RAF Eastcote
Encyclopedia
RAF Eastcote, also known over time as RAF Lime Grove, HMS Pembroke V and Outstation Eastcote, was a Ministry of Defence
site in Eastcote
, within the London Borough of Hillingdon
.
The British Government first used the site during the Second World War, constructing a military hospital in preparation for casualties from the D-Day
landings. They were not required for the purpose and later became an outstation of the Bletchley Park
codebreaking operations. During this time, Royal Air Force
technicians and Navy Wrens
supported the operations. The outstation closed soon after the end of the war, though became the first headquarters of Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), when the Bletchley Park codebreaking operations were moved there and renamed in 1946. These remained at Eastcote until 1954 when the new agency moved to its purpose-built headquarters in Cheltenham
.
Other buildings on the site were used by the General Post Office
and to support the United States Air Forces in Europe
's (USAFE) Third Air Force
and 7th Air Division (SAC
) activities at RAF South Ruislip
.
As part of the Ministry of Defence's Project MoDEL
, the site became surplus to military requirements and was sold in 2007 to be redeveloped for new housing. The site was cleared in 2008 and a total of 385 new homes were approved for construction. The name for the development, Pembroke Park, was chosen to reflect the heritage of the site.
During the Second World War, the land was requisitioned by the Government from the owners, Telling Brothers. The first buildings on the site were constructed for use as a military hospital in preparation for military casualties from the Normandy landings. Subsequently, it became clear they would not be required for that purpose and became barracks for Navy
Wrens
. Bletchley Park
established an outpost at the Eastcote site, known during the Second World War as HMS Pembroke V, to house some of the Bombe
and Colossus
codebreaker machines used to decode German Enigma
messages. A total of 100 machines were operated at Eastcote, controlled by 800 Wrens and 100 RAF technicians. A detachment of American personnel were stationed in a separate area, operating their own Bombe machines.
The site was split into two blocks: A and B. Block A was sited near Lime Grove and housed personnel accommodation and administrative services, while Block B was protected by brick walls and military police since it contained the codebreaking computers. The public footpath passed between the two blocks. The level of security meant that support staff in the administrative block did not know of the activities in Block B, nor did local residents.
At the end of the war in 1945, the Bombes were dismantled by the Wrens to be recycled, maintaining the secrecy of the operations. The operations at Bletchley Park under the name "Government Code and Cypher School" (GCCS) moved to Eastcote on 1 April 1946. The Crown purchased the estate in 1947. Eastcote's proximity to Whitehall
meant staff were not far from London, and the site became known as the "London Signals Intelligence Centre". Six years later, in July 1952, GCCS became "Government Communications Headquarters
" (GCHQ) and began to move from Eastcote to new purpose-built buildings in Cheltenham. The move was completed in February 1954.
Aside from the GCCS operations, the General Post Office
(GPO) established a training school, and a women's teacher training college was opened in 1948. The Ministry of Aviation
also opened the Navaid training school on part of the site. The GPO had blocks built in the south-east area of the site, and other blocks were adapted from their original conditions for new uses. The CTS division of GCHQ remained on the site within Blocks C and D until 1987. Aerial masts which had been erected by the division became unusable after the nearby train line was electrified, and were removed the year CTS left.
In 1949 the United States Air Force
established a non-flying base at RAF South Ruislip to coordinate the USAFE's Third Air Force
and 7th Air Division (SAC
) activities in Great Britain with the British Government. A school for the children of American service personnel was established on the Eastcote site in the 1950s. In the 1960s, this was joined by veterinary, dental, and mental health clinics, and also by a morgue
.
The United States military continued to use buildings on the site until the closure in 2007.
(Ministry of Defence Estates London), a programme to reduce the number of military sites in the Greater London
area. George Wimpey
purchased the site in 2007, planning to build 385 new homes. The entire site was cleared in 2008 and building commenced.
George Wimpey became Taylor Wimpey
through a corporate merger and submitted an application in 2010 to build a further 15 homes on the site. A report by the London Borough of Hillingdon's planning department rejected the proposal in December that year on the grounds that the site was already over-developed. Local residents had raised this concern in November that year, which the leader of the council explained was out of the council's control due to planning laws.
As of May 2011 the new development has not been completed entirely, although residents began to move into the first of the newly built houses in December 2009. The development has been named "Pembroke Park" in recognition of the heritage of the site; roads and the play area also received names related to the wartime codebreaking that went on there.
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
site in Eastcote
Eastcote
Eastcote is a suburban area established around an old village in Greater London, and is part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.In the Middle Ages, Eastcote was one of the three areas that made up the parish of Ruislip, under the name of Ascot...
, within the London Borough of Hillingdon
London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...
.
The British Government first used the site during the Second World War, constructing a military hospital in preparation for casualties from the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
landings. They were not required for the purpose and later became an outstation of the Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
codebreaking operations. During this time, Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
technicians and Navy Wrens
Women's Royal Naval Service
The Women's Royal Naval Service was the women's branch of the Royal Navy.Members included cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, radar plotters, weapons analysts, range assessors, electricians and air mechanics...
supported the operations. The outstation closed soon after the end of the war, though became the first headquarters of Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), when the Bletchley Park codebreaking operations were moved there and renamed in 1946. These remained at Eastcote until 1954 when the new agency moved to its purpose-built headquarters in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
.
Other buildings on the site were used by the General Post Office
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
and to support the United States Air Forces in Europe
United States Air Forces in Europe
The United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
's (USAFE) Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
and 7th Air Division (SAC
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
) activities at RAF South Ruislip
RAF South Ruislip
RAF South Ruislip was a non-flying Air Force station located in South Ruislip near London, England.The station opened in 1949 and was used by the United States Air Force as an administrative station to coordinate Third Air Force and 7th Air Division activities in Great Britain with the British...
