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An RAF Signal Station at Gibbet Hill, Hindhead Common
HARD THOUGH IT may be to imagine today, for 16 years,
beyween 1942 and 1958, Gibbet Hill at Hindhead Common
was a RAF radar station which occupied most of the top of
the hill with towering wooden masts dominating the landscape.
It was out-of-bounds to local people and surrounded
by barbed wire. There is so little evidence of this
old base today that very few people even know it ever existed,
but it is an interesting part of Hindhead’s history.
Sarah Bain, Chairman of the Black Down & Hindhead Supporters
of the National Trust tells me, "Although we knew
that there was a RAF station here, we knew very little about
it. But the National Trust are very keen to make sure we
don’t lose parts of Hindhead’s story, so we decided to see
what we could find out about the RAF’s activities here during
the War. All that remains here today is the small concrete
shed-end to the old Estate Yard garage, which we
understand housed the station’s fire-engine. So we started
to do some research and looked through local and national
archives, including Haslemere Museum, The National
Archive and old National Trust records, and we have found
quite a lot of information. We are now planning a ‘memories
evening’ to find out what local people, or their older
relatives and neighbours, can remember. Even better, we'd
like to know whether they have any old photographs, so
we can build up a better picture".
Sarah’s early research already tells a fascinating story. RAF
Gibbet Hill was a signalling station which, in conjunction
with several other similar stations, allowed RAF pilots to
locate the exact position of their aircraft, using a radar system
called ‘Gee’. The base consisted of four 250ft wooden
masts, two of which are shown in the photographs, and
some rather scruffy Nissen huts underneath. Three of the
masts were on Gibbet Hill and the fourth on the southern
edge of the Devil’s Punch Bowl. The Nissen
huts housed diesel-powered generators
and the signalling equipment
which pulsed out radar signals from the
masts 24 hours-a-day, seven days-aweek.
The base was run by just a handful
of radar operators who would have
been billeted locally, but attached to
RAF Odiham.
The Gee system was, at that time, the
cutting edge of technology and consisted
of a main signalling station at RAF
Daventry and at least two other ‘slave’
stations, of which Gibbet Hill was one.
By picking up radar signals from a minimum
of three fixed points, pilots could
accurately locate their exact position
from anywhere over the east of England,
transforming their chances of a safe return
home. Gibbet Hill would have been
an ideal location because of its relatively
high altitude and remote, open land-
scape. However, for all the invaluable guidance it offered to
our RAF pilots, sadly RAF Gibbet Hill was to see tragedy
right at the very end of the War.
Matt Cusack, Head Ranger for Hindhead Common, recounts,
"On 6th May 1945, just two days before the end of
the War in Europe was declared, a USAAF Curtis C-46D aircraft
bringing wounded servicemen back to hospital in
Winchester got lost in fog and crashed into one of the
masts. Both the plane and the mast were engulfed in
flames and crushed the Nissen huts below. All the crew and
passengers on board were killed. Most of the radar-operators,
however, had a very lucky escape. The station captain,
Flight Lieutenant Parish, had given them the evening
off to go to the pub, offering to man the station by himself.
Sadly, he was also killed in the fire".
After the War, Matt tells me that the National Trust had
understandably expected their land to be returned to them
quite quickly. However, non-farm requisitioned land was a
low-priority when it came to striking bases for the RAF in
1945, so this one remained in situ. In 1948 the RAF informed
the National Trust that it had decided it needed
RAF Gibbet Hill as a permanent signal station, with just two
masts but up to seventy permanent personnel. Fortunately,
new technology developed faster than they had expected,
and by 1957 the RAF had decided Gibbet Hill was surplus
to requirements and agreed to take the masts down, returning
the site to nature and a grateful National Trust.
So, how will the National Trust use the photographs and
information they have found? Sarah explains, "This is
where the old fire-engine shed comes in. It is the only remaining
building from this era, and fortunately it is easily
accessible from the main car park, so we are very keen to
conserve it. If we can find enough interesting
pictures and information about
the days of the RAF at Hindhead, we
have some exciting plans to use this
building to house a permanent, mini-exhibition
about the old signalling station".
If you know anything about the RAF’s
days at Gibbet Hill, or if you think an
elderly relative or neighbour might, the
National Trust would love to hear from
you. They are holding a Memories
Evening at the Devil’s Punch Bowl Café
at 6.00pm on 5th March 2013 where you
can chat over a glass of wine, or contact
Matt Cusack on 01428 681050 or email
matt.cusack@nationaltrust.org.uk.
Matt Cusack is Head Ranger for the National
Trust’s Hindhead Group of Properties. Sarah Bain
is Chairman of the Black Down & Hindhead Supporters
of the National Trust.
22 x R&A HASLEMERE & VILLAGES February 2013