Ex-RAF Aerial Erectors Association Website

Places Past and Present.

RAF LEEMING

No. 90 Signals Unit.

Most of the RAF's Air Combat Service Support (Communications) Units are now located at RAF Leeming in Yorkshire. The Aerial Engineering Flight, No.1 Expeditionary Radar and Airfields Squadron moved from RAF Sealand in March 2006 where it became part of the Tactical Communications Wing, 90 Signals Unit.

No 90 Signals Unit riggers on parade.

The ERAS will be joined at Leeming by the remaining 650 personnel of the Tactical Communications Wing currently detached at RAF Brize Norton by the end of 2009 thus bringing the majority of the Aerial Erectors serving in the RAF together in one place.

Working in the Big Freezer.

A line of 16 share antennas at the British Antarctic Survey base Halley 2005.

During the Antarctic summer months, in recent years, the RAF has had a number of teams of Aerial Erectors on detachment to the British Antarctic Survey Bases to assist in improving communications. In the picture above, riggers from the Aerial Engineering Flight of 90 Signals Unit can be seen working on a line of 16 share aerials. The boom has been attached to the crane and is about to be lowered to the ground for servicing. Once the boom is removed, reducing the weight on the mast, checks are carried out on the bolts that secure the mast sections together looking for any metal fatigue caused by the severe weather.

Working in Afghanistan.

90 SU Riggers assembling a Radome.

A completed radome.

In the photograph on the left several riggers of a Fitting Party from the Aerial Engineering Flight, Tactical Communications Wing, 90 Signals Unit based at RAF Leeming can be seen assembling one of a number of radomes at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. In the photograph on the right, a completed radome can be seen with two rather battered older inflatable type radomes in the background.

Standing, left to right:- Cpl Scott Hughes, rigger, "Fish" (5001 Sqdn Techie), Sgt Paddy Fagan, rigger, Sac Rob Hall, rigger, Sac Steve Wills, rigger, Cpl John "Mitch" Mitchell, rigger.
Kneeling:- Cpl "Mick" (5001 Sqdn techie), Sac Lee Bolton, rigger.

More information about No. 90 Signals Unit can be found by using the link to the No. 90 Signals Unit Website on our links page.

Falkland Islands 1982.

Following the surrender of the Argentine Forces in the Falkland Islands in June 1982 a fitting party was assembled to establish permanent signals communications with the RAF Headquarters in the United Kingdom. The fitting party was tasked with building a transmitter site, a receiver site, airfield radar and a ground to air communications network to replace the temporary equipment of the Tactical Communications Wing.
In September 1982 the fitting party's team of aerial erectors was hastily gathered together from the staff at RAF Digby, RAF Henlow and RAF North Luffenham. The team was flown by VC10 to RAF Wideawake on Ascension Island and then by sea on board the roll on - roll off ferry Norland to Port Stanley.
A transmitter site was quickly established at Windy Ridge and a receiver site at The Canache. The receiver site was located on boggy ground and there were problems with the mast bases sinking into the boggy ground. No concrete was available but the difficulty was overcome by placing old cable drum sides on the ground and mounting the mast bases on them thus spreading the weight of the masts.

Windy Ridge Aerial Section.

The Rx Aerial Section at The Canache.

HF communications were quickly estabished with the Signals Centre at RAF Stanbridge thus relieving the pressure on the satellite communications links.
The team also carried out repairs to the gearbox of the AR1 radar unit and the TACAN unit was moved from its original tent into a re-cycled radome.

The radome under construction can be seen above with the airfield in the distance.
The corner of the tent which is housing the TACAN can be seen in the bottom lefthand side of the photograph.

Back row, standing, left to right:- Steve Linstead, Mark Tarr, Richard "Dick" Hogarth and Nick Chaitow.
Front row, left to right:- Dave Crooks, Tony John and Gordon "Jock" Hays.

RAF GIBRALTAR.

In Memorium.

Aerial Erector (2473869) Corporal Dennis "Billy" Bowes.
Killed while working on the aerial farm by a rock fall on 15th December 1969.
We will remember him.

The early 1950s transmitter site was at North Front and housed a number of SWB8S with a smaller transmitter site housing about six 1509s and a pair of SWB8s at Middle Hill.

Middle Hill Tx site in the distance, 1955.

The Middle Hill Tx Hall entrance, 1955.

Thanks to ex-J/T Chris Meadows who supplied this information about the early 1950s and kindly gave permission to use the two photographs seen above.

The Middle Hill transmitter site was re-constructed and refurbished in 1958 along with the Rock Gun receiver site. The work was carried out by No 9 Radio Fitting Party, Ground Radio Installation Squadron (known as the Gypsy Sqdn.) of the Radio Engineering Unit based at RAF Henlow.
The fitting party included a team of eight aerial erectors led by the late Sgt Ron "Spike" Law. One of the riggers, Darrell Whitham, took the photographs seen here.

The Middle Hill transmitter site in 1958, when the construction of the buildings was almost complete.

All the radio equipment was installed by the fitting party Ground Wireless Fitters and Mechanics and all the aerials and associated cabling by the team of Aerial Erectors.

The new transmitter hall during the installation process. Note the work benches and tables made from the wooden packing cases used to transport the equipment from the United Kingdom.

Riggers installing the UHF and VHF aerials on one of the 90 ft wooden towers at the Rock Gun Site.

Following the closure of Middle Hill and its associated sites there are no riggers permanently based at RAF Gibraltar, lately RAF North Front, and all signals traffic is now civilianised.
There are no RAF aircraft currently stationed at Gibraltar and the remaining fifty or so RAF personnel handle all RAF aircraft in transit and form part of the Combined Forces Unit in Gibraltar.
RAF Gibraltar/Gibraltar Airport continues to be managed by the RAF who look after all incoming and outgoing air traffic including all civilian flights.

RAF Changi, Signals Centre, Far East Air Force.

The Signals Centre for the Far East Air Force was located at RAF Changi in Singapore. The Signals Centre transmitter site was located at RAF Jurong and the receiver site was located at RAF Chia Keng, both were linked to the Signals Centre at Changi by landlines. The Changi Signals Centre was linked via the HF Commonwealth Air Forces network to the United Kingdom, Aden, Australia, Ceylon, Hong Kong, Labuan (Borneo), RAAF base at Butterworth (Northern Malaya) and Gan (when Ceylon closed down).
In the 1960s the Royal Signals receiver base at Amoy Quee was taken over by the RAF and 1003 Signals Unit formed there to operate joint services Skynet satellite communications network equipment installed there.

