Of course wartime restrictions curtailed most photographic activity on the grounds of security especially with the importance of Greenock and the surrounding area for naval activities etc. and with non availability and short supply of materials.
General curtailment rather than specific restriction on the club (which is how I read the original, but agree I may have read that wrongly )
Interesting to see the history went on to cover the very subject picked on above - namely material
Yet another snippet received today.Reliably informed the The Norwegian Forces were given a comandeered large villa in Newark St for the duration of World War Two.
Yet another snippet received today.Reliably informed the The Norwegian Forces were given a comandeered large villa in Newark St for the duration of World War Two.
In 1945
Royal Norwegian Navy, Helenslee House, Helenslee Road Dumbarton 655
One interesting thing in the telephone directory is the Strabane RNAS is listed with a Campbeltown number.
The new airfield opened as Strabane Naval Air Station, and named HMS Landrail on June 15, 1941, becoming RNAS Machrihanish on Monday, June 23, 1941. The old Strath airfield became HMS Landrail II, and continued to operate as a satellite of the new airfield.
The new airfield opened as Strabane Naval Air Station, and named HMS Landrail on June 15, 1941, becoming RNAS Machrihanish on Monday, June 23, 1941. The old Strath airfield became HMS Landrail II, and continued to operate as a satellite of the new airfield.
Should have gone across and dug out my copy of Action Stations! I though that perhaps they were cunning and arranged a direct line to Strabane as in Northern Ireland. I knew of Landrail but had not seen or perhaps not remembered the name Strabane associated with there.
Curiosity raised. What are you trying to post, and what is the problem posed?
I was just going to insert the image of the page from the telephone directory so people could use it to see if there were any addresses that they were not aware of but I can only insert from a URL.
Brilliant information jmb. The rellys(A Few looking 80 in Eye) are delighted as am I.This is very interesting information.Please offer more either the URL or in words.The Norwegian address is interesting.I can remember vaguely hearing about Norwegian Subs being based in Greenock but other than that?Does the directory detail mentiin Drumfrochar Rd,Inverkip St or more about bagatelle.Also Roxburgh St.Along these lines the Rellys also said this detail is only the tip of the Iceberg.Good stuff.BTW the fox,no palpitations allowed all of the trafalgars suiably chilled& there is a lot of us tonight here in Greenock.
Brilliant information jmb. The rellys(A Few looking 80 in Eye) are delighted as am I.This is very interesting information.Please offer more either the URL or in words.The Norwegian address is interesting.I can remember vaguely hearing about Norwegian Subs being based in Greenock but other than that?Does the directory detail mentiin Drumfrochar Rd,Inverkip St or more about bagatelle.Also Roxburgh St.Along these lines the Rellys also said this detail is only the tip of the Iceberg.Good stuff.BTW the fox,no palpitations allowed all of the trafalgars suiably chilled& there is a lot of us tonight here in Greenock.
The telephone directories are from Ancestry - subscription site.
You can't rely completely on the search system so it can take quite a time to get to the right page!
Admiralty Albert Harbour *Greenock 2280 I notice that all the directories have the Admiralty Pumping Station at Castlecary Just the RN Boom Depot and Torpedo Factory in Greenock
1941 directory Ministry of War Transport at Marymount Flag Officer in Charge Bagatelle both these have PBX on the line Very noticeably many more entries than 1940
One very interesting entry RN Wireless Transmitting Station Kilmore 224 - that sounds very like the RN Y station at Oban unless there is another Kilmore?
A friend sent his thoughts on the various RN establishments in Greenock
Quoted Text
A Greenock Naval Base. HMS Orlando. Consists of: Princes Pier and Albert Dock. HMS Carrick (Ex clipper ‘City of Adelaide’ & RNVR Drill Ship, Glasgow) now Defensive Equipped Merchant Ship (DEMS) Gunnery Training School, moored at Greenock HMS Carrick II (Ex Training Ship Indefatigable) remaned Carrick II as accommodation ship for HMS Colomba HMS Colomba. Greenock Boom Defence Depot.
Navy House. Clarence St. A 5 storey Warehouse remains out of a block of 5 one of which was Navy House. This contained HQ HMS Orlando. Base Office and Accounts, Stores, Workshops and Maintenance Captain and Engineer
WRNS. Greenock was a WRNS Depot which meant that they recruited and trained their own Immobile WRNS ( Immobile WRNS: WRNS who as a condition of service can only be employed in the agreed base or depot) The HQ was at ‘Mariner’s’ which administered WRNS in all Greenock/Gourock area. Apart from recruiting and basic training several trade schools existed within the depot. IWM photos show Cooks and Signallers at Greenock training schools.
Flag Officer in Charge (FOIC) Greenock. A sub Command of C in C Western Approaches at Derby House. Liverpool
PRO Ref: ADM1/15756 Admiralty Authority Feb 1941 A series of scenarios should Admiralty in London be captured or destroyed. Admiralty Authority would be invested in C in C Western Approaches. If Western Approaches destroyed/captured Authority to C in C Plymouth and if Plymouth compromised to FOIC Greenock.
Remote Radio control lines will be required to Rugby and Leafield Radio Stations.
