The British Darky System

Discussion in 'General' started by Bob Meuse, Sep 15, 2010.

  1. Bob Meuse

    Bob Meuse WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    I flew B24s with the 389th Bomb Group, 567th Squadron out of Hethel Aerodrome near Norwich.
    In approximately September of 1944, our crew was sent to an aerdrome at Toome, near Belfast, Ireland for training in what was known as the "Darky System" - a system of lights for NIGHT NAVIGATION over the U.K.
    This system was developed by the British. Since the entire U.K. was totally blacked out, this clever system provided "navigation"for night-flying aircraft.

    None of my B24 or B17 acquaintances have ever heard of this system.
    I still have my little class notebook with words like "OCCULT" - "PUNDIT" -
    "HELLO DARKY" - "DREM LIGHTS"
    Am I the only person in the world who knows about the Darky System?
    Will be most grateful to hear from someone who knows anything about the Darky System
     
  2. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

  3. -tmm-

    -tmm- Senior Member

    Hi Bob, welcome to WW2 talk

    I'd never heard of Darky before, but I found a few snippets while searching the Internet.

    In England where it was overcast almost every afternoon and you are low on fuel, because you have been in the air 10 hours you called a "Darkie Station" which was a radio station on the ground (all over England) with a receiving radius of 10 miles. You would call, "Hello Darkie, Hello Darkie, this is Splashboard O Oboe, I need a heading to station 106." Darkie had all the headings to every field from their particular station, and they would give you, "Splashboard O Oboe take a heading of 273 degrees for 7 minutes." You then flew that heading and time and let down through the overcast, and there was your field.

    At least you know you didn't dream it up! :)
     
  4. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Bob welcome to the forum

    THE DARKY SYSTEM

    If an aeroplane was in an emergency situation regarding it’s position to the airfield it is due to land at the pilot could use the basic life-saver “ DARKY, “ which was a system where the pilot could call for a ‘ Homing ‘ using the call-sign Darky. Most R.A.F. Stations operated a permanent Darky Watch on a common frequency with a transmitter / receiver of limited range to avoid possible overlap with other stations. By taking bearings and comparing them by telephone they could rapidly fix a lost aircrafts position.

    Where R.A.F. coverage was poor the Royal Observer Corps Posts could be contacted to assist as they were also equipped with Darky sets.

    About
     
  5. slaphead

    slaphead very occasional visitor

    Hello Bob and welcome.

    Was the Darky / Darkie system classed as top secret or was it known only to pilots?

    Would you like to start a thread in the "User Introductions" or "Real Life Experiences" sections so we can get to know you better?
    We are always glad to hear from veterans so I hope you will stick around and join in the conversations! :)
     
  6. urqh

    urqh Senior Member

    I seem to remember it mentioned along with Jaybeam, Gee et al and beam wars in many local works around the Worcester Malvern Gloucester book shop finds. Its certainly mentioned in AV Jones's book I remember.

    This area including Defford would have been involved along with GCI Conderton in testing of the orignal systems I believe.
     
  7. MyOldDad

    MyOldDad Senior Member

    Hello Bob,
    A very warm welcome to the forum. You will be in great company here with our other WWII Vets.
    I don't know a great deal on the 'war in the air' but found this on the 'Drem' lighting system:

    Welcome to the RAF Drem Website

    Best regards,
    Tom.
     
  8. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    If you look at RAF aircraft losses you will find in cases, the loss of a aircraft was preceeded by a Darky Emergency Call transmission from the aircraft and concluding with 'no further trace of aircraft'.

    The RAF T1154 Transmitter and R1155 Receiver Marconi engineered became the standard radio communication conduit for Bomber Command long distance communications (still in use 10 years after the war) and as all electronic devices could be intercepted and listened to by the enemy.The Luftwaffe had dedicated listening devices which was the reason why radio transmission were kept to a minimum and the Darky had its own dedicated channel on the T 1154 transmitter.

    Radio silence, no better illustrated by the Dams raid where the only transmission intended for the British mainland was restricted to the transmission of code names for the situation or execution of the various target tasks.

    Regarding Darky emergencies,the procedure was largely superceded by the introduction of the Gee navigational system which the USAAF had something similiar in the Loran system.
     
  9. phylo_roadking

    phylo_roadking Very Senior Member

    In approximately September of 1944, our crew was sent to an aerdrome at Toome, near Belfast


    Hi Bob - how long were you at The Creagh at Toome?
     
  10. Tim Huff

    Tim Huff New Member

    Believe it or not, at least until around 2000, green "pundit" lamps were still to be found at ALL British ATC controlled airfields, and still wink a green morse "ident" conveying the identity of the airfield at night! For all I know, they still are! Of course with all the peacetime lighting at such airfields, their usefulness is limited!

    Where I worked, it was close to, and within sight of the office, and on long winter evenings it would cast a baleful green and intermittant "--- .... --" 'SHM' (Shoreham) all night until the airfield closed.
     

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