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Site Records| Final GCI Ash Road, Sandwich, Kent OS Grid Ref: TR320586 |
Rotor GCI Marshborough Road, Ash, Kent OS Grid Ref: TR303574 |
In 1948, the worsening international situation led the Air Ministry to decide upon urgent action to improve the United Kingdom's radar defences. Following a period of intensive technical and operational study, in 1949 the Air Ministry decided to construct a new chain of radar stations in the UK. This was a far reaching plan designed to make use of the latest technology available, and to secure maximum freedom from enemy attack by relocating most of large number of mobile radar convoys for tactical use. The rebuilding of the radar defences of the UK was given the codeword `ROTOR', and the supply of the mobile radar convoys was covered by the codeword `VAST'.
The ROTOR programme called for nearly 30 GCI stations, over half of which were built in R3 (underground) and R6 (above ground) two level bunkers, together with CEW and CHEL stations located in single storey bunkers designated the R1 and R2 respectively. Plot information from the new radar chain was voice-told to five R4 three level underground Sector Operations Centres.
RAF Sandwich was chosen to participate in the Rotor programme and was eventually to be relocated underground in a new two level R3 bunker at Ash, 1.5 miles to the south west; during the construction phase the station remained operational from the existing Happidrome. On 1st April 1950 the station became fully operational as a SOC/GCI radar station taking part in numerous exercises including 'Easter Offering' on 5th April and on the 16th April 'Final Rehearsal' opened the 'Warming Up' period for 'Stardust' from 30 April to 1 May.
According to CRPC/G 301 dated 14 Mar 1951, appendix C, Sandwich was to be a self accounting fully operational GCI station parenting the operational CEW site at St Margaret’s as well as the Chain Home stations at Dunkirk and Swingate which were retained for the first stage of the Rotor programme. The peacetime establishment of Sandwich was to have a total personnel of 370 comprising 15 RAF officers, 9 WRAF officers, 170 RAF other ranks, 174 WRAF other ranks and 2 civilians.
| The same document shows the equipment installation of Rotor 1 Radar Stations, specifically the GCI stations, 25 stations are listed. Sandwich was given the Rotor site code YTM and was listed as GCI(A) station equipped with the following search radars Type 7 Mk 3, Type 79 Mk 1, Type 14 Mk 9, Type 14 Mk 8. The height-finding radars were 2 Type 13 Mk 6 and 3 Type 13 Mk 7. The Type 13 and 14 radars were mounted on 25' gantries or 12' or 8'plinths according to the site characteristics; one AN-FPS3 American search radar was also fitted. There were also facilities to `plug in' four mobile reserve radars. All radars were phased in both rotation and pulse radiation. The ops display equipment included 19 Type 64 PPI displays with facilities to fit a further 3. In addition there were 5 Type 61 height and range displays for Type 13 signals and 6 Type 65 height and range displays for Type 7 signals. In February 1953 the operational element of RAF Sandwich was retitled 491 Signals Unit. |  AN-FPS3 search radar with a Type 13 behind |
The underground operations room at Ash was completed on 8 May 1953 with operations moving to the new site in August 1954. On 25th October 1954 an IFF Mk 10 installation was brought into use in conjunction with a new Type 7 Mk III radar. During September 1956 two American FPS 6 height-finders were under construction at the station. A new camp was built to house the stations personnel adjacent to the former WW1 Stonar Camp on the south side of Ramsgate Road. Stonar House was within the camp and was used for officers accommodation but it is unlikely any of the remaining WW1 huts were used. A standby set house (generator) for the technical site was built within the camp.
Room layout of the R3 bunker at RAF Sandwich as built
Drawn by Nick Catford
In October 1956 RAF Sandwich assumed parenting responsibilities for 933 Signals Unit and in December 1956 the station took over parenting responsibilities from RAF Manston
The Rotor programme was quickly superseded with the coming of faster jet aircraft which meant the manual control and reporting, and filtering systems, used to pass information up to the Sector Operation Centre's were too slow. Almost overnight the new Type 80 radar made parts of the ROTOR air defence system redundant. The Type 80 had a range of up to 320 miles compared to the 90 mile range of the Type 7. With this increased range fewer radar stations were required under the '1958 plan'. Type 80 radars were installed at many GCI stations including Sandwich.
Sandwich survived the cuts in the 1957 Defence White Paper and was to become a satellite control station in a sub sector, with RAF Bawdsey as its comprehensive radar and St Margaret’s as CHEL. Under the new proposals RAF Sandwich was to become a satellite radar station. To provide the best possible information it was to be equipped with a variety of new and upgraded radars. It was proposed that the station should have a new Type 80 Mk. 3