The map above shows the approximate location of Amoy Quee fig 1, the RAF receiver site at Chia Keng fig 2, and the RAF transmitter site at Jurong fig 3. The location of the RAF airfields of Changi, Seletar, Tengah, the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm base at Sembawang and the civil airport at Paya Lebar can also be seen. Kallang airfield, Singapore's first airport closed in 1955 as further expansion was not possible due to built up areas surrounding it and the new international airport at Paya Lebar was built.

In Memorium.

4181140 Corporal John Joseph O'Toole Aerial Erector.
No 11 Radio Fitting Party.
Ground Radio Installation Squadron, Radio Engineering Unit, RAF Henlow.
Killed while lifting equipment into the Signals Centre, RAF Changi, Singapore.
20th December 1961.
We will remember him.

RAF Chia Keng Receiver Site, Singapore

RAF Chia Keng from the air 1958.

RAF Chia Keng was the receiver site for Signals Centre based at RAF Changi which served the Headquarters of the Far East Air Force and also the Foreign Office.
RAF Changi also administered the RAF element of the Joint Air Traffic Control Centre at Paya Lebar (civil) Airport and the airfield on Labuan Island in the Crown Colony of British North Borneo, later (1963) part of the Malaysian Federation.
Many thanks to Brian "Sailor" Luttman for passing on the details of the RAF Chia Keng Receiver Station website run by the Late Derek Lehre in New Zealand. Derek passed away in April 2009 and the Website is currently being run by Ruck Nicholls. The Website has, with permission from Derek who also supplied the photograph, now been connected to our Links Page.

RAF Jurong Transmitter Site, Singapore.

RAF Jurong was the transmitter site for the Signals Centre of the Far East Air Force Headquarters based at RAF Changi. RAF Jurong was located in the south western part of Singapore Island and was linked to the Signals Centre at Changi and the Chai Keng receiver station by landline. Jurong and Chai Keng also served as relay stations in the Commonwealth Air Forces Network (CAFNet). Although Jurong was an outstation of Changi much of its administration was carried out by RAF Tengah which was the nearest major RAF airfield.

RAF Jurong transmitter building, 1963. Photograph courtesy Ex J/T Chris Meadows.

A view of part of the aerial farm with the buildings of Nan Yang University in the background, 1963.
Photograph courtesy of Ex J/T Chris Meadows.

Further information about RAF Jurong can be found by using the link to the RAF Jurong website on the links page.

1003 Signals Unit, RAF Amoy Quee, Singapore.

In the late 1960s the Royal Signals (237 Squadron) Comcan base at Amoy Quee in Singapore which was shared by the Australian Army was taken over by the Royal Air Force as part of the Skynet project. Following the changeover the Australian Army continued to share the base.
Amoy Quee was the receiver station for the British Army in Singapore and its associated transmitter site was located at Chin Bee. Amoy Quee was also part of the Commonwealth Communications Army Network (Comcan), the equivalent of the RAF's CAFNet(Commonwealth Air Forces Communications Network).
The Skynet system was to replace the world wide HF communications networks of the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force and would provide secure direct voice communications for all three services. To this end a number of SCAT(Satellite Communications Antenna Tracker) stations had to be constructed in various parts of the world, a satellite built and placed in orbit. Personnel had to be trained to operate and maintain the equipment. A series of training courses were set up at the Ministry of Technology at Muddiford near Christchurch.

The Amoy Quee Receiver Compound.

The Amoy Quee Receiver Building.

The Royal Signals Receiver Station at Amoy Quee was chosen for the location of the Singapore ground station of the Skynet project. The SCAT station was built within the camp just prior to the site being handed over to the RAF and the formation of 1003 Signals Unit.

The Singapore SCAT inflatable dome which housed the 40 ft dish, turning gear and support structure.

Unfortunately prior to the hand over to the RAF an accident occurred during a test tracking run damaging the turning gear and its support structure. The first task the RAF had, along with the Marconi engineers, was to repair the dish support structure and the turning gear. To carry out the necessary repairs the dish had to be lifted clear of the support structure and suspended on three steel staunchions. Once the repairs had been completed dish had to then be lowered back into place.

The picture on the left shows part of one of the stanchion support legs before being put into place. Rigger Jim Turner is posed with his arms outstretched to give an indication of the dimensions of the support for an official RAF photographer. The picture on the right shows Jim guiding one of the support stanchions legs into place using his feet. Part of the dish, with several panels removed can be seen above his head. The temperature up inside the dome used to get up to 110F-120F and he could only work aloft for half an hour at a time.

In the end it took nearly six months for the repairs to be carried out.
There then followed a whole series of failures with launching rockets and putting satellites into the correct orbit. It was not until 1974 that the Skynet system came into service.

Our thanks to Paul Calthorpe for permission to display the two photographs of the Amoy Quee Receiver site. Although there was a change of ownership most of the buildings at Amoy Quee continued to be used for the same purposes by the RAF. More information and photographs of Amoy Quee can be found at the excellent site run by the 237 Squadron, Royal Signals Veterans at www.comcan237.esmartweb.com or by using the link on the Links Page.

Aerial Installation and Servicing Section.

Radio Repair Squadron, 390 Maintenance Unit, RAF Seletar.

In the mid 1950s and the 1960s the Aerial Installation and Servicing Section was a part of the Ground Radio Flight of the Radio Repair Squadron based at RAF Seletar in Singapore. Originally the Radio Repair Squadron was part of the Engineering Wing of the Far East Air Force. In 1960 the Radio Repair Squadron became a part of 390 Maintenance Unit when 390 MU was reformed from the Engineering Wing at RAF Seletar for a third time.
The aerial section was responsible for the maintenance and servicing of all types of communications aerials and feeder systems throughout the Far East Air Force, on bases such as Tengah, Labuan in Borneo, Butterworth, Kuantan, and Kuala Lumpur in Malaya. The Ceylon, Gan, Hong Kong and Changi Signals Centres had their own riggers on site. The section also carried out small new installations and the upgrading of existing aerial and associated feeder systems such as the introduction of UHF ground to air aerials.
Major new installations were carried out by fitting parties sent out from the Radio Engineering Unit at RAF Henlow.

