RAF 'Y' Stations etc. Discussion Thread

alistaire;56081 wrote:

would you please tell me what a Y station is.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y-stations

Shaftesbury Y station is now a creamery and has been for many years, I worked in Shaftesbury about 20 years ago and had to repair their old Leyland box delivery vans.The site is gradually being swamped in housing in the next few years.

Richard wrote:

Shaftesbury Y station is now a creamery.

Where was it Richard?

. wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm?lat=5...002&gz=17&oz=10>=1 Shaftesbury, Dorset

Thanks Richard. I note the archive shows two entries: Your site is clearly the last one - however, it is probably the RAF site as well. The source for the archive (Bletchley Park) is very open-ended! Any further info regarding one / two sites?

Graham

Whilst looking for another radio station in Northern Ireland I came across some information about Gilnahirk, the RSS Intercept Station.

I suspect it may be here . though one source stated that it was demolished.

www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/11/a8533811.shtml

www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplacea...nderry/A732296.shtml

Not entirely convinced about sitting in an underground metal box. The article clearly states that the station had D/F facilities, though the site id described as Intercept only

Always lots of loose ends to tie up.

Graham

Carnaby;58239 wrote:

Not entirely convinced about sitting in an underground metal box. The article clearly states that the station had D/F facilities, though the site id described as Intercept only
Graham

It's actually right! I remember an issue of Shortwave Magazine around 1990 had an article on one of these; a farmer had decided to dig up what he had always thought was an old car buried in one of his fields, and unearthed what looked like an enormous fuel tank. Subsequent research found the site had been a Y Service station, and the 'tank' was actually where the rig and operator worked from, the idea being to completely shield the radio from spurious emissions by burying it and completely shielding the feeder cable. All that would have been seen above ground were a couple of huts for accommodation and cooking, and the aerial masts.
Not my cup of tea.

the_historian;58246 wrote:

It's actually right!

Amazing. I wonder how many of the sites were like this. All the Marconi-Adcock pictures in books show 'the wooden hut'. However a web search suggests that several had metal tanks.

Meanwhile, a link to the Brora station.

Graham

airfields wrote:

What would I be looking for at the Monks Risborough [ Int ] station ?

Anyone know ?

AFM - I think the lack of response to your question says a lot. Very little seems to be known about these sites. I Googled many of the names in the audit with no hits whatsoever on most of them.

This site is mentioned in a number of TNA files in the HW 14 category (Government Code and Cypher School: Directorate: Second World War Policy Papers), one example being HW14/104 which contains details of John de Grey's report Apr 6 on his visits to Met Office intercept stations at Dunstable and Monks Risborough, GPS to WTC Apr 8 with details of GP and German military nets suitable for cover trial at Monks Risborough,

Note the site is described as Met Office, not RAF (shared / one-and-the-same?).

I suspect this site is a significantly smaller version of the Brora and Gilhnahirk ones above.

Would like to know a lot more about these if I get the time

Graham