The World War II Covert Listening Stations (Y-Stations) of Devon and Beyond – And the undercover eavesdroppers who helped win the war
A talk by Colin White
Many will know the vital role Bletchley Park played during the Second World War in deciphering the German coded communications. But the geniuses at Bletchley could only work their magic if they procured vast quantities of reliable, encrypted enemy data.
This is the tale of how they collected the wartime messages to satisfy Bletchley’s insatiable demand. It tells of how they constructed a global web of clandestine listening stations called Y-Stations (for ‘wireless interception’) at strategic conflict zones, and then manned (and ‘womanned’) them with an often, idiosyncratic selection of personal. However, as we shall see, whether the chosen secret listeners were fourteen years old, or eighty-seven years old, they all had very particular skillsets.
The number of Y-Stations globally is unknown, but the UK ran over fifty stations. Understandably, many were located along the strategically important Southwest coastlines of the English and the Bristol Channels. An interactive website created by the presenter will show the locations and current condition of the twenty-five he’s discovered so far in the West Country, including six in Devon.
Colin White began his career as a military radio engineer at STC/ITT/Nortel in Paignton. Later, he became an academic, working in the Physics Department of Portsmouth University researching in microwave antenna designs. Before his retirement he redirected his research into physics and computer applications in the sports science arena.
He is the author of ‘Projectile Dynamics in Sport – Principles and Applications’ published by Routledge. Since retirement he has worked as a STEM ambassador on outreach activities; lecturing, demonstrating and entertaining at schools, science clubs and festivals.
Colin always aims to both inform and entertain; but not necessarily in that order!
Everyone welcome. Entry £2.50 to include a hot drink and biscuit