Feature Page
2014: Now
remastered and revoiced...
with new and updated images for better clarity on widescreen TVs
...Told by the
men who were there.
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Buy
"The Secret Wireless War" from
our shop on AMAZON
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In
2002 David and
Debra Rixon 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, then in their late
seventies, who were specially enlisted for secret wireless operations
during World War 2, now more than 70 years ago.
PLAY
MOVIE
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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
unmarked Dodge ambulance.
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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 ~ Shop price £13.99, Amazon is less.
Back
to Films & Shop
Home Page
Broadcast
in February 2004 on three PBS television stations in Illinois
USA.
Some
years ago Geoffrey Pidgeon wrote his own, and compiled many other accounts of secret
communications during World War 2. His excellent and
comprehensive book also
titled "The Secret Wireless War" published by UPSO is
thoroughly recommended.
The
"Secret Wireless War" book on Amazon
Oct 2008: Geoffrey launched another new book,
"Edgar Harrison - Soldier, Patriot and
Ultra Wireless Operator to Winston Churchill"
also on AMAZON
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Useful
links:
http://www.secretlisteners.org
Website
written by Bob King & Ken Ashcroft in 2010
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 & remastered 2014
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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
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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.
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