B HMCS Niobe. Dec 41 to Apr 46 at Smithson Institute (Ravenscraig Hospital) HQ for Canadian Naval Forces in Clyde
C Navy Buildings. Eldon St. HMS Dalraida. Reserve HQ Unit. Clyde. Post War Commissioned 30-04-1965 at Inverkip (Inverkip AAOR) transferred to Eldon St 1968. Renamed 10-1994 Reserve Traing Unit. Building also houses HM Coastguard HQ and Clyde MRCC
He included a map with this key
Quoted Text
Key
1 Navy House. Clarence St. HMS Orlando 2 Port Signal Station 3 “Bagatelle” 47 Eldon St. HQ and Residence of Flag Officer in Charge (FOIC) Greenock with Signal Centre and Signal Training School 4 Tontine Hotel. Ardgowan Square. WRNS Quarters 5 Stoneleigh House, Stoneleigh Rd. WRNS W/T Operator’s Quarters 6 Lindores Manor. 81 Newark St (Actually in Finnart St) Quarters 7 Mariners Home/Asylum. Newark St. WRNS HQ, Depot/Sickbay 8 “Marymount” Barrhill Rd. Gourock. Ministry of War Transport (Briefing Rm) 9 Bay Hotel, Shore St. Gourock. Still in Navy use as Port HQ 1953 10 Queen’s Hotel. Albert Rd. Ashton. WRNS Quarters 11 Gourock Telephone Exchange. Binnie St. Gourock 12 Greenock Naval W/T Station. Inverkip Rd. Braeside. (School on site) 13 Gourock Pier. Gourock. Principal Sea Transport Office 14 14 Octavia Terrace. Principal Sea Transport Officer 15 29 Newark St. WRNS Officers Quarters 16 66 Newark St. RN Officers Club 17 “Dungourney” Newark St. WRNS Officers & Rating Quarters (Dem) 18 “Balclutha” Newark St. WRNS Quarters 19 23 Eldon St WRNS Hostel
Unlocated sites: Coulogie, Newark St. Superintending Civil Engineer “Whitefarlands” WRNS Officers Quarters Western Patrol Office (Naval Police) Dalrymple St Philips Garage Inverkip Rd/ Kilblain St. ?Use
Many thanks for a great post.Showed the detail to some rellys earlier today and it brought back a few memories.Clears up quite a few questions and as always raises a few more.No mention of Drumfrochar Rd/Roxburgh St/Murdieston St.Although the latter could have been related to the local ARP I am told.Also reading the histories of the WRN service only a few mentions are given of greenock or gourock apart from the odd reference given that there were around 400 in residence in the area. Quote from a close relly who grew up in Greenock during the War "Ach son,these are the numbers(Phone) of all of the places the MOD were not bothered about-Billets for off duty kip and the like.The important and secret places were there and were kept wheesht")(local parlance for quiet). Lots more to be found I reckon.
Hi The fox, The signal city story goes on.Remember a source in greenock mentioning "blocked off" areas on the moors above the Port towards Loch Thom I thought that they were talking about bomb craturs but were they really referring to watchers posts demolished after hostilities had ended according to the Rellys.Any takers.Also the same relly insists that the port has two masts which have been "of strategic importance son" since the 50s.I must take a look,not an area I Know bout can see a few from the main Road.Again any takers.
And remember. The Watchers had a reporting Office in Greenock rumoured to be the Co_op Halls on Roxburgh St(Comandeered for the war effort(Thanks jmb).A related question Stirling Via Woodsmoke) has a WW2 list.How about Greenock,,,
You know where the gems are... and complete with and Elsie of course.
There's a recent (2008 ) Sub-Brit exploration of the site buried in there too, which is interesting in itself, as a lesson in how to do things "officially", and get the blessing of those in charge.
Hi jmb & Everyone. Excellent pics there.Sadly we are unaware of tunnels under any of the Signal City establishments.But there are stories of the cellars of Bagatelle(I know they were there & post war were used for the storage of Medical records) and also of some at the other West End of greenock establishments.Still trying to ascertain the function of the warren of shelters at Peat rd.a telephone discussion with an old school pal described a large cavernous shelter underground at Peat Rd Greenock with three storeys downwards.The uppermost area we both remembered as having rotting maps on the Walls(we were unaware of the historical value of this site in the late sixties/Early seventies.unusually enough despite a fair few peoples best effort this particular site at Signal city is still a bit of a mystery.Was the peat rd site on your phone number list pre 1947 jmb?
Kent is obviously much more at risk of air attack than Greenock, but you would expect some sort of protected accommodation. There were comments of a sunked garden I seem to remember, does that survive because it might be an obvious place to cover over with a concrete roof.
The fact that Kent sits on clay and chalk might also be a factor. Have you ever tried to drill a hole in Whinstone? Good way to blunt a masonry drill, tunnelling here would have been rather difficult without the help of gelignite.
I wasn't suggesting there would be an extensive network of tunnels like that not so much because of the rock but just that there was not the same risk of air attack but it does give an idea of what to expect at a RN comms or control centre. But I would expect some buildings with some higher level of protection than normal.
From memory I think bagatelle may have had some sort of tunnel leading from the basement cellars to the buildings at the rear. Did the sunken garden have a flagpole at the centre by any chance?
The buildings have already been found, and referred to here, as builders head into the cellars when carrying out present day developments, and find themselves running over budget (and banging their heads against a reinforced concrete wall) when their plans go awry and they are confronted with strengthened basements and doors.
Heres another thing.Visitors to the locations of the area around Navy HQ nowadays will notice the existence of some rather fine very ancient sugar warehouses housing carpet shops and the like.I understand that Navy House was situated in a building of the same type of design.Cant find any reason why Navy house was demolished and the surrounding warehouses left intact(And nowadays Listed).
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