2010
SW7221 : Site of RAF Dry Tree
taken 14 years ago, near to Traboe, Cornwall, England
Site of RAF Dry Tree
This area of Goonhilly Downs immediately adjacent to the Satellite Earth Station was one of a chain of secret 'radio location' (later 'radar') stations. A mobile unit based here in 1940, using 21m guyed masts was soon replaced by a permanent station with four 110m transmitter masts and two 73m receiving wooden towers, able to detect high flying enemy aircraft 200 miles away. This photograph was taken from the roof of the receiver block, the largest of the many wartime structures which are still standing, mostly overgrown. This affords a good viewpoint for the whole area, with interesting information boards. The receiver block, with its double bombproof walls, was the nerve centre, housing Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) radar operators. There were about 120 service personnel at RAF Dry Tree, half of them women. It wasn't until August 1945 that the Air Ministry fully revealed the existence of the radar stations and the role played by more than 4000 WAAF operators in defeating German air raids. Work is currently underway (January 2010) to clear vegetation from the existing buildings and lay paths to make the site more accessible.
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