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The Picture Post will be publishing your WW2 stories, reporting events and bringing you photo's, interviews in fact anything and everything connected with the 1940's!
Your Stories from Bantock House War Weekend
John Harris was a young boy during World War 2. He lived in Walsall with his grandparents, parents and brother. Whilst he and his brother were busy working in the garden (their job was to keep the Anderson shelter covered with soil and grass) they noticed a man at the back of the garden tying ariel wire to a tree. Because the need for security had been drummed into them he told his mother about this who then told the local ARP warden Mr. Reeve, who was also the local chemist and had a shop at the top of the road. “I thought he was probably a spy,” said John, ”it turned out that he was a listener, a voluntary interceptor, who was visited by an army despatch rider.
Thought this was a very interesting story because we are only just beginning to find out more about the UK’s network of voluntary interceptors, who listened into german transmissions and sent the information to Bletchley Park, often using despatch riders.
Bantock House War Weekend also featured an exhibition about Geoff Hanley who was a radio technician in World War One and a Voluntary Interceptor from 1940 -1944. Harry Platt, who told me that Geoff had his own transmitter and mast, was also a member of this group of amateur radio hams. Harry said,”everyone made their own wirelesses called ’breadboards’.
Another visitor to Bantock House Museum was veteran Geoffrey Ensor, who served on HMS Jason, and was a Leutenant in the RNV Reserve. Geoffrey was at the Normandy landings, serving on the landing crafts and transferring troops onto the Normandy beaches.
Thanks to everyone who took time to talk to me at what was a very busy and successful event, and apologies to the re-enactors Karen and co and The Scallywags for not yet posting photos. A temporary gliche I hope!
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War Weekend
It’s World War Weekend at Bantock House Museum, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September and entrance is free. The theme is communication and includes a profile of radio spy Geoff Hanley who was a voluntary interceptor, and the role of Bantock house as an army communications centre during the Second World War. There are also displays and re-enactments and an exhibition featuring the work of war correspondent Ernie Pyle, and some moving letters written by soldiers during the First World War.
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