ENIGMA 2000 Newsletter - Issue 9

March 2002
Articles, newsreports and Items of interest : e2k_news@hotmail.com

Enigma 2000 article

Here is an interesting recount from one who was part of the 'Gladio Organisation'. For the uninitiated a Gladio is a double-edged sword, as used by gladiators.

Gladio

My introduction to what I now know was called the Gladio organisation was in the early 1950's. With a short break, I had served since 1943 with the Radio Security Service and subsequently GCHQ in an operational capacity. My body clock never became used to the constant changes of shift times, i.e. two evenings, two mornings, two nights and two days off and my doctor suggested that I sought alternative employment. In retrospect, I should have requested a transfer to Cheltenham, which I had at one time been offered but had settled at Lydd, with a new wife and home, and did not fancy any upheaval.

Shortly after I had resigned I was most surprised to receive a letter from my ex-CO at Forfar asking me to contact him as a matter of urgency.

On the telephone he informed me that a special reserve unit of ex-Special Communication Operators was being formed and if I were interested he would pass my name along to a retired Colonel at Hanslope Park. This gentleman duly contacted me with the information that the unit was officially part of the Army Emergency Reserve, which entailed attending four long weekend training camps and an annual two week course to be held at unspecified places in the UK or possibly abroad. At least we were to be well paid with expenses!

Trying to get all the volunteers together at a mutually convenient time proved extremely difficult and just as difficult was the formation of an effective operational unit out of [persons] of a very different capabilities. I recall some men could just manage 5 wpm in Morse!

We attended various training camps at Brecon, Hereford, Grendon Underwood and St David's Bay in Wales, where some operators were sent out into the surrounding countryside in Land Rovers and attempted to make radio contact with 'base'. The results were, to say the least, lamentable; it became obvious that a more permanent base was required.

Major Robertson asked me if I would be interested in travelling up to Forfar and investigating the possibility of reopening the old RSS station at Mountreathmount Moor. I always understood that the site was demolished when the station was closed in 1947 but nothing had been changed and it was quite an odd sensation to be back in the old place again.

I discovered that the Main Set-Room had been fitted out as a transmitter hall with some extremely powerful CW gear and fresh rhombic antennae installed. The plan was that during the two week training camps parties of operators would be sent abroad and communication links established. Volunteers were flown to Malta, Gibraltar and Germany and an attempt made to link up with Forfar using the standard [2 words censored] CW procedure of [4 words censored] and laborious one-time pads transforming messages into five letter code.

Apart from the excellent transmitters the reception side was handled by some ancient Eddystone receivers which I believe were GCHQ rejects but I cannot recall what equipment the overseas people were using.

The whole operation dissolved into farce as we could hardly hear our colleagues' abroad and when the transmitters were used the incoming signals were drowned by key-clicks. In addition one over enthusiastic Royal Signals Second Lieutenant had a brilliant idea! The outstation would transmit its call sign five times and then stop. Immediately base would reply and contact thus established without any further procedure being required. The idiot didn't realise that the outstations couldn't hear each other and when the base replied they thought it was replying to them!

An analysis after the operation discovered that in addition to the key-click problems the aerials were cut to the wrong frequencies and incorrect impedance coaxial cable used. During WW2 the Forfar site was used solely for reception purposes and although SCU1 used transmitters they were located at Kirriemuir, roughly ten miles away.

"Robbie" scoured the countryside and located an old Italian Prisoner-of-War camp at Laurencekirk, which we then turned into the receiving site. I pressed strongly for the roles to be reversed as the Forfar site is excellent for reception being all peat and heather and unhindered by any man made interference but realistically I agreed that Laurencekirk was not large enough for any powerful transmitters.

Business restrictions forced me to leave the unit in 1967 but I believe the organisation was wound down shortly afterwards when it became clear that the reason for its initial introduction, being the Government fear of the Communists taking over in France or Italy, had evaporated.

Apart from maintaining contact with partisan groups on the continent the unit would have assisted with [3 letters censored] communication links which they would not have wished put out over their own transmitters. In later years I have come to realise how difficult it is to instil any sense of urgency or devotion to duty in times of peace. To most of our men, I regret that the whole operation was a paid holiday.

To my great regret "Robbie" (GM6RI) died about two years ago and left very little in the way of personal records. I know he shared my frustration at being unable to instil any real sense of purpose in his men or getting more support from the government of the day.

Angus County Council will confirm that the station is still there as a "Type of Radio Station."

©KofKent

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