|
Feature Page

| ...Told
by the men who were there. |
Buy
"The Secret Wireless War" from
our z-shop on AMAZON |
|
David
and Debra spent almost a whole year, researching, filming and
editing this two-hour DVD.
Armed with information from local author and historian John
Taylor from Bletchley, they visited and interviewed men in
their late seventies who were specially enlisted more
than 60 years ago for secret wireless operations during World
War Two.
PLAY
MOVIE 
|


Part
one:
BEYOND BLETCHLEY PARK
This
programme is of great interest to radio amateurs, not only in
the UK and US, but worldwide. We visit Bob King G3ASE
in his shack where he has re-created his wartime listening
post from when he was a Radio Security Service Voluntary
Interceptor. He shows us his restored Eddystone two-valve
receiver. Over 1500 'VIs' like Bob listened throughout the UK
for enemy intelligence messages in morse code. These were
documented, processed and passed on to the famous Bletchley
Park codebreakers for decrypting and analysing.
 
At
Bletchley Park we visit David White G3ZPA who
founded and runs the Wireless Museum. He demonstrates a spy
suitcase set and tells us about the clandestine radio station
hidden in the roof of Bletchley Park mansion (now famous as
Station X), still equipped with several American receivers
from the period. Not far from 'B.P.' is Whaddon Hall, used as
an HQ for the Secret Service during WWII. Here special
wireless sets were made and installed in vehicles by Geoffrey
Pidgeon and his team. He and Debra ride in an Authentic
1940 Packard, used as a special wireless vehicle at that time.

After
D-Day, British and American military and Intelligence sections
at Bletchley Park needed vital wireless communication with
their commanders in the field inside Europe. Maurice Richardson,
an operator at Whaddon's Windy Ridge wireless station, tells
us how the encrypted messages were received and sent... In
France and Germany, attached to General Patton's 3rd Army,
wireless operator Wilf Neal tells us of conditions for
him and his team, working near the front line operating an HRO
receiver in the specially fitted out Dodge ambulance.


 |
|
As
a result of this extensive and fascinating research two
important one-hour documentaries were made about the secret
use of wireless equipment (much of which was of American
manufacture) in the Allies' battle with the Axis powers.
The two one-hour films uncover just how important wireless
communication was in WWII and how it helped to shorten our
conflict with the enemy.

This DVD contains 2 parts: Beyond Bletchley Park and Black
Propaganda with special bonus footage of the Milton
Bryan Commemoration.
2 hours ~ priced at £15.99


Back
to Films & Shop
Home
Page

Broadcast
in February 2004 on three PBS television stations in Illinois
USA.

In
the past few years Geoffrey Pidgeon has been
writing his own and compiling many other accounts of secret
communications during World War 2. His excellent book also
titled "The Secret Wireless War" published by UPSO
is thoroughly recommended.
The
"Secret Wireless War" book on Amazon
www.upso.co.uk/geoffrey
pidgeon
 |
Useful
links:
http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk
http://clutch.open.ac.uk/schools/
emerson00/home.html
WW II Secret
intelligence activities around
Milton Keynes by John Taylor & Co.
Information
about RSS RE-UNIONS AT BLETCHLEY PARK
THE
MILTON BRYAN EVENT 2002


© Grindelwald
Productions Ltd. 2002 |
Part
two:
BLACK
PROPAGANDA
Not
everyone knows that in WWII Britain waged an extremely
effective 'black' propaganda campaign against the Germans. The
Woburn estate in Bedfordshire was the setting for most of the
wireless transmissions to Europe, as it was 50 miles from
London and out of the bombing zone |
 |
We
trace the development and content of the broadcasts with Ingram
Murray, son of Ralph Murray, who was one of the important
Foreign Office officials that shaped the operations.
Phil Luck was a young engineer who operated the RCA 7½
kilowatt transmitters in the area, beaming the British black
propaganda broadcasts back to Europe. He tells stories of the
operations, and with Debra in the back of the Packard, visits
the remains of his old transmitter station at Potsgrove. It
was here that he and his team replayed the broadcasts from
pre-recorded discs much like a modern DJ. More remarkable
remains are found at the village of Milton Bryan. Debra visits
the 'black' propaganda station there, still almost intact. She
finds traces of switchgear and transmission lights from 60
years ago. Teleprinter engineer Roy Tink tells some
interesting tales about life and the people at 'MB'. Debra
visits Stephen, the station manager Ted Halliday's son. They
uncover new secret papers and cartoons from Ted's trunk, which
give an insight into what life was like at 'MB'.
The Milton Bryan studios were linked by landline to a giant
'dreadnought of the ether', an RCA 600 kilowatt medium wave
transmitter, code-named Aspidistra, obtained from America.
Ingram Murray describes some of the dirty tricks (for which
Britain had an unexpected talent!) that the transmitter was
used for. We hear nostalgic music and extracts from recordings
made of the last two days' propaganda broadcasts in 1945. The
mastermind behind the operations was a journalist called Sefton
Delmer, who fought this secret wireless war with the
enemy. Although the efforts of his extremely talented team
were demonstrably successful, because of the secrecy, his
triumphs have largely gone unnoticed. |
|