RAF Radar technical units WW2

[bill247]

hi scouseboy, thanks for that info and i have already tried that route.  On dingli cliff if you look at the present aviation radar on the cliff that was the ames 242 tru radar which apart from the two 90ft towers was stationed underground ( transmitters, receiver room and generators ) behind this radar unit and to the right in a field you can see a building with two 40 ft radar towers which is the receiver system to-day. In WW2 this was attached to the ames 242 unit and two fields in front of this building was a transmitter building and the building you see to-day was the standby receiver block.  this unit provided high radar cover over the Island from June 1940 till 1944 when that equipment was dismantled.  My late father served on the Chain Overseas Low Radar unit which was sited on dingli cliff and provided low aircraft radar cover and also enemy shipping cover over the Island. Known initially as RAF No 4 Col  this station arrived in November 1940 and was dismantled in june 1944.the station had its name changed in 1941 to Ames 504 col and this is the station i am trying to locate.
again any info is most welcome.
     thanks .
          bill.

[ScouseBoy]

Was your father in radio or electronics before he joined the RAF?

[bill247]

Hi , neither as he worked in the tea and coffee trade.
he trained at RAF Drem near edinburgh after his initiation at raf padgate near warrington. after raf drem he was sent to a Mu in london for 3 weks then he joined the Raf No 4 COL unit at liverpool and sailed to capetown. travelled by train to alexandria ( egypt ) and was convoyed to malta. stayed for almost 3 yrs then posted to raf helwan ( egypt ) then home . after home leave of 3 weeks was posted to raf bunchrew near inverness for just ovr a year then to raf warren for some time before a short spell back at bunchrew the demobbed at kirkham near blackpool.
              bill.

[SEALdad104]

My mother was a radar operator for anti-aircraft guns during WWII. I am trying to find out what unit she would have been with. CAn anybody point me in the right direction? Thank you in advance

[sarahkitchen]

Hi there, did you get anywhere with identifying these. My grandad was transferred  to 5 mobile base unit RDF in November 1939 according to his records but I am struggling to find out where this was? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you, Sarah

[IMBER]

My mother was a radar operator for anti-aircraft guns during WWII. I am trying to find out what unit she would have been with. CAn anybody point me in the right direction? Thank you in advance

I take it she was in the WAAF? You could consider obtaining her service record:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records

Imber

[rafcommands]

Hi there, did you get anywhere with identifying these. My grandad was transferred  to 5 mobile base unit RDF in November 1939 according to his records but I am struggling to find out where this was? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you, Sarah

the records for these units are sparse and from april/may 1940 mostly lost in the evacuation. As the units were disbanded due to lack of operational need in June 1940 and reformed in different role nobody was inclined to retrospectively record the events.

They exist as "pins on the map" bunched together in higher formation records eg
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2636303

and the dozen or so files in AIR2 round this piece number

Ross

[John915]

Good morning,

My mother was a radar operator for anti-aircraft guns during WWII. I am trying to find out what unit she would have been with. CAn anybody point me in the right direction? Thank you in advance

I take it she was in the WAAF?

Imber

Not neccessarily, both my aunts (mums sisters) were ATS and both served with AA batts. One as an observer and target aquisition and the other as a radar operator. I could tell you how some of the equipment worked as I have her course notebooks somewhere.

John915

[sarahkitchen]

Brilliant Ross I will order this document thank you. This would be right as my dad remembers my grandad saying he went to France but we couldn't find it on the records. I will investigate further. Thanks again you've been a big help, Sarah