RAF Stanbridge closure marked by ceremony
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RAF Stanbridge closure marked by ceremony
The ensign has been lowered for the last time during a closing ceremony at RAF Stanbridge which was the RAFs "Commcen Central" for many years.
Last edited by ricardian; 21st Jun 2012 at 18:38.
Thank you Ricardian. Another of the RAF's "backrooms", of which many of us had little or no knowledge, now closing down. A very interesting paper by English Heritage, particularly of its early WWII years.
In particular I found the ADGB Ops Room referred to intriguing. Was this the same ADGB of the 20s/30s? The point of that ADGB was that the Air Defence of Great Britain was seen to reside in the bomber which "would always get through" rather than the fighter. RAF Bicester (another subject of an English Heritage study, with many listed pre war and early war time features) was an ADGB station, having Sidestrand and Overstrand Bombers. Perhaps the old name morphed into a new meaning when actual experience showed us that with modern fighters and Command and Control Centres the bomber often did not get through, and if it did would often not manage to hit its assigned target.
If you ever sent or received a signal in the RAF it seems likely that it went through Stanbridge at some point.
In particular I found the ADGB Ops Room referred to intriguing. Was this the same ADGB of the 20s/30s? The point of that ADGB was that the Air Defence of Great Britain was seen to reside in the bomber which "would always get through" rather than the fighter. RAF Bicester (another subject of an English Heritage study, with many listed pre war and early war time features) was an ADGB station, having Sidestrand and Overstrand Bombers. Perhaps the old name morphed into a new meaning when actual experience showed us that with modern fighters and Command and Control Centres the bomber often did not get through, and if it did would often not manage to hit its assigned target.
If you ever sent or received a signal in the RAF it seems likely that it went through Stanbridge at some point.
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Over the years RAF Stanbridge (Commcen Central) was manned by many hundreds, probably thousands, of Telegraphists, Wireless Operators, Teleprinter Operators, Tape Relay Operators, Cryptographic Mechanics, Teleprinter Mechanics, Ground Wireless Mechanics/Fitters and Aerial Erectors. In the 1950s and 1960s Commcen Central was part of the Commonwealth Air Forces Network (CAFNET) which had an Air Commodore as Controller of RAF Telecommunications (CRAFT) and in its heyday handled over 10,000 message a day, nearly half of them destined for overseas addressees.
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Stanbridge was my first posting after the Apprentices in 1956, and brings back some memories. It was the main communications center and circuit control for the CAF global network. HF Transmitter sites were at Greatwoth, Eddlesborough, and Weyhill. Receiver sites were at Stoke Hammond and Chicksands. There was insufficient accommodation at Stanbridge itself, so most folks were living in nissen huts at Bletchley. Had to catch a 3-tonner to work and back for shift changes.
Bob C
Bob C
Stanbridge (2SU IIRC) gave up its role as a major comms centre in the late '70s/early 80s. It was then extensively (and expensively) redeveloped to provide a home for the Joint Services Air Trooping Centre and the RAF Supply Control Centre (RAFSCC), both units being transferred from RAF Hendon, which closed officially on 1 Apr 87.
The JSATC was closed/disbanded/moved/renamed in the 90s and the site was contracted into a small enclave of just the former SHQ and the RAFSCC building in about 1999. Further changes took place and the site is no longer required.
Of interest is that the RAFSCC - and whatever else it was called over the years - was the first major computer system operated by the RAF in the 'data processing' era - then called ADP : automatic data processing. This went live in January 1966 and controlled supplies for the RAF and many others. A major update to an 'online' realtime system kicked off in 1975 and has been giving exceptional service ever since. If you are still awake and want to read more, look on the RAF Museum website at the RAF Historical Society journals and their one day seminar in late 2004 covered it all and much else!!
The RAF Supply ADP System and the mobile version it spawned, has been a major success story in an area in which so many other systems have gone belly-up or cost squillions more than the budget said: well done RAF!!
Old Duffer
The JSATC was closed/disbanded/moved/renamed in the 90s and the site was contracted into a small enclave of just the former SHQ and the RAFSCC building in about 1999. Further changes took place and the site is no longer required.
Of interest is that the RAFSCC - and whatever else it was called over the years - was the first major computer system operated by the RAF in the 'data processing' era - then called ADP : automatic data processing. This went live in January 1966 and controlled supplies for the RAF and many others. A major update to an 'online' realtime system kicked off in 1975 and has been giving exceptional service ever since. If you are still awake and want to read more, look on the RAF Museum website at the RAF Historical Society journals and their one day seminar in late 2004 covered it all and much else!!
The RAF Supply ADP System and the mobile version it spawned, has been a major success story in an area in which so many other systems have gone belly-up or cost squillions more than the budget said: well done RAF!!
Old Duffer
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I remember being at Akrotiri 1965-67 when SCAF starting handing in their signals with all sorts of strange punctuation symbols - and this with no warning, one day it was the normal F/SIGS52 message form, hand-written; next day it was a stencilled template with hyphens, braces, colons etc and some numbers written in by hand.
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JSATC
G,day folks,
I was stationed with JSATC at Hendon and was involved in the relocation of the unit to Stanbridge in July 1988 from memory.. Met a few good people there in my 6 month attachment from Australia. Would like to catch up with any of the JSATC folks that may remember me from all those years ago. It seems that a lot of money went into the transfer only to close it down a few years later...
I was stationed with JSATC at Hendon and was involved in the relocation of the unit to Stanbridge in July 1988 from memory.. Met a few good people there in my 6 month attachment from Australia. Would like to catch up with any of the JSATC folks that may remember me from all those years ago. It seems that a lot of money went into the transfer only to close it down a few years later...
I remember being at Akrotiri 1965-67 when SCAF starting handing in their signals with all sorts of strange punctuation symbols - and this with no warning, one day it was the normal F/SIGS52 message form, hand-written; next day it was a stencilled template with hyphens, braces, colons etc and some numbers written in by hand.
A similar thing happened to Flight Plan signals around 1966-67 while I was at Wittering. They were also "space free" and a bitch to do until you got used to it.