Above is a general view of RAF Seletar from the air. The main part of the base, East Camp, can be seen in the centre of the picture. West Camp is across the runway towards the top left of the picture. The old flying boat facilities and slipway are on the right. In the bottom right hand corner is the transmitter site for the Non Directional LF Beacon.

Main Gate, RAF Seletar.

Guardroom, RAF Seletar.

Below is a air photograph of the main parts of West Camp with kind permission of the No 81 (Photo Reconniassance) Squadron Association.

The Radio Repair Squadron was located in West Camp on the opposite side of the runway to the main "East" camp. The much smaller West Camp was largely self sufficient, having two accommodation blocks, G block which housed the Radio Repair Sqdn and other ancillary personnel and H block which housed No 81 PR Squadron and later No 34 Squadron personnel. The camp had its own airmens mess and on the floor above the mess was the NAAFI.There was a small stall, locally run, at the end of the airmens mess which sold books, magazines, batteries, photographic film and other bric-a-brac.

A closer view of the workshops of the Radio Repair Squadron. The Air Radio Flight (ARF) workshop is on the right and the Ground Radio Flight (GRF) workshops on the left. The Aerial Section workshop is marked "AE" and can be seen in the trees beside the GRF workshop. The vague square white building between the two workshops is the Radio Repair Sqdn spare parts, stores and reception building. The building on the right beside the runway beyond the ARF workshop is JARIC, the Joint Air Reconniassance Interpretation Centre. The roof of the NAAFI/mess can be seen at the bottom of the picture.

Some of the riggers of the Aerial Section in 1960/61. Left to right, Sac Joe Reid, (J/T Mike ? a stray Ground Wireless Fitter), Sgt Jimmy Orr, Sac Terry Russell, Sac Brummie Baynham and Sac Ian McKay.

Our thanks to Bob North of No 81 PR Squadron Association for permission to use some of their air photographs which appear along with many more photographs of RAF Seletar on their excellent website. There is a link to their website and to the RAF Seletar Association website on the Links Page.

Joint Air Traffic Control Centre, Paya Lebar (Civil) Airport, Singapore.

Joint Air Traffic Control Centre, 1961.

The construction of a new civilian airport for Singapore began at Paya Lebar in 1952 and it was opened in 1955. In the early 1960s the airport had to be enlarged due to greatly increased air passenger traffic and the communications systems at the jointly run (RAF and Civil) air traffic control centre were upgraded.
In July 1961 a team of riggers from the Aerial Installation and Servicing Section, Radio Repair Squadron, No.390 Maintenance Unit based at RAF Seletar erected four type 23 masts and associated eight-wire cage dipole aerials at the centre. In the photograph above the JATCC building can be seen in the foreground and the masts just beyond the building. To the right is a wooden post supporting several VHF and UHF aerials

Assembling the mast sections.

Tea break time.

In the left hand picture the mast sections are being assembled by riggers (left to right) Ian "Muscules" Mackay, Terry Russell and "Brummy" Baynham. Ian is standing on the end of a mast section to prevent it sliding while Terry is holding a wooden block in place to stop the end of the centre spigot from being damaged as Brummy hammers it into place.
In the right hand picture (left to right) riggers Terry Russell, Ian Mackay and "Brummy" Baynham are taking five. Note the large Thermos flask in the back of the Bedford 3tonner.

The riggers, seen above, constructing one of the eight-wire cage dipoles are, left to right, Terry Russell, "Brummy" Baynham and "Mac" McLeod. Terry is separating the eight copper wire elements and is about to insert one of the spreaders. A second spreader can be seen on the ground nearby along with a roll of 100lb per mile copper wire from which the aerial is being constructed. Two pairs of Strainers are being used, one pair to keep the elements under tension and the other pair to stop the picket being pulled out of the soft ground.The ends of the elements which will be used to connect up to the feeder ladder can also be seen curling down below towards the ground.
Further information on the construction and rigging of eight-wire cage aerials can be found on the Odds and Sods page.

RAF Labuan, British North Borneo.

Unit Headquarters & Administration building 1959/62.

RAF Labuan was located on the island of Labuan in the Crown Colony of British North Borneo. In 1963 British North Borneo was granted full independence from the United Kingdom and shortly after joined the Federation of Malaysia. The island was captured and occupied by Japan in January 1942 and recaptured by the Australian 9th Division in June 1945. RAF Labuan played an important role during the Confrontation with Indonesia.
RAF Labuan was under the administrative control of RAF Changi in Singapore. The airfield was run by the RAF who provided most of the airfield services.The servicing and maintenance of the radio equipment and associated aerials was carried out by the Radio Repair Squadron, 390 Maintenance Unit based at RAF Seletar in Singapore.The airfield was also an important operating and maintenance base for Borneo Airways.

RAF Labuan.

Signals Office and Commanding Officer's Office

All signals traffic between Singapore and Labuan was by morse code. The Signals Office and the CO's Office were in the same building seen on the left in the right hand photograph above. The deciphering and encoding of important messages was done in the CO's Office.

Pete and Jerry.

Jim and Jerry "talking" to Changi.

In the two photographs above the three wireless operators based at Labuan can been seen sending and receiving messages to and from the Signals Centre at RAF Changi by morse code.The receiver sets and morse keys can be clearly seen on the bench.

Transmitter Hut.

The Billets and a Mast type 34.

In the right hand photograph a 52ft Mast Type 34 is being lowered for servicing by a team of riggers from the Radio Repair Squadron, 390 Maintenance Unit. Once on the ground the mast, guy ropes and other fittings will be checked for corrosion. Any corroded parts will be replaced and the guys will be greased to protect them from the weather and the mast re-erected.

A row of ¼wave vertical aerials,Tx site.

An experimental wide band ¼wave vertical aerial.

The experimental wide band ¼wave aerial was designed by Flt Lt Sears. The array has six ¼wave elements each cut to a different frequency.
Further information on the construction of 1/4wave vertical aerials can be found on the Odds and Sods page.

Borneo Airways Dragon Rapide.

Borneo Airways Twin Pioneer.

Borneo Airways operated a number of services between small airfields and air strips in the region, such as Anduki, Bintulu, Brunei, Jesselton, Kuching, Keningau, Kudat, Lahad Data, Lutong, Ranau, Sibu, Sandakan and Tawau.