.
As part of the Ministry of Defence's Project MoDEL
Project MoDEL
Project MoDEL is a project run for the Ministry of Defence by the ministry's Defence Infrastructure Organisation and VSM Estates, a joint venture established between Vinci PLC and St. Modwen Properties to bid for the contract...
, the site became surplus to military requirements and was sold in 2007 to be redeveloped for new housing. The site was cleared in 2008 and a total of 385 new homes were approved for construction. The name for the development, Pembroke Park, was chosen to reflect the heritage of the site.
History
Before coming under the ownership of the British Government, the land the site was built on was mainly open fields. A public footpath dating from around 1565 crossed the area from Eastcote High Road to Field End Road. In 1911, cricket matches were played on the field by the Eastcote Institute.During the Second World War, the land was requisitioned by the Government from the owners, Telling Brothers. The first buildings on the site were constructed for use as a military hospital in preparation for military casualties from the Normandy landings. Subsequently, it became clear they would not be required for that purpose and became barracks for Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Wrens
Women's Royal Naval Service
The Women's Royal Naval Service was the women's branch of the Royal Navy.Members included cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, radar plotters, weapons analysts, range assessors, electricians and air mechanics...
. Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
established an outpost at the Eastcote site, known during the Second World War as HMS Pembroke V, to house some of the Bombe
Bombe
The bombe was an electromechanical device used by British cryptologists to help decipher German Enigma-machine-encrypted signals during World War II...
and Colossus
Colossus computer
Not to be confused with the fictional computer of the same name in the movie Colossus: The Forbin Project.Colossus was the world's first electronic, digital, programmable computer. Colossus and its successors were used by British codebreakers to help read encrypted German messages during World War II...
codebreaker machines used to decode German Enigma
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
messages. A total of 100 machines were operated at Eastcote, controlled by 800 Wrens and 100 RAF technicians. A detachment of American personnel were stationed in a separate area, operating their own Bombe machines.
The site was split into two blocks: A and B. Block A was sited near Lime Grove and housed personnel accommodation and administrative services, while Block B was protected by brick walls and military police since it contained the codebreaking computers. The public footpath passed between the two blocks. The level of security meant that support staff in the administrative block did not know of the activities in Block B, nor did local residents.
At the end of the war in 1945, the Bombes were dismantled by the Wrens to be recycled, maintaining the secrecy of the operations. The operations at Bletchley Park under the name "Government Code and Cypher School" (GCCS) moved to Eastcote on 1 April 1946. The Crown purchased the estate in 1947. Eastcote's proximity to Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
meant staff were not far from London, and the site became known as the "London Signals Intelligence Centre". Six years later, in July 1952, GCCS became "Government Communications Headquarters
Government Communications Headquarters
The Government Communications Headquarters is a British intelligence agency responsible for providing signals intelligence and information assurance to the UK government and armed forces...
" (GCHQ) and began to move from Eastcote to new purpose-built buildings in Cheltenham. The move was completed in February 1954.
Aside from the GCCS operations, the General Post Office
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
(GPO) established a training school, and a women's teacher training college was opened in 1948. The Ministry of Aviation
Ministry of Aviation
Ministry of Aviation was a department of the United Kingdom government, established in 1959. Its responsibilities included the regulation of civil aviation and the supply of military aircraft, which it took on from the Ministry of Supply....
also opened the Navaid training school on part of the site. The GPO had blocks built in the south-east area of the site, and other blocks were adapted from their original conditions for new uses. The CTS division of GCHQ remained on the site within Blocks C and D until 1987. Aerial masts which had been erected by the division became unusable after the nearby train line was electrified, and were removed the year CTS left.
In 1949 the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
established a non-flying base at RAF South Ruislip to coordinate the USAFE's Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
and 7th Air Division (SAC
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
) activities in Great Britain with the British Government. A school for the children of American service personnel was established on the Eastcote site in the 1950s. In the 1960s, this was joined by veterinary, dental, and mental health clinics, and also by a morgue
Morgue
A morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
.
The United States military continued to use buildings on the site until the closure in 2007.
Redevelopment
The 19 acres (76,890.3 m²) site was the first to be sold as part of the Ministry of Defence's Project MoDELProject MoDEL
Project MoDEL is a project run for the Ministry of Defence by the ministry's Defence Infrastructure Organisation and VSM Estates, a joint venture established between Vinci PLC and St. Modwen Properties to bid for the contract...
(Ministry of Defence Estates London), a programme to reduce the number of military sites in the Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
area. George Wimpey
George Wimpey
George Wimpey was formed in 1880 and, based in Hammersmith, operated largely as a road surfacing contractor. The business was acquired by Godfrey Mitchell in 1919 and he developed it into the UK’s pre-eminent construction and housebuilding firm. In 2007, Wimpey merged with Taylor Woodrow to create...
purchased the site in 2007, planning to build 385 new homes. The entire site was cleared in 2008 and building commenced.
George Wimpey became Taylor Wimpey
Taylor Wimpey
Taylor Wimpey plc is one of the largest British based housebuilding companies. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
through a corporate merger and submitted an application in 2010 to build a further 15 homes on the site. A report by the London Borough of Hillingdon's planning department rejected the proposal in December that year on the grounds that the site was already over-developed. Local residents had raised this concern in November that year, which the leader of the council explained was out of the council's control due to planning laws.
As of May 2011 the new development has not been completed entirely, although residents began to move into the first of the newly built houses in December 2009. The development has been named "Pembroke Park" in recognition of the heritage of the site; roads and the play area also received names related to the wartime codebreaking that went on there.