SATELLITE POSTS OF THE ROYAL OBSERVER CORPS (1940 TO 1945)
From 1940, and in particular from 1942, to combat the threat of the low level intruder and to improve low level coverage in the ROC reporting chain, it was decided to establish approximately 150 ‘satellite’ posts in a belt 30 miles wide along the south coast of the UK and on the east coast as far north as Dundee, as well as on the coast of Lancashire and Cheshire.
The satellite posts consisted of four kinds (numbers in brackets) :-
A total of 27 ROC satellite posts were set up, each manned by a single observer. 50 AA Command Searchlight sites were linked from the searchlight sentry to the nearest ROC Post. 22 aerodrome lookouts were connected by telephone to nearby ROC posts. Lastly, 129 coastguard stations had tie lines to ROC posts. Many coastguard stations had been part of the ROC reporting network since 1940 and it only remained to provide additional communications for the new coastguard stations which were to become satellite reporting posts. The RAF and Army generally manned their own satellites, while ROC personnel manned ROC satellites and also some of those set up at coastguard stations.
Each satellite post was connected by land-line telephone to its parent ROC post and reported all low flying aircraft movements to that post. The satellite posts had no post plotting instrument but did have a crude ‘Minute Ring’. The aircraft plot and details were estimated. An example of a satellite reporting sequence is :
‘B2 Satellite ; 05 minutes ; two miles east ; one at zero ; hostile’.
The satellite plots were passed on by the parent post to the Centre. On the Ops Room plotting table the satellite posts were indicated by a black diamond gummed on to the map table. ROC Operation Instruction No 9 “Formation of Satellite Posts” was issued on 22 September 1942 and this instruction gave detailed information on how the satellite posts operated. The earliest satellite post was set up in 1941 and most were established in 1942. Their life was short with some closing in 1944 and all of them closing by 1945.
Satellite posts were manned by one observer from 1942 to 1943 but as enemy activity decreased into 1944 and 1945, manning at satellites tapered off. Many satellite posts took advantage of existing structures like coastguard stations, control towers and searchlight sites. But in a number of dedicated ROC satellite post sites, to give the single observer some protection from the inclement weather, a small block built structure was provided. This satellite post was not unlike a normal post but smaller since no plotting instrument was needed. However, a stove for warmth and cooking was provided.
The duty of the satellite post was to report, during daylight hours, visual observations of low flying hostile aircraft and doubtful aircraft approaching the coast and flying overland, which existing Observer Posts, by reason of their topographical position, were unable to observe. The use of satellite posts was not only to improve the reporting of low flying coastal raids by single engine aircraft, but also to assist in the reporting of twin engine bombers which had started to adopt similar tactics in their attacks on inland targets.
‘Attack Warning Red’ lists 16 satellite posts in Cornwall alone. Only two of these were ROC satellites, the remainder being based at coastguard stations. An example of an ROC satellite post was at Perbargus Point located on the cliffs just west of Portloe which reported direct to Veryan Post. Sometimes two satellite posts reported to one parent post. For example St Just and Penzer Point coastguards reported to St Ives ROC Post and Nore and Looe coastguard satellite reported to Polperro ROC Post. Interestingly there was a satellite post located in the coastguard station on the Isles of Scilly which reported direct to 20 Group Operations Room in Truro. All the Cornish satellite posts were on the coast except for that at Coads Green. It is not known why this inland ROC post warranted a satellite post ?
13 satellite posts are listed in Devon. Ten were ROC satellite posts and three were coastguard satellites. Most satellites in Devon were on the coast but by no means all. For example those at Bere Alston, Totnes, Ashburton and Drewsteignton. The satellite at Bigbury on Sea is noted as being on the east end of the approach to RAF Bolt Head near Salcombe. Other examples of satellite posts in Devon are at Barnstaple, Exminster and Exmouth. Plympton ROC Post near Plymouth and Torquay ROC Post had satellites.
Dorset had six satellites with two being ROC and four being coastguard satellites. Examples are at Portland Bill ROC Post with a satellite at Stope Tower and West Lulworth ROC Post with a satellite at Lampton Herring coastguard station. Hampshire had nine satellite posts with two being at coastguard stations and seven being ROC satellite posts. Most were on the coast. One satellite was near The Needles on the Isle of Wight. The last county to list satellite posts is Somerset with four ROC satellite posts and one located at a coastguard station.
The satellite which reported to Temple Coombe ROC Post was located at the Searchlight Unit at Henstridge Aerodrome. Attack Warning Red lists satellite posts in no other county. There are no ROC satellite posts in Northern England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland. Very little is recorded about operations, or life, on a satellite post. Nigel Connor the son of Kathleen Connor of Veryan Post, served on Veryan Post in the latter part of WW2 and was on duty at the satellite post at Perbargus Point on many occasions. He remembers duty there as being lonely and boring despite occasionally plotting an intruding fast low level FW190.
