What Job Does Sgt Freeston Have?

Discussion in 'Top Secret' started by Shiny, Oct 15, 2018.

  1. Shiny

    Shiny Well-Known Member

    Hi All,

    I'm researching a relative who was in the RAF and posted with 15 FSU in Corsica. The unit was involved in HF direction finding and the war diary talks about someone modifying a typex machine. There's also a few references to Y services so that is definitely the line of work they were involved in.

    The attached image is taken from the war diary where he is named as part of the unit during their move to Trebbiantico.

    His name is Sgt RC Freeston and I know his pay book talks about him being a computer and I know he was also a linguist.

    Can anyone tell me what his job was according to the picture?

    I'm trying to understand if he was actually involved in electronic warfare activities or worked on the admin side.

    Thanks for the help,

    Michael

    Reg 2.JPG Reg Op Order.JPG
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2018
  2. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    He was a Clerk, General Duties.

    Dave
     
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  3. idler

    idler GeneralList

    C&C is codes and ciphers - they would have decoded the messages for the Computors to translate.

    The Secret Listeners"y+service"+computor&source=bl&ots=tBwtN2sJ8L&sig=qprHpoztKbHavZ_J8-0SDhEb_24&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiik_yui4neAhXQFsAKHZmcBHsQ6AEwAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q="y%20service"%20computor&f=false
     
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  4. Shiny

    Shiny Well-Known Member

    Thank you both for the help.

    Now I've looked at his pay book again I can see the Clerk General Duties but according to the book in the link it says people called computors spelt with an O were involved in the process, and his pay book definitely spells it that way.

    Maybe he was involved?

    Michael

    20181015_201043.jpg
     
  5. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    You should not read Clerk General Duties in the literal sense. His real specialisation/job was Computor. All Computors were Clerks GD and I believe were at a minimum rank of Sergeant.

    Tim
     
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  6. Shiny

    Shiny Well-Known Member

    Thanks Tim, so going off the book idler linked to he wasn't breaking codes but he was possibly translating intercepts that had already been broken.

    Michael
     
  7. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Not really my field so I hope a forum expert will come along. However I think the Computors also operated the radios, intercepting, recording and analysing the transmissions. Once Bletchley Park was up and running Y Stations passed their intercepts to them for decryption. Y Stations were also responsible for identifying where signals were coming from.

    Tim
     
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  8. Shiny

    Shiny Well-Known Member

    Thanks a lot Tim
     
  9. Blutto

    Blutto Banned

    Fascinating, another instance of inter-section rivalry. I shall have to read the book now.
     

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