Radio Amateurs members of North Wales will be active with special GB2ORM from Great Orme, Llandudno, Wales, to commemorate the 75 Anniversary of the D Day Landing.
They will operate on HF Bands.
QSL via GW0NWR.
Info from qrz:
The location for this prestigious event is the Great Orme (Y Gogarth in Welsh) Llandudno North Wales. This location was chosen for its predominance in WW2 with the Royal Artillery Coast Artillery School on the Great Orme with a Practice Camp on the Little Orme.
Additional there was an RAF Radar Station on the summit and is in close proximity the Famous Mullberry Harbour Construction site on Conwy Morfa, The Ministry For Food HQ and The Wireless College in Colwyn Bay.
The site of our Special Event Station is the former Aerial Defence Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) known as "X3" which was a 3-storey building erected in 1942. This seems to have been a secret radar experimental station located above the artillery school where there is a clear tack-off 360*. Experimental work and training were also provided for radio direction finding
The Date for this event will be over the weekend of 7/8/9 June 2019, wherer members of the North Wales Radio Society will be aiming to contact Amateur Radio operstors across the globe.
A Brief History Of Llandudno During WW2
During the Second World War Llandudno played host to the Royal Artillery’s Coast Artillery School which was transferred from its historic site at Shoeburyness to the Great Orme’s Head. In the dark days of 1940 the need to expand the Artillery School coupled with regular air-raids and the threat of invasion, lead to the decision to move.
Many sites on the west coast of Britain were carefully examined before the decision as taken to opt for the area of land at the end of Llys Helig Drive on the west shore of the Great Orme. The land required little alteration – there was suitable anchorage for the target vessels and good conditions for radio direction finding, these were important factors which led to the choice of site. The layout of the site was planed in true military fashion, taking only one day and using , as site marked, toy balloons purchased from a local shop.
The school transferred in September 1940 and was operational from the 24th of that month. In addition to a gunnery wing, wireless and searchlight wings were established in October and December 1940 respectively.
The wireless wing was expanded and in April 1941 the 1st special wireless course began training instructors in radar work for service both home and overseas. The searchlight wing was established following the transfer of Coast Artillery Searchlights from the fortress companies, Royal Engineers.
This wing offered training in the operation and maintenance of searchlights, and it also took over training previously carried out by the school of Electric Lighting at Gosport. Officer Cadet Courses commenced in late September 1941 and continued throughout the war. In 1942 the coast Training Regiment was based here and remained until 1944.Training at the school reached a peek in 1942 when 150 officers, 115 Cadets, and 445 other ranks could be accommodated, and up to 14 courses could be run at any one time. The activities of the school were not confined to the Great Orme site. A coastal artillery Practice camp was established on the Little Orme which whilst enabling Gunners from the East and South coasts exercise also served operationally, as the base of 21 Coast Defence Battery R.A. It was a common sight for locals to see Red Flags or Red Lights at night, around West shore, the Llandudno Lighthouse and at Penmon Coastquard Station to denote when firing was taking place, and in 1942 , public were prohibited by a byelaw on entering the foreshore of the firing range and collecting bullets and shell casings and were fined £5 if anyone breached this law.
They will operate on HF Bands.
QSL via GW0NWR.
Info from qrz:
The location for this prestigious event is the Great Orme (Y Gogarth in Welsh) Llandudno North Wales. This location was chosen for its predominance in WW2 with the Royal Artillery Coast Artillery School on the Great Orme with a Practice Camp on the Little Orme.
Additional there was an RAF Radar Station on the summit and is in close proximity the Famous Mullberry Harbour Construction site on Conwy Morfa, The Ministry For Food HQ and The Wireless College in Colwyn Bay.
The site of our Special Event Station is the former Aerial Defence Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) known as "X3" which was a 3-storey building erected in 1942. This seems to have been a secret radar experimental station located above the artillery school where there is a clear tack-off 360*. Experimental work and training were also provided for radio direction finding
The Date for this event will be over the weekend of 7/8/9 June 2019, wherer members of the North Wales Radio Society will be aiming to contact Amateur Radio operstors across the globe.
A Brief History Of Llandudno During WW2
During the Second World War Llandudno played host to the Royal Artillery’s Coast Artillery School which was transferred from its historic site at Shoeburyness to the Great Orme’s Head. In the dark days of 1940 the need to expand the Artillery School coupled with regular air-raids and the threat of invasion, lead to the decision to move.
Many sites on the west coast of Britain were carefully examined before the decision as taken to opt for the area of land at the end of Llys Helig Drive on the west shore of the Great Orme. The land required little alteration – there was suitable anchorage for the target vessels and good conditions for radio direction finding, these were important factors which led to the choice of site. The layout of the site was planed in true military fashion, taking only one day and using , as site marked, toy balloons purchased from a local shop.
The school transferred in September 1940 and was operational from the 24th of that month. In addition to a gunnery wing, wireless and searchlight wings were established in October and December 1940 respectively.
The wireless wing was expanded and in April 1941 the 1st special wireless course began training instructors in radar work for service both home and overseas. The searchlight wing was established following the transfer of Coast Artillery Searchlights from the fortress companies, Royal Engineers.
This wing offered training in the operation and maintenance of searchlights, and it also took over training previously carried out by the school of Electric Lighting at Gosport. Officer Cadet Courses commenced in late September 1941 and continued throughout the war. In 1942 the coast Training Regiment was based here and remained until 1944.Training at the school reached a peek in 1942 when 150 officers, 115 Cadets, and 445 other ranks could be accommodated, and up to 14 courses could be run at any one time. The activities of the school were not confined to the Great Orme site. A coastal artillery Practice camp was established on the Little Orme which whilst enabling Gunners from the East and South coasts exercise also served operationally, as the base of 21 Coast Defence Battery R.A. It was a common sight for locals to see Red Flags or Red Lights at night, around West shore, the Llandudno Lighthouse and at Penmon Coastquard Station to denote when firing was taking place, and in 1942 , public were prohibited by a byelaw on entering the foreshore of the firing range and collecting bullets and shell casings and were fined £5 if anyone breached this law.