RAF and RAAF Butterworth, Northern Malaya/Malaysia.

The airfield is located near Butterworth in Kedah State opposite the island of Penang in Malaysia. The RAF airfield was first built prior to World War 2 and was re-occupied after the defeat of Japan in 1945. The base played a major part in the defeat of the Communist terrorists during the Malayan Emergency. Following the Independence of Malaya, the RAF continued to use the base, sharing it with the Royal Australian Air Force. In 1955 a new north- south runway was built and other improvements carried out by an RAAF Airfield Construction Squadron.

Above is a view of the camp and the airfield taken in 1960 from one of the masts supporting the Non Directional LF Beacon aerial. In the distance the old runway can be seen running left to right across the photograph. In the top/left is the Control Tower located near the junction of the runways. Many of the camp building lie among the coconut trees and the other 220 ft high beacon mast is on the right hand side of the picture.

A photograph taken from the roof of the control tower showing some of the new hangars, workshops and hard standings. In the far distance the two 220 ft masts supporting the Non Directional LF Beacon aerial can be seen.

There were a number of Non Directional Low Frequency Beacons installed and maintained by the RAF, sited around the Indian Ocean as navigational aids to aircraft and shipping. Each beacon transmitter broadcast its own distinctive signal 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The transmitted non directional signal was superimposed with a morse code identifier which could be received by a Automatic Direction Finder on board a aircraft or ship thus allowing to calculate its position when travelling across the vast open ocean. The transmitted signal also helped locate a particular airfield no matter how bad the weather prevailing at the time.

Two views of the 220 ft guyed masts supporting the Non Directional LF Beacon aerial at the Butterworth transmitter aerial farm. One of the mast type 23 guyed masts can also be seen in the left hand picture .

On the left is a view of the base of one of the two 220 ft guyed masts supporting the Non Directional Beacon aerial and on the right, one of the many multi-language warning signs dotted around the perimeter of the aerial farm

The interior of the Transmitter Hall, 1960/1.
The watchkeepers desk, manned 24hrs a day, is at the end of the aisle.

As well as maintaining the the Non Directional LF Beacon, the Signals Section at RAAF Butterworth were part of the Commonwealth Air Forces Communications network.

By 1957 the Royal Australian Air Force had taken full control of running the base although the lease for the airfield was still owned by the RAF. A small RAF Element remained at Butterworth to service RAF aircraft carrying out anti terrorist operations along the border with Thailand and to service RAF aircraft in transit.

The photograph above was taken from the roof of the Control Tower in 1960 and shows some of the aircraft engaged in supporting the ground troops fighting the Communist terrorists along the border with Thailand. Top left are Valettas of No 52 Sqdn (RAF) and a Dakota of the RAAF Communications Flight. Bottom left are the Sycamore helicopters of No 110 Sqdn (RAF). In the centre of the end of the old runway are three Victor Bombers of No 15 Sqdn in transit from RAF Cottesmore and five Canberra bombers of No 2 Sqdn RAAF.

A close-up of one of the visiting 15 Sqdn Victor bombers.
The RAF Element also operated the Song Song Bombing Range on and around Bidan Island in the Straits of Malacca. In the 1960s the RAF installed a AN/TPS-34 radar unit at Western Hill on Penang Island to assist with the air traffic control in the area. The AN/TPS-34 was later replaced by the RAAF with upgraded equipment.
The RAF finally pulled out and handed over the base to the Malaysian Air Force in 1971, however, the Royal Australian Air Force continued to share the use of the base with the Malaysian Air Force.

Signals Centre, RAF Negombo/Katanayake,
Ceylon - Sri Lanka.
With the withdrawal of most of the British Forces in Ceylon following Independence from the United Kingdom it was decided to move the HF receiver site located at Gangodawila into the perimeter of RAF Negombo. The HF transmitter site located at Ekala could not be moved into Negombo for technical reasons.
In 1957 No 1 (Ceylon) Radio Fitting Party from the Ground Radio Installation Squadron of the Radio Engineering Unit commenced the construction of the new HF receiver aerial farm alongside the Signals Centre. RAF Negombo was situated within a vast coconut plantation and many trees had to be felled to allow the erection of the masts and aerial arrays.

Site clearance in progress

The guyed masts used were old ex-Army Mast Type 35A's. These masts were composed of three cigar shaped sections and could be assembled to give three different heights, 92ft high, 97ft high or 102ft high depending on the length of the central spigot used. However the standard size used by the RAF was the 97ft version. The mast sections were joined together with a universal joint between each section of the mast. The masts were erected using a derrick (which was a spare mast section ) and lifting tackle.

Raising the derrick.

Mast ready to be erected.

The photograph above on the left shows the Derrick being raised into the upright position and the photograph on the right shows the mast with the derrick raised into position ready to erect the mast. Great care had to be taken when moving about the site as the tree stumps had not been removed.

Collapsed mast.

Post Mortem Time.

The photograph on the left shows a mast which collapsed while it was being erected. The mast was almost upright when it fractured, one section remains standing and other two sections fell narrowly missing the riggers who were hauling it up. The photograph on the right shows the remains of the mast on the ground after the remaining upright section had been lowered to the ground. The crew were about to dismantle the wrecked mast to recover all the undamaged parts and the post mortem was about to start.

Some of the riggers, left to right,
Back row:- Baz White (RFP), Brian "Sailor" Luttman (RFP), Cpl. Andy Plain (S Cen) Cpl. Eric Underhill (RFP), Bob Betts (GWMech RFP).
Front row:- Sgt Roy "Hank" Henderson (RFP), Cpl Paul Bennett (RFP), Chris Cook (S Cen),
Johnny Barker (RFP), Sgt. Alan "Ginger" Swalwell (S Cen).

Once the masts were erected the "Fish Net" aerial arrays were built and the open wire feeder lines were installed and connected up.The fitting party technicians installed all the new receiver facilities and the new system became operational. The go-ahead was then given to close down Gangodawila.

Signals Centre, RAF Negombo 1957.

The Signals Centre seen here in late 1957, two of the newly erected masts can be seen behind the building. On completion of the aerial farm the fitting party riggers volunteered to assist in the demolition of Gangodawila. When that task was completed the Fitting Party was re-designated as No.1 (Singapore) Fitting Party and flew to RAF Changi.

