# GNI Bombed WW2.



## Gareth Jones (Jul 13, 2007)

I know that GNI/Niton radio was bombed by the Luftwaffe during WW2 and I believe the station was completely destroyed with some loss of life. The GNI antennae was mistaken for Radar masts.
I wonder if anyone knows any more about this ? or if any other Coast stations around the world may have been bombed ?


----------



## BobDixon (Oct 17, 2008)

Gareth Jones said:


> I know that GNI/Niton radio was bombed by the Luftwaffe during WW2 and I believe the station was completely destroyed with some loss of life. The GNI antennae was mistaken for Radar masts.
> I wonder if anyone knows any more about this ? or if any other Coast stations around the world may have been bombed ?


Gareth,

This is not something I have heard of but certainly interested in learning from anyone who knows. There's an article on the bombing of the village of Niton on 1st June 1943 at http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/60/a7151960.shtml
No mention of GNI being involved although people lost lives at St Catherine's Point Lighthouse and at the Undercliff Hotel.

The late Andy Brown of Oban / GNE used to tell of calling St Nazaire / FFO shortly after WW2 had ended and receiving a call from Brest / FFU to the effect of "your lot bombed him you idiot". I can't find anything which confirms that FFO was bombed off the air but the town seems to have had many bombing raids (first by Germany then by RAF/USAF) and I did find a comment that "Saint Nazaire in 1939 had 8000 houses in 1945 just 100 were still existing".


----------



## Gareth Jones (Jul 13, 2007)

BobDixon said:


> Gareth,
> 
> This is not something I have heard of but certainly interested in learning from anyone who knows. There's an article on the bombing of the village of Niton on 1st June 1943 at http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/60/a7151960.shtml
> No mention of GNI being involved although people lost lives at St Catherine's Point Lighthouse and at the Undercliff Hotel.
> ...


 Interesting link Bob, I would have thought that the occasion refered to would be the same one - I was told the story by the late Bob Johnson
(Of GNF) but have no further info, I once went to GNI on detached duty ( about 1967/8) and the radio station was sited very low down at the bottom of the village but whether that was the same site as used in WW2 I dont know,


----------



## Graham P Powell (Jun 2, 2007)

In the back of my mind I have a recollection or have read somewhere that odd messages were passed to the Germans in WW2 using either GNF or GNI. The thing that comes to mind is the replacement legs for Douglas Bader but whether thats right or not I have no idea.
rgds
Graham Powell


----------



## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

Most Radio/RADAR station's had underground Reserve's either built directly underneath or at some place nearby.


----------



## BobDixon (Oct 17, 2008)

Gareth Jones said:


> I once went to GNI on detached duty ( about 1967/8) and the radio station was sited very low down at the bottom of the village but whether that was the same site as used in WW2 I dont know,


According to Brian Faulkner's book 
"The station was taken over by the Post Office on 29th September 1909 and, four years later as part of a major reorganisation, land at Niton Undercliff, about four miles from Ventnor, was leased from Lloyds at an annual rent of £5. On the site was a Lloyds signal station, various houses which belonged to the Coastguard and the building that was to become Niton Radio."
"The lease on the land at Niton Undercliff finally expired in June 1951 and the Post Office bought the site for £7000."

This location seems to have been somewhere to the east of St Catherine's Point Lighthouse, so it would be in the area of the bombing attack. No mention in Brian's book of the station having been hit though.


----------



## Larry Bennett (Aug 28, 2005)

As far as I am aware, only one German bomb landed in Burnham-on-Sea during WW2 which unfortunately killed the station manager of GKA living on the Berrow Road (I need to research and confirm this).

What is interesting is that no enemy action was ever taken against the GKA site at Highbridge - the conspicuous array of aerials must have been observed by the enemy and it seems strange that no attacks were ever made on the building.

I will consult some of the 'veteran' ex-GKA staff for their comments.

Larry +


----------



## ernhelenbarrett (Sep 7, 2006)

Re bombing of Coast Stations during WW2, When I was transferred to PortMoresbyRadio/VIG I lived in the house which had been the original CRS
and I believe this had been bombed by the Japanese so the Station was shifted and the original Station house became a Staff house. After a spell there I went to live out at Boroka in a flat above the Transmitter building which housed both the OTC and P&T transmitters. OTC in those days had a town office to accept telegrams, the Transmitter Station at Boroko and the Receivers Station which housed the CW keys, R/T for small ships, Top20 Overseas Telephone Terminall and FRXD Centre out at ,Jacksons Airstrip, 9 miles from Moresby You had to go round the bottom of the main runway near Bootless Bay to reach it and during the wet season you had to walk as the water was too high for any vehicle. At times the keying for the Transmitter from the Receivers got soaked, so you punched up a batch of tapes drove out to the Receivers and tried to send them south from there, had to keep an eye out for Papuan Blacks (A nasty snake) on the way!!! Ah the good old days!!
Ern Barrett


----------



## Graham P Powell (Jun 2, 2007)

An old boy in the club one night told me he had seen a string of bombs dropped on the land behind GKA where they have built a new road and housing estate.Maybe they missed their target.
I found it very hard to find out anything about what went on there during the war and most of the old boys who were there at the time are now "silent keys". When the staff were allowed to have allotments on a piece of ground somebody dug up a hand grenade which turned out to be a practice one moulded out of concrete. Its surprising as Larry says that it wasn't attacked. At one stage they had large wooden US army signal corps wooden masts. 
At the moment the local model engineering club are extending their railway track using sleepers brought over from the USA during the war!. Amazing.
rgds
Graham Powell


----------



## Duncan112 (Dec 28, 2006)

ernhelenbarrett said:


> During the wet season you had to walk as the water was too high for any vehicle. At times the keying for the Transmitter from the Receivers got soaked, so you punched up a batch of tapes drove out to the Receivers and tried to send them south from there, had to keep an eye out for Papuan Blacks (A nasty snake) on the way!!! Ah the good old days!!
> Ern Barrett


Can't imagine walking anywhere in Moresby now - snakes are the least of your worries!


----------