Although some satellite posts were made of block or brick, almost no photographs survive showing what one looked like. As far as is known no satellite post has been found and preserved.
The satellite posts consisted of four kinds (numbers in brackets) :-
- Royal Observer Corps (27);
- Royal Air Force (22);
- AA Command Searchlight (50);
- Coastguard (129)
A total of 27 ROC satellite posts were set up, each manned by a single observer. 50 AA Command Searchlight sites were linked from the searchlight sentry to the nearest ROC Post. 22 aerodrome lookouts were connected by telephone to nearby ROC posts. Lastly, 129 coastguard stations had tie lines to ROC posts. Many coastguard stations had been part of the ROC reporting network since 1940 and it only remained to provide additional communications for the new coastguard stations which were to become satellite reporting posts. The RAF and Army generally manned their own satellites, while ROC personnel manned ROC satellites and also some of those set up at coastguard stations.
Each satellite post was connected by land-line telephone to its parent ROC post and reported all low flying aircraft movements to that post. The satellite posts had no post plotting instrument but did have a crude ‘Minute Ring’. The aircraft plot and details were estimated. An example of a satellite reporting sequence is :
‘B2 Satellite ; 05 minutes ; two miles east ; one at zero ; hostile’.
The satellite plots were passed on by the parent post to the Centre. On the Ops Room plotting table the satellite posts were indicated by a black diamond gummed on to the map table. ROC Operation Instruction No 9 “Formation of Satellite Posts” was issued on 22 September 1942 and this instruction gave detailed information on how the satellite posts operated. The earliest satellite post was set up in 1941 and most were established in 1942. Their life was short with some closing in 1944 and all of them closing by 1945.
Satellite posts were manned by one observer from 1942 to 1943 but as enemy activity decreased into 1944 and 1945, manning at satellites tapered off. Many satellite posts took advantage of existing structures like coastguard stations, control towers and searchlight sites. But in a number of dedicated ROC satellite post sites, to give the single observer some protection from the inclement weather, a small block built structure was provided. This satellite post was not unlike a normal post but smaller since no plotting instrument was needed. However, a stove for warmth and cooking was provided.
The duty of the satellite post was to report, during daylight hours, visual observations of low flying hostile aircraft and doubtful aircraft approaching the coast and flying overland, which existing Observer Posts, by reason of their topographical position, were unable to observe. The use of satellite posts was not only to improve the reporting of low flying coastal raids by single engine aircraft, but also to assist in the reporting of twin engine bombers which had started to adopt similar tactics in their attacks on inland targets.
‘Attack Warning Red’ lists 16 satellite posts in Cornwall alone. Only two of these were ROC satellites, the remainder being based at coastguard stations. An example of an ROC satellite post was at Perbargus Point located on the cliffs just west of Portloe which reported direct to Veryan Post. Sometimes two satellite posts reported to one parent post. For example St Just and Penzer Point coastguards reported to St Ives ROC Post and Nore and Looe coastguard satellite reported to Polperro ROC Post. Interestingly there was a satellite post located in the coastguard station on the Isles of Scilly which reported direct to 20 Group Operations Room in Truro. All the Cornish satellite posts were on the coast except for that at Coads Green. It is not known why this inland ROC post warranted a satellite post ?
13 satellite posts are listed in Devon. Ten were ROC satellite posts and three were coastguard satellites. Most satellites in Devon were on the coast but by no means all. For example those at Bere Alston, Totnes, Ashburton and Drewsteignton. The satellite at Bigbury on Sea is noted as being on the east end of the approach to RAF Bolt Head near Salcombe. Other examples of satellite posts in Devon are at Barnstaple, Exminster and Exmouth. Plympton ROC Post near Plymouth and Torquay ROC Post had satellites.
Dorset had six satellites with two being ROC and four being coastguard satellites. Examples are at Portland Bill ROC Post with a satellite at Stope Tower and West Lulworth ROC Post with a satellite at Lampton Herring coastguard station. Hampshire had nine satellite posts with two being at coastguard stations and seven being ROC satellite posts. Most were on the coast. One satellite was near The Needles on the Isle of Wight. The last county to list satellite posts is Somerset with four ROC satellite posts and one located at a coastguard station.
The satellite which reported to Temple Coombe ROC Post was located at the Searchlight Unit at Henstridge Aerodrome. Attack Warning Red lists satellite posts in no other county. There are no ROC satellite posts in Northern England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland. Very little is recorded about operations, or life, on a satellite post. Nigel Connor the son of Kathleen Connor of Veryan Post, served on Veryan Post in the latter part of WW2 and was on duty at the satellite post at Perbargus Point on many occasions. He remembers duty there as being lonely and boring despite occasionally plotting an intruding fast low level FW190.