More information about the Mast Type 35A can be found on the Odds and Sods page.

R.A.F. Ekala Transmitter Station, Ceylon - Sri Lanka

RAF Ekala was the transmission site for the Signals Centre at RAF Negombo, later RAF Staging Post Katanayake and was located several miles from Negombo beside the Ja-ela to Miniwagoda road. The camp was self-contained and staffed by 35 to 40 men and was administered by the Signals Centre. Most of the staff were radio technicians working shifts to provide and maintain the 24 hour radio relay link with the United Kingdom, some 5,000 miles away. The station was also part of the Commonwealth Air Forces Network (CAFNet) which provided world wide signals relay connections to many countries including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kenya, Aden, Cyprus, Malta, Canada and the United States.
A small team of aerial erectors maintained the huge aerial farm which surrounded the camp and extended beyond the site into the neighbouring cinnamon plantations. There was also a number of RAF Police dog handlers, a cook, two assistant (local) cooks, a fireman and a Royal Signals signalman.
The domestic site was located adjacent to the road in one corner of the camp. It consisted of two barrack rooms, two short rows of NCO rooms, a cookhouse/dining room, a small club house with a bar and a small bungalow for the CO.

A view of the Domestic site.
Watch workers billet to the rear and Day workers billet to the right. The latrine and shower building is behind the Day workers billet and the cookhouse/dining room is off the picture to the left.

A number of the married personnel lived off camp in hirings.
The unit transport consisted of a 3 ton lorry, a Standard Vanguard Utility car and a small fire engine.

The Ekala Express.

The Ekala Fire Tender.

The Transmitter building was located in the centre of the site with the electricity generating plant nearby. The Tx Hall housed all the transmitters plus several workshops and the administration office.The aerial farm consisted mainly of three wire Rhombic HF aerials fed by a open wire feeder system. The telephone network on camp and between the Signals Centre and the Receiver site at Gangodawila was maintained by the Royal Signals 19th Air Formation Squadron.

Tx building as seen from the south.
Note the double bank of lead-in insulators.

RAF Ekala was originally built in the 1940s but was greatly enlarged in the early 50s to cope with the increased signals traffic to and from the Far East created by the removal of all the British Forces from India and Pakistan. Once RAF Gan and the Hitaddu transmitter site became fully operational most of the signals traffic was transfered there.
The base finally closed down in 1961 when the last British forces left Sri Lanka. The base was handed over to the Sri Lankan Armed Forces who still use Ekala for training service personnel but it no longer operates as a radio station.

R.A.F. Gangodawila Radio Receiving Station, Ceylon - Sri Lanka.

RAF Gangodawila was the receiving station for the Signals Centre at RAF Negombo in Ceylon. Following Independence from Britain RAF Negombo became known as RAF Staging Post Katanayake.
Below is a photograph of RAF Gangodawila in 1957 as seen from one of the aerial masts prior to the camp closing down.

Viewed from left to right:- RAF Police Dog Kennels, Rigger's Workshop, a Mast Type 32 (known as Snow White), the latrine block(in foreground), Receiver Hall - Accommodation - Office building (Note the watch tower on the roof), the camp flag pole and the Guardroom. A Bedford 3 tonner and a Vanguard estate car can be seen in the camp. In the far background the camp boundary is marked by local housing and the bus to Colombo passing along the road.

In 1957 a new receiver aerial farm was constructed alongside the Signals Centre at Katanayake by the riggers of No 1 (Ceylon) Radio Fitting Party from the Ground Radio Installation Squadron, Radio Engineering Unit based at RAF Henlow assisted by the Signals Centre riggers. The technicians of the fitting party installed new radio receivers within the Signals Centre. Once the new receiver site became operational, the aerial farm was handed over to the Signals Centre riggers. The fitting party then dismantled RAF Gangodawila.

Some of the Demolition team at Gango.
Top row:- Brian "Sailor" Luttman (RFP).
Middle row, left to right:- Keith "Chick" Denson (Sig Cen), Cpl. Paul Bennett (RFP), Alan "Petal" Daley (Sig Cen),
Cpl. Norman "Norrie" Barker (RFP), Sgt. Alan "Ginger" Swalwell (Sig Cen).
Front row:- Johnny Barker (RFP).

There is a very interesting website run by Tony Cunnane featuring this RAF Receiver Station and much more including extracts from his diaries written during his stay there.

Signals Centre, RAF Gan.

Following the granting of Independence to Sri Lanka (Ceylon), British forces were being run down and would eventually be removed completely from the island and the bases handed over to the new Sri Lankan government. This would have created a large gap in the Royal Air Force lines of communication to the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. The Signals Centre at Katanayake was as far as the HF wireless signals could reach from the United Kingdom and thus was an important relay point in the communications network. To overcome this problem and fill the gap, work commenced in 1957 to re-activate the secret WW2 Naval base known as Port T which was located in Addu Atoll at the southern end of the Maldive Islands in the Indian Ocean.

Addu Atoll.

RAF Gan.

The old wartime airfield on the island of Gan in the Addu Atoll was repaired, tented accommodation set up and temporary radio communications were installed to enable full reconstruction of the facilities to commence. Then a completely new runway and other airfield facilities were built to cater for the RAF air traffic going to and from the Far East. A signals centre and receiver site was also built on Gan along with a transmitter site on the island of Hitaddu to relay radio communications throughout the world wide CAF network. The RAF staging post and signals centre at Katanayake (Negombo) and the transmitter site at RAF Ekala remained in use until the Gan facilities became fully operational.
In 1958 the Radio Engineering Unit based at RAF Henlow was tasked with carrying out the installation of permanent radio and air traffic control facilities to replace the temporary field equipment in use since the start of the project. In June 1959 No 8 Radio Fitting Party was assembled and dispatched in two groups to Gan to carry out the work in conjunction with several boffins from Marconi. The ground works and buildings were constructed by Richard Costain Ltd, the contactors building the new runway.

The second of the two groups of the fitting party landed on Gan with a bit of a bump as can be seen in the photograph above. Fortunately no one was seriously injured when the undercarriage of the No 48 Sqdn Hastings collapsed on landing. The photograph was taken by rigger Harry Stanley who was installing aerials on the roof of the new control tower at the time of the accident.

