At the end of September 1938 the crisis which resulted in the Munich Agreement led to the Corps being called out for a week. This exercise proved to be invaluable as it drew attention to organisational and technical problems and gave time for solutions to be structure,
Exercises held throughout 1939, enable necessary modifications to methods and structure. The Observer Corps would evolve over the coming years, a process aided by the keenness with which Corps members from every walk of life addressed the process.
The only uniform items issued to the observers were army steel helmets (with the letters “O. C.” stencilled on the front and armbands also bearing the “O.C.” legend). High quality naval binoculars were issued. Observation posts often consisted of nothing more than a wooden garden shed located next to the telephone line and linked to a centre via manual switchboards at local rural exchanges.
EARLY DAYS OF THE WAR.
Observer Corps aircraftspotter in central London during the Battle of Britain, stood on a Fleet Street rooftop with St Paul’s Cathedral in the background.
On 24th August 1939, Chief Constables issued mobilisation notices to all members of the Observer Corps. War was eventually declared on 3rd September, posts and centres would be manned continuously until 12th May 1945, four days after VE Day on the 8th May 1945.
The first months of WW2 were known as the Phoney War. There was little significant enemy aircraft activity over Britain. The Battle of Dunkirk, started at the end of May 1940, Allied troops were cut off by the German army in the North East France. This resulted in the evacuation of British Troops in Operation Dynamo which ended on the 4th June. During this time the R.A.F. had lost 944 aircraft, half of these being fighters. Observer Corps posts in Kent and around the Thames estuary were able to play some part by plotting aircraft while they were over England. It was however an extremely useful period for training and practice which proved to be extremely valuable within a few months. Standard design reposting posts were constructed of brick or concrete, usually two storey with an observation platform, open topped and at the mercy of all weathers, above a small lower level crew rest room.
Obviously it was essential that observers could correctly identify an aeroplane. In 1939 aircraft recognition was not the highly prized skill it was to become in the Observer Corps. The other services felt that accurate identification was impossible. Observers realised that this was a deficiency and the raised profile of aircraft recognition was driven from below. Identification literature with aircraft silhouettes and data, started almost entirely as a private club initiative instigated by observers and only much later spreading to the armed forces.
BATTLE OF BRITAIN
ROC shoulder flashes including group number. No 2 Group Horsham.
After the fall of France the German aim was air superiority over Britain, to be achieved by destroying R.A.F. in the air and on the ground, and by bombing aircraft factories. Winning the Battle of Britain, as it was soon called, was Germany’s prerequisite in preparation for the invasion of Britain Operation Sealion.
ROC breast badge worn between 1941 and 1947 first on overalls, then on No 2 Battledress tunics. Known as the “soup plate” due to its shape and size. The British Chain Home Radar system was able to provide warning of enemy aircraft approaching the British coast, but once they had crossed the coastline the Observer Corps provided the only means of tracking them. During the period from July to October 1940, the Corps was fully stretched 24 hours a day plotting aircraft and passing this essential information to R.A.F. groups and sectors. The Battle of Britain saw the start of the Blitz, the shift of German bombing from airfields to cities; the Observer Crops provided the information which enabled air raid warnings to be issued. The Blitz itself continued until early in the summer of 1941 and bombing on a reduced scale continued until March 1945. The Observer Corps formed the cornerstone of Air Marshall Hugh Dowding’s air defence system and he said later in his despatch after the Battle of Britain.
“It is important to note that at this time they (the Observer Corps) constituted the whole means of tracking enemy raids once they had crossed the coastline. Their work throughout was quite invaluable. Without it the air raid warning systems could not have been operated and inland interceptions would rarely have been made”
As a direct result of their efforts during the Battle of Britain the Observer Corps was granted the title Royal by King George VI and became a uniformed volunteer branch of the R.A.F. from April 1941 for the remainder of its existence, retiled the Royal Observer Corps (the ROC). The Corps would continue as a civilian organisation but administered by the Royal Air Force, and for the first time women members would be recruited. Members of both sexes were employed in two forms, Class A who were required to work for 56 hours a week, and Class B members who undertook up to 24 hours duty per week. Initially the only uniforms provided were R.A.F. overall boiler suits with an ROC breast badge, commonly referred to as the “soup plate” because of its shape and size. Proper No 2 battledress uniforms were issued in a rolling programme over the next two years. For the rest of the war the ROC provided an essential part of Britain’s air defences.
SEABORNE OBSERVERS
In 1944, during preparations for the invasion of France called Operation Overlord a request for volunteers produced 1,094 highly qualified candidates, from which 796 were selected to perform valuable aircraft recognition duties as seaborne volunteers.
