad's Army aspect of the home guards but you may not have realised that much the same could be said of RAF Hartland Point. It was always considered an easy posting by those in the know There seemed to be an excessive amount of stand downs during which the staff had to be kept amused, this included golf, badminton, a fishing boat kept at Clovelly, they even stocked the camp reservoir with fish, but I bet it was the only RAF establishment that had garden allotments and bred geese for the local Christmas tables.

Hartland still maintains it link with Radar Technology with a new unmanned site at Hartland Point under the control of the Navy, there is also a permanent substructure for a mobile Martello system to use Hartland if the need arises. The Aircraft radar is now contracted out to the station at Burrington and of course in our neighbouring parish of Morwenstow is the satellite station. On the cliffs at south hole is a radar facility established to investigate weather changes by measuring the sea state some 200 hundred miles out in the Atlantic. Recently we were part of the most modern of technology when a team came to the Hartland Observatory to assemble a space satellite.

After the War some of the Home Guard personnel joined the existing Royal Observer Corps. The main local lookouts were at Kilkhampton and just behind the Hoops Inn. Guess which one my Dad joined, yes Hoops Inn. as the Corps roll changed from aircraft spotting to the new threat of nuclear bombing and its fallout. The old established method of triangulation came back into play to detect this invisible killer. The local posts were rebuilt and the local one now became an underground cell built in the corner of a field to the north of Kilkhampton. This operated with one at Launceston and another near Barnstaple. You would drive past these bunkers without knowing it, when in use they would have a display of equipment erected on the top of what appeared to be a grass mound. These posts were in operation right up until the standing down of the Observer Corps just a couple of years ago.

From the local Observer Corps personnel were recruited to form a new 'Secret' section during the 1970's. Three people one an officer and two from the ranks were taken away from the Kilkhampton post and under great secrecy met at a house at Bucks Mills to be retrained. I was one of these. This training consisted of weeks of watching television and drinking tea, as with normal service efficiency no training material or staff were issued for some 8 months. Then it was a copy of a well used manual that the 'officer had procured from H.Q. This was studied and by trial and error we discovered our new job.

So successful were we that when eventually a training officer arrived he immediately had us promoted to regional trainers, although this was somewhat a false title as we never travelled further than Hartland. The new job was to be an information collector from the normal Observer reporting bunkers throughout Europe and collate and display this material for our Service customer. The New bunker was contained within the Hartland Point RAF station and we had use of the central control room, with display maps, status boards, and communication equipment. Our deployment there brought a lot of friction to the Commanding Officer as our part time officer took her duties so seriously which contradicted the laid back atmosphere at the Point.

Further personnel were recruited from the area although they could not have had any previous Observer Corps involvement and they were then trained up to operate the centre. We had a number of weekend simulation exercises and a service customer would arrive to which we had to report.

The most memorable was one four day exercise, the customer was the Royal Navy and they arrived in convoy with masses of equipment all installed within the station. There was a hatch set up through which we could communicate as we were not allowed to mix.

All systems go!

The ticker tape machine burst into life with a warning of imminent attack. Then reports of explosions. The Bombs had fallen, some 5 in number, right along the English Channel and exploded at a height of 100 feet above the sea. The wind was blowing up from France. The threat was radioactive rain, the worst thing except for a direct hit.

We tracked the bombs and the fallout plumes as they sped across England. Within two hours the whole country was covered in fallout and no military movements would be permitted. So by a few hours into the exercise it was effectively all over. We spent three days playing badminton, golf and watching t.v. before we decided enough was enough and we went home. Only to be carpeted later as no one was on duty to send an end of exercise status report.

On a weekend training session at the Helston station we had a number of classroom sessions. As we were in full uniform we all had radiation meters on our clothing. Whilst in a classroom in the helicopter maintenance section I happen to look at this meter and it was registering way off the safety scale for exposure within a twenty four hour period., and I had only worn it for three hours since calibration. It turned out to be taking its reading from the granite rock of the area. So remember that if you go for a day trip.

We still have a Royal Air Force presence as we have a very active Air Cadet Force originally set up in 1970 by Barry Endine, they travelled to Bude each week. Then they became a detached flight with accommodation in a building behind the cookhouse. Over the years they have gone from strength to strength and given our youngsters a focus. This unit is helped by another ex Hartland Point service man John Scott. A number of these youngsters have gone on to join the services.

During 1934 Hartland had also recruited a Brigade of Territorials, in the spring 24 men enrolled and were kitted out prior to going to camp. As the war progressed Hartland also received it evacuees who were absorbed within the area, many have returned over the years and quite a few have settled here. There was also the wise monkey club at the Abbey run by Mrs Allison, this was a complete school who upped sticks and came for the duration.

We really can not fail to mention all the people who although not within the Parish did service for their country within various capacities. The memorial in the square will be a tribute to those who never returned. We should be most grateful to you all whatever part you may have taken and just hope you think it was worth the suffering.