The tents, shelters and radio vehicles of the temporary Air Traffic Control centre can be seen in the photograph on the left and the nearly completed new Air Traffic Control facilities in the photograph on the right.

In the photographs above, on the left, riggers Alan Gascoigne and Dennis Coles can be seen completing the installation of the Eureka Beacon aerials. On the right are the new Receiver and Communications buildings. To the left of these buildings are some of the feeder poles supporting the open wire feeder systems. A 90ft wooden tower with 8 type 24 VHF aerials stands behind the buildings and a steel tower supporting the Passive Reflector link to the transmitter site on Hitaddu island stands in front of the buildings.

A view of the new Radio Receiver Room 1960.

Above is a photograph of the completed Air Traffic Control, Receiver site and Communications complex taken by rigger Harry Stanley (No 8 Radio Fitting Party) in 1960.

Some of the members of the 2nd Group No 8 Radio Fitting Party in the NAAFI. Names now lost. Please use the contact form on the home page if you can help identify them.

A view of Gan as seen from the rear of the 1125 Marine Craft Unit launch when heading for the Hitaddu transmitter site.

The map above shows the location of the transmitter site on Hitaddu island and the route of the underwater electricity power cable from the generating station on Gan. In the photograph part of the temporary transmitter site can be seen. In the left background of the photograph one of the 360ft guyed masts for the Non Directional Beacon aerial is under construction.

A view of the Hitaddu transmitter site as seen from one of the two 360ft Beacon masts. The transmitter hall, accommodation and emergency generator buildings are in the centre of the picture. Looking along the shore line, the landing jetty, which due to the very shallow water stretches a quarter of a mile out into the lagoon, is at the bottom of the picture. The curving outline of the power cable from Gan is seen under the water. The ramp for unloading landing craft is also seen near to the jetty. The faint outlines of the masts and feeder poles of the aerial farm which surrounds the buildings, extending over most of the cleared area, are visible.

The left hand photograph above shows the temporary transmitter vehicle and in the other photograph Junior Technician Bill Clarke of No 8 Radio Fitting Party installing some of the new transmitter equipment.

Above is a photograph taken in 1960 by Bill Clarke of the completed Transmitter Hall.

Bill Clarke (above), left to right Sac Woods, the Maintenance and Buildings Supervisor, Cpl Jeff Masters, now unknown and the Marconi engineer standing in front of the newly installed Aerial Exchange equipment.

The photograph on the left shows the Hitaddu Jetty, landing point for passengers arriving from Gan. The jetty was just over a quarter of a mile in length and it took roughly 20 minutes to walk to the transmitter site. On the right is Target Towing Launch No 1374, which was well known to all the Hitaddu staff, beached to enable servicing to be carried out by the Marine Craft Unit.

Once all the new masts, aerials and feeder lines were constructed and all the new radio equipment commissioned the temporary field units were withdrawn.

The building seen above, for the personnel doing their one year (later reduced to 9 months) unaccompanied tour of duty was, arguably, the most important part of the Gan communications system, the British Forces Post Office No 180.

On the 1st April 1971 the Communications Centre and the Electrical Engineering Flight on Gan were combined to form No 6 Signals Unit under the command of 90 (Signals) Group at RAF Medmenham.

In 1972 the Radio Engineering Unit at RAF Henlow dispatched a second fitting party to Gan. No 11 Radio Fitting Party aerial erectors were tasked with upgrading and re-building much of the HF aerials and associated feeder systems on the Receiver site at Gan and the Transmitter Site on Hitaddu. The members of No 11 Radio Fitting Party can be seen below, some of the names are now uncertain or unknown.

Left to right Back row:
1,2,3,4,& 5 unknown, 6 Andy Wormald, 7, 8, 9, 10, & 11 unknown.
Left to right Middle row:
1 Pete Parry Williams,2 Don Harris, 3 Ken Wych(GW),4 Chief Tech Balcombe-Jestico(GW), 5 Flt Sgt Perks(GW), 6 F.O.Clelland OC 11 RFP), 8 Bill Reid (GW), 9 Alan "Tug" Wilson, 10 John Ward(Stores), 11 unknown.
Left to right Front row:
1 Gordon "Killer" Loughlin, 2 unknown, 3 Rab McClarty, 4 unknown, 5 Pete Johnson, 6 Geordie Gregory,7, 8, 9 & 10 unknown.

In the early 1970s a Satellite Communications Antenna Tracking dish was installed at one of the No 6 Signals Unit facilities to link Gan into the Skynet Military Communications network.

As a part of the rundown of British forces in the Far East a decision was taken in June 1974 to close down RAF Gan by March 1976. On the 31st December 1975 the last regular flight, a VC10, departed from Gan taking with it the last remaining personnel and Skynet equipment of No 6 Signals Unit. The operation of the Gan communications was left to the Gan signals personnel and a detachment of No 38 Group Tactical Communications Wing. All the remaining RAF personnel left Gan by sea on board Sir Percival, a Royal Navy Fleet Auxiliary, on the 29th March 1976. The airfield, receiver and transmitter communications were handed over to the Maldivian Government intact with sufficient fuel and stores to run the base for a month.

My thanks to Harry Stanley, Bill Clarke, Mike Butler, John Finlay, Tony Hawes, Alan "Tug" Wilson and all who supplied photographs and information.

More Information about service life on RAF Gan can be found in the book written by Michael "Mike" Butler which is based on his diary kept during his year of service on Gan in 1960 and his return to the island in 1996. "Return to Gan." Michael Butler, Woodfield Publishing.
More information about Gan's military and political past can be found in the book "From Port T to RAF Gan" written by Peter Doling an ex-Gan education officer also by Woodfield Publishing.

Further information about RAF Gan can be found by using the link on our links page which will take you to the excellent RAF Gan website.

Signals Centre, Hong Kong, RAF Kai Tak.

Map showing the location of RAF Kai Tak, 1958.

RAF Kai Tak occupied the area to the north east of the main runway which runs from the north west to the south east of the map and the camp extended beyond the end of the runway almost as far as the dark hatched patch. The approximate position of the Transmitter and the Receiver Sites are marked on the map. The Signals Centre was located in the Station Headquarters Building which is in the cluster of buildings below the Rx site marker. The civilian airport occupied the area on the left of opposite RAF Kai Tak. The new runway, then under construction, can be seen extending out into Kowloon Bay at the bottom left of the map.