These Seaborne Observers were organised by Group Commandant C.G. Cooke and trained at Royal Bath Hotel (Bournemouth) before the volunteers temporarily joined the Royal Navy with the rank of Petty Officer (Aircraft Identifier). The volunteers continued to wear their ROC uniforms, but wore Seaborne shoulder flasher and a Royal Navy brassard with the letters RN. During the D Day Landings two Seaborne observers were allocated to each warship of the U.S. Navy and the Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships. The ROC volunteers were given control of each ship anti aircraft batteries, thereby reducing the previously high level of friendly fire, or collateral damage incidents as they are now known. Their success is measured by a signal from Wing Commander P.B. Lucas, Air Staff Officer who reported.
“The general impression amongst the Spitfire wings, coveringour land and naval forces over and off the back head, appears to be that in the majority of cases the fire has comer from British Navy warships and not from the merchant ships. Indeed I personally have yet to hear a single pilot report that a merchant vessel has opened fire on him”.
ROC (Seaborne) shoulder flash worn below the “Royal Observer Corps” shoulder flash and group numerals on both sleeves.
Twenty two Seaborne observers survived their ships being sunk, two lost their lives and several more were injured during the landings. The Seaborne operation was an unqualified success and in recognition His Majesty King George VI approved the wearing of the Seaborne flash as a permanent feature of the uniform. In addition, ten Seaborne members were mentioned in despatches. After the invasion and just before his death Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh Mallory wrote the following to be circulated to all ROC personnel.
“I have reports from both pilots and naval officers regarding the Seaborne volunteers have more than fulfiller their duties and have undoubtedly saved many of our aircraft from being engaged by our ships guns. I should be grateful if you would please convey to all ranks of the Royal Observer Corps, and in particular to the Seaborne observers themselves, how grateful I and all pilots in the Allied Expeditionary Air Force, are for their assistance, which has contributed in no small measure to the safety of our own aircraft, and also to the efficient protection of the ships at sea. The work of the Royal Observer Corps is quite unjustly overlooked, and on this occasion be as advertised as possible, and all units of the Air Defence of Great Britain are therefore to be informed of the success of this latest venture of the Royal Observer Corps”.
Today there is a Seaborne Observers Association for the dwindling number of survivors. Air Vice Marshal George Black CB OBE AFC RAF (Rtd), a former Commandant ROC, is the honorary President.
FLYING BOMBS
During Operation “Totter” the ROC fired “Snowflake” illuminating rocket flares from the ground to identify V.1 flying bombs to R.A.F. fighters.
ORGANISATION AND METHODS
The headquarters of each group from the Centre and controlled about 30 to 40 posts each of which would be some 10 km to 20 km from its neighbour. By 1945 there were 40 Centres covering England, Wales and Scotland, controlling in total more then 1,000 posts. The ROC did not operate in Northern Ireland until 1954. The Colchester (No 18) Group Post in 1944.
If you know the height of an aircraft it is possible from its horizontal bearing and vertical angle, to calculate a position. Posts were equipped with a mechanical sighting Micklethwaite post instrument mounted over a gridded map. After setting the instrument with a estimate of the aeroplane’s height, the observer would align a sighting bar with the aircraft. This bar was mechanically connected to a vertical pointer which would indicate the position of the aircraft on the post map.
Observers in posts reported the map coordinates height and number of aircraft for each sighting to their Centre. At each Centre plotters set around a large table map, they had head sets continuously connected to a Cluster of posts, usually three in number.
The plotting table consisted of a large map with grid squares and posts marked. Counters were placed on the map of the reported positions, each of which indicated the height and the number of aircraft represented, a colour coding system indicated the time of observation in 5 minute segments. The table was surrounded by plotters, each communicating with a cluster of posts. Over time the tracks and the removal of stale ones. From 1942 long range boards were introduced to Centre of Operations rooms, tellers in contact with neighbouring groups could handover incoming and outgoing tracks which were plotted on this map.
Duties in the operations room included plotters working on the plotting table and on the long range board, tellers communicating with neighbouring ROC Groups, with fighter operations rooms, with anit aircraft and searchlight units, alarm controllers in contact with the police, with the national alert system with the Ministry of Home Security and with local factories, an interrogator liaising with the ground controlled interception (GCI) radar units, and the Duty Controller, his assistant and a post controller who supervised the plotters and posts.
On May 12th 1945. when it was certain that all Luftwaffe aircraft were grounded, the ROC stood down.
