The Yorkshire Evening Post has a story, somewhat confused and garbled but presumably with a grain of fact somewhere. Roy Johnson has just been awarded the Legion d'Honneur for his part if freeing France from German occupation. He was a RN telegraphist with Party Funshore. Issued with khaki battledress he landed in Normandy on D+3 as part of a largely US operation. Working close to the battlefront they were to take over a German radar station to monitor movement on the surrounding seas. Does this ring any bells/make any sense. Mike
a bit here about Party Funshore BBC - WW2 People's War - D-Day to Germany with Party Funshore Having volunteered for the intriguingly-named "Party Funshore" unit (meaning "foreign, unknown shores"), he went to Plymouth Signal School at Petersfield, Hampshire, for special unit training in wireless radio telegraphy, weapons and combat. This was, as would become clear later, the lead up to D-Day.
Thank you for the links. Funshore was a large naval signals unit with many small sub units. What is interesting is the mention of US involvement, a German radar station, near the front line and coastal monitoring. Could be a reporter filling out a short announcement, a confused account by a veteran or something new to me. The latter is not difficult as there seem to have been naval signal parties involved in many things. Mike
Mike, Douvres Radar Station - primary Luftwaffe radar station isolated by 3rd Canadian Infantry Division then taken some days later with reinforcement by 4th Special Service Brigade, Royal Marines. Could he have had anything to do with this? Involved Canadians not Americans. Battle of Douvres Radar Station - Wikipedia Presume this is the article you are referring to: Leeds veteran awarded France’s highest military honour for Second World War heroism Might be worth an email to journalist who reported story. Tim
Winstanley, Alan (Oral history) (8761) served with 1 Heavy Mobile Bombardment Control Unit, Party Funshore, Combined Operations in GB and North West Europe, 1944 BBC - WW2 People's War - My Time In Partyfunshore 1944 TD
Thank you for links and thoughts. I was hoping that this might be one of the elusive RN Radar units that I nearly catch a glimpse of from time to time. Douvres is a possibility but it does not quite fit. I have two very small snippets. It was agreed in early planning that all Air Defence Radar over the beaches would be British and coordinated by the RAF. We know that two GCI units landed, one on the British Sector and one on the US Sector. Similarly Surface watching radar would be British and coordinated by the RN. One was certainly landed and used in the British sector. The only mention of one in the US sector that I have found is a comment from a US naval commander to the effect that he never received any information from them. It is very tempting to think that a British naval unit landing with US troops to monitor shipping and setting up on the site of a German radar station might be what I am looking for. Mike
Hi Guys, Just came across this post, Roy is actually my Great Uncle. From the last time I spoke to him on this, after he had received his medal. He said that he had landed at Utah and was attached to US troops (he attempted to get information from the US Army on details previously but was unsuccessful). His unit operated out of a FFW Bedford truck and spent a lot of time in the North of the Cotentin peninsula, I think primarily at a radio tower at Cap de la Hague. He said alot of time was spend around Joburg. Hope that sheds a little more light.
Yes. It seems that a RN radar unit landed on Utah and soon moved up to the Cap de la Hague. There were also RAF radar units along the coast. Their role was to watch for enemy air attacks from Brittany and small boat attacks from the Channel Islands. The RN radar unit was equipped and trained to spot aircraft approaching at low level. Your great uncles signals section would be for forwarding any information to plotting centres and RAF control centres. At this time the US did not have the means to provide radar cover or night fighter cover so the RAF, and RN, provided it in the US areas. Details known to us are sparse but I will search my untidy files. It is very difficult to obtain any sort of records from US sources as many forum members have found. If the signal section follows the normal pattern for army and RAF units it would have two signals vehicles, Bedford MW, one receiver and one transmitter. More later I hope. Mike