Transmitter Building from 90ft tower.

The Transmitter Buildings.

The Transmitter buildings, seen above, consisted of a pair of nissen huts linked together by a short nissen tunnel forming a 'H' shaped building. One of the huts was almost entirely filled by two rows of SWB and VHF transmitters with a small space in which sat the duty controllers desk. The other nissen hut contained a toilet, small kitchen and the radio repair and aerial riggers workshops. Nearby was a shed containing the standby electricity generator. A ex-USAF UHF trailer was squeezed in between the nissen huts containing a pair of UHF transceivers.
The buildings were surrounded by a densely packed aerial farm comprising mostly of 78ft type 23 masts supporting two and three wire rhombic and eight-wire cage dipole aerials. There were two 90ft wooden towers with VHF and UHF aerials attached and both towers had warning lights mounted on top. All the masts were painted in red and white to make them more visible as they were very close to the runways of the airfield.
The RAF Police dog kennels can be seen in the top right corner on the left photograph.The rural area across the main road is now densely packed with skyscrapers and the road is a dual carriageway.

RAF Kai Tak as seen from one of the 90ft towers.

The water tower which stood near the Station Headquarters can been seen on the left in the distance. The main runway is to the right. Some of the accommodation nissen huts which included the NAAFI and Cpls Club are in the centre of the picture. Part of the aerial farm and the emergency generator shed are in the foreground. The Sgts Mess and some Airmens Married Quarters are on the right of the picture.

NAAFI and Beer Garden 1958

Station Headquarters and Signals Centre 1958.

The NAAFI seen here in the left hand photograph was a very spartan place with the usual 1950s NAAFI formica and steel tables and chairs. Its redeeming factor as far as riggers were concerned was the price of the beer, a pint of draught Tiger Beer cost just 45 cents. A night out normally started in the NAAFI drinking the cheap Tiger until closing time at 22-30hrs. Then it was out the camp gate and catch the bus down to Nathan Road and the bars and clubs of Kowloon. Here the RAF had a distinct advantage as they could stay out all night. The Army personnel all had to be back in barracks by midnight.
The Station Headquarters seen in the right hand photograph with the Post Office in front of it on the right. The Signals Centre was located in the SHQ. There were several VHF aerials located on the nearby water tower and a HF three wire folded dipole was rigged between the chimney stacks for emergency communications. The Signals Centre Aerial Erectors consisting usually of one Cpl and three Sacs were based at the Transmitter Site and were responsible for the maintenance of all the various Aerials at the Tx and Rx sites. They also serviced the aerials at Sek Kong airfield and the Army airstrip at Sha Tin in the New Territories. Later the servicing of the aerials of 117 Signals Unit was added to their duties when the new radar station at Tai Mo Shan commenced operations.
Further information on the construction and rigging of three-wire folded dipole, eight-wire caged and rhombic aerials can be found on the Odds and Sods page.

RAF Kai Tak from the Receiver Site 1958.

The old runways from the Rx site.

These two photographs were taken from one of the towers of the Receiver site. In the foreground of both pictures the tops of several towers can be seen by the Officers Mess buildings. In the left picture the MT yard and workshop is in the centre with the Marine Craft Unit with its flying boat anchorages and the Yacht Club across the end of the runway by the waters edge. In the distance out in Kowloon Bay the new runway can be seen under construction. In the picture on the right some of the Barrack Blocks can be seen as well as both runways, the main runway is running left to right across the picture. The Civilian airport buildings are in the distance, top centre of the runways.
The new runway under construction opened in 1958 and has now been superseded by the Chek Lap Kok airport which opened in 1998.
Further information about Hong Kong's airports can be found on the Batjung website www.batgung.com/kai-tak-airport-history. The book "Mapping Hong Kong" has many useful maps and plans.

RAF Tai Mo Shan. (Project Cabbage Leaf.) 1957-58

Project Cabbage Leaf was the construction of a new radar station at Tai Mo Shan in the New Territories of Hong Kong to replace the aging Mount Davis radar on Hong Kong Island. The project was carried out by No2 (Hong Kong) Radio Fitting Party from the Radio Engineering Unit at RAF Henlow assisted by personnel from the Signals Centre, Hong Kong and 117 Signals Unit, Mount Davis. The construction of the US supplied FPS 6 and FPS 8 Radar equipment was supervised by staff from a Communications Construction Squadron of the United States Air Force based at Clark Field in the Philippines.

In the photograph above the partly completed FPS 6 tower can be seen on the left and the FPS 8 tower to the right. In the foreground are the kitchen, mess and administration tents and the Bedford 3tonner which transported everyone to the site each day. The jib of the Coles crane used to lift the girders into place can be seen through the framework of the "8". The ramshackle huts in the centre belong to the civilian contractors who did all the groundworks on behalf of the MPBW. All the steelwork etc was delivered to the site from Kai Tak by two short wheelbase Bedford tipper lorries which were the only vehicles able to negotiate the hair-pin bends on the track up the mountainside without shunting.

FPS 8 (Arctic).

FPS 6 (Arctic).

In the lefthand picture above, the steel framework for the FPS 8 is almost completed and the crane is about to move down to the lower level. In the righthand picture the FPS 6 has had the outer cladding, doors, windows and the catwalk fitted. The equipment lifting gantries are in place. The crane can be seen in the bottom left corner where it came to rest after the brakes failed as it was being backed down to the lower level. Fortunately no-one was injured in the accident.

The Tai Mo Shan Construction Team 1958.

Left to right - Standing:- Slim Greenslade, Ground Radar Mechanic(Radio Fitting Party). - Cpl Eddie Edwards, Aerial Erector(Signals Centre, Hong Kong). - Bert Faraday, Ground Radar Fitter(RFP). - Cpl Johnny Johnson, Cook(RAF Kai Tak). - Ernie Heagren, Ae/E(RFP). - Bennie Fox, Ae/E(SCHK). - Curly Chalcroft, GRM(RFP). - Frenchie Smith, Ae/E(RFP). - Lennie Newbit, Ae/E(RFP). - Brian Smith, Ae/E(RFP). - Hank Wilkinson, GRM(RFP).
Seated on bench:- Cpl Willie Wilson, Ae/E(RFP). - Sgt Dutch Holland-Merton, (RFP). - Flt Lt. Phillipson, (RFP). - Tech Sgt Fred King, USAF.
Seated on ground:- Cpl Jim Cook, MT Driver/Crane Operator (RAF Kai Tak). - Meatloaf Deegan, USAF. - Tex Solgerner, USAF. - Curly Cohen, GRM(RFP).
Four people are missing from the photograph, Jock Ritchie, GRM(117 Signals Unit). Jock Monroe,Cook,who later replaced Johnson(RAF Kai Tak) . Brummie Dudley and Albert Strong, Ae/Erectors(SCHK) who were on standby duty at the Tx site, RAF Kai Tak.