Although some satellite posts were made of block or brick, almost no photographs survive showing what one looked like. As far as is known no satellite post has been found and preserved.
Satellite Sites in the South & South West
CORNWALL
|
POST
S3 T4 J2 T3 N1 Q3 M3 T1 R2 S1 Q1 T3 M1 M2 --- T2 |
GROUP
20 20 21 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 |
LOCATION
Coads Green Constantine Downderry Helston Kilkhampton Lizard Madron Marazion Par Polperro Praze St. Anthony St. Ives Sennen St. Mary's, Scilly Veryan |
NAME
SX 289746 Coastguard Station Looe 1941 Coverack / Porthleven Bude Coastguard Station Porthaustock / Lizard Penzer Point Coastguard Station Halsfarran Cliff Fowey Coastguard Station Nore & Looe Coastguards Station Portreath Coastguard Station --------------- St. Just & Penzer Point Tol-Pedd-Penwith Direct Line to Truro Perbargus Point |
OTHER INFO
ROC satellite Mar 1942 Tie line 1942 Tie line to Coastguard Station Tie line to Coastguard Station 1941 1941 Tie line to Coastguard Station 1942 Tie line to Coastguard Station 1942 Tie line to Coastguard Station 1942 Tie line to Coastguard Station 1942 Tie line to Coastguard Station 1942 Set up 1941 Tie line to Coastguard Station 1943 Sat at Coastguard Station 1941 Tie line to Coastguard Station 1941 At Coastguard Station 1941 ROC Satellite 1942 |
DEVON
|
POST
S2 B3 L1 F3 E1 E2 H2 F1 J1 L3 H4 G2 G4 |
GROUP
22 21 22 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 |
LOCATION
Axminster Barnstaple Bere Alston Drewsteignton Exminster Exmouth Bigbury on Sea Ashburton Totnes Plympton Stokenham Stoke Fleming Torquay |
NAME
--------------- Northoe Coastguard Station Stoke Point Budleigh Salterton Ladram Bay Coastguard Station SY029799 Bolt Head SX723555 Teignmouth SX826625 SX536577 SX829432 Hope's Nose SX943636 |
OTHER INFO
ROC Satellite 1943 Tie line to Coastguard Station 1941 ROC Satellite 1941 Sat at Coastguard Station 1941 Sat at Coastguard Station 1941 ROC Satellite 1942 ROC Satellite 1942 ROC Satellite 1943 ROC Satellite Nov 1942 ROC Satellite June 1942 ROC Satellite 1942 ROC Satellite 1941 ROC Satellite 1943 |
DORSET
|
POST
Q4 S1 J2 Q1 Q3 P2 |
GROUP
22 22 3 22 22 22 |
LOCATION
Abbotsbury Bridport Foreland Portland Bill West Lulworth Worth Matravers |
NAME
SX943636 West Bay Coastguard Station SZ658875 SY651732 Lampton Herring St. Alban's Head |
OTHER INFO
ROC Satellite 1943 Tie line to Coastguard Station 1942 At Coastguard Station 1943 ROC Stope Tower 1942 At Coastguard Station 1941 Tie line to Coastguard Station 1942 |
HAMPSHIRE
|
POST
C1 N1 G4 G2 N4 --- C4 --- C3 |
GROUP
3 3 3 3 3 --- 3 --- 3 |
LOCATION
Atherfield Barton Brightstone Brook Bay Hengistbury Keyhaven Luccumbe Bay Needles IOW Woody Point |
NAME
Coastguard Station SZ454791 Coastguard Station SZ240929 Coastguard Station SZ423816 No Location Coastguard Station SZ174906 SZ240926 SZ585800 SZ294849 SZ536762 |
OTHER INFO
ROC Satellite 1943 At Coastguard Station 1943 At Coastguard Station 1943 ROC Satellite 1943 ROC Satellite 1943 / 1944 ROC Satellite 1943 / 1945 ROC Satellite 1943 / 1945 ROC Satellite 1943 / 1944 ROC Satellite 1943 / 1944 |
SOMERSET
|
POST
X2 M2 L2 K1 M4 |
GROUP
22 22 22 22 22 |
LOCATION
Lydeard St. Lawrence Marston Magna North Petherton Porlock Temple Coombe |
NAME
Elworthy Barrows ST588278 ST233304 Hurlston Point Coastguard Station ST772226 |
OTHER INFO
ROC Satellite 1942 ROC Satellite 1941 ROC Satellite 1942 Tie line to Coastguard Station 1942 ROC sat Henstridge 1942 |
Information provided with thanks to Lawrence Holmes of ROCA 10 Group and custodian of the Veryan ROC Museum / Monitoring Post, Nare Head, Cornwall
Information originally published in ROCA 10 Group Newsletter - No.70, July 2013
Information originally published in ROCA 10 Group Newsletter - No.70, July 2013