I’ve been asked to enquire if anyone remembers a transmitter site near Uxbridge in the 1950s and 1960s. The gentleman says he always called it Greenford Green.
He describes it thus:
Greenford Green* was located on a small hill (not far from Northolt Airfield) and had a large array of ariels suspended between several high wooden pylons.
* We always referred to this location as Greenford Green – but it may locally have been called something else.
If you have any information that might help drop me an email or comment below please and I’ll put the two of you in touch with each other
Hello Ian. I don’t remember that site. from my time at Greatworth (1951-1954)) —-It is good to hear from you and you can always give me a call –Stan Heinemann.
Many regards keep ip the good work of Greatworth web site.–Stan
Hello – I served in the RAF from 1957 to 1966, as a Ground Wireless Fitter, and just prior to being assigned to a Joint Services Trials Unit (JSTU 4) in 1960 (for work on the Inertial Navigation systems for Blue Steel), I was assigned a short stay at RAF Hillingdon (Uxbridge). This posting was actually to work at the transmitting facility at the location mentioned, Greenford Green. I have not, subsequently, found anyone who knew where Greenford Green transmitters were located – so perhaps it was known by another name. Transport to and from Hillingdon was by RAF car and that journey passed by RAF Northolt – so Greenford Green was somewhere in that vicinity. The transmitting hall contained several Marconi SWBs (Short Wave Broadcast) transmitters – used for sending signals traffic to the Far East. I recall during night shifts the frequencies were often changed around midnight to compensate for atmospheric changes. The facility also contained banks of BICC tape recorders which, I think, were there to record Air Traffic Control communications, I thought at the time, for London Heathrow ATC. However, as the RAF had no responsibility for these recorders, I didn’t get involved with them.
For those that remember the Marconi SWBs, these were beasts of the transmitting world – with coils resembling copper plumbing and massive mercury vapour diode valves – the capacitors were like big storage tanks and were oil filled – presumably for cooling. These SWBs were built like a battleship and painted grey to match.
Oh ! Happy days of 66 years ago !