Operations Block under construction.

The new guardroom.

In the left photograph above the construction of the Operations/Administration building has commenced. Across the road, tracks lead round the mountain to old observation posts facing the border with China established by the British Army prior to the Japanese invasion. During the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong the Japanese Army built a crude radar post on the mountain which is thought to have been destroyed by Allied bombing in 1945. The various tracks on the summit were used by the RAF Regiment(Malaya) to establish a barbed wire perimeter around the site. They also built a sandbag guard post which was replaced by a proper guardroom as seen in photograph on the right. The RAF Regiment laid a field telephone cable to another guard post at the base of the mountain where the track joined the Twisk Highway and it was used to control the traffic using the rough narrow track up to Tai Mo Shan.

Twisk Junction Guard Post.

The new access road.

In the left hand picture the RAF Regiment(Malaya) guard post at the junction of the track and the Twisk Highway can been seen and in the background are rows of tree seedling in a Forestry Department nursery. On the right, the new, shorter, surfaced access road to replace the old rough meandering access track up the mountain to the site can been seen under construction in the distance.

The completed FPS6 and FPS8 Radar Towers as seen in 1973. Photograph courtesy of Cliff Dawes.

RAF Sek Kong Airfield as seen from Tai Mo Shan on a cloudy day.

Christmas Island 1956-57.

In the summer of 1956 the Radio Engineering Unit at RAF Henlow was ordered to form a radio fitting party which was to go to Christmas Island (Kiritimati) in the Pacific Ocean as part of the build-up to Operation Grapple. Operation Grapple was the code name for a forthcoming series of British nuclear tests. The Atomic Weapons Establishment had carried out a survey of the island in January/February 1956 and in March work commenced clearing and repairing the runways which had been built by the United States Air Force in World War 2. Initially personnel were landed from the troopship Devonshire which shuttled between Christmas Island and Fiji. By the end of September a large tented camp had been set up to house all the service personnel and the runways were able to receive aircraft.
The fitting party was to construct a transmitter site and a receiver site plus install proper airfield control facilities on the island.

No.7 (Christmas Island) Radio Fitting Party, under the command of Flt Lt E. A. Curchin, left the Radio Engineering Unit in October 1956 and was flown out to Christmas (Kiritimati) Island. The party flew by British Overseas Airways Stratocruiser via Gander in Newfoundland to New York. The party was then flown by United Airlines across the United States to California and on to Hawaii. They then continued on from Hawaii on board a chartered Qantas Airlines Super Constellation to Christmas Island.

No.7 Radio Fitting Party 1956.

A group photograph of the fitting party prior to their departure in 1956.
Left to right Back row:- Cpl G.W. Alder, Lac K. Riley, Sac J.W.K. Marshall, Cpl N.W. Wharton, Lac J.W Cox, Sac Pete Miles (Ae/E), Lac Roy Woodman (Ae/E), J/T R.A.C. Stainer, Lac Brian "Mick" Johnson (Ae.E), Lac Pete Gregory (Ae.E), Cpl M. Millar.
Centre Row:- Lac John Syme (Ae/E), Cpl J. Bharucha, Sac L. Hargreaves, J/T D. Lumb, Cpl J. Allen, Sac Pete Allen (Ae/E), Sac R. Palmer, Cpl. J.B. Smith, Sac R. Austin, Lac A. Thomson, Sac Terry Radford (Ae/E), Sac C. Watkinson.
Front row:- Cpl J.V. Kay, Cpl R.A. Rocks, J/T P.A. Ewans, Sgt "Matt" Harper (Ae/E), Flt Lt E.A. Curchin (i/c Fitting Party), Gp Capt P.H.S. Wood OBE (Officer Commanding REU), Flt Sgt S.E. Seabrooke, Sgt A. Hughes, Cpl "Taff" Wilson (Ae/E), Sac Dennis Cook (Ae/E), Cpl E.N. Hughes.

The Aerial Erector team, led by Sgt "Matt" Harper, spent six months building the transmitter and receiver aerial farms. The masts erected consisted of a mix of mast type 23s and mast type 35As. The concrete anchorage bases for the masts were installed by a team of Royal Engineers due to problems encountered by the high water table. The aerials installed were mostly rhombics, eight wire caged dipoles and quadrants fed by the RAF's standard open wire feeder systems. A number of VHF type 24 dipole aerials were installed on the airfield control tower and as part of the island communications system.

In the photograph above some of the riggers are relaxing with a mug of tea at the Tx site. Left to right:- Dennis Cook, Pete Miles, Matt Harper, Brian Hart, Pete Allen plus two Ground Wireless fitters, Jim Bharucha and D. Lumb.
Six of the riggers not in the photograph, Taff Wilson, Roy Woodman, Mick Johnson, Terry Radford, John Syme and Pete Gregory, were working on the Rx site.

On completion of the work most of the fitting party riggers returned to the United Kingdom. Five of the riggers remained on the island to service and maintain the aerials, masts and feeder lines.

In April 1957 the five remaining fitting party aerial erectors were given a new task. They travelled 200 miles to the south of Christmas Island on board HMS Messina to Penrhyn Island (Tongareva), one of the Cook Islands. There they stayed in the camp which had been set up in Omaka village near to the airfield.

The camp, seen in the photograph above, housed a group of scientific personnel who were to monitor the effects of the nuclear tests. The riggers erected a number of communications aerials and masts at the monitor/weather station on the island.

Four of the five riggers working on Penrhyn Island.
Left to right:- Pete Allen, Brian Hart, Pete Miles and John Syme.
Mick Johnson was taking the picture.

On completion of this task they were collected by a Shackleton of 240 Sqdn and taken back to Christmas Island. They returned to the Radio Engineering Unit at RAF Henlow in the United Kingdom in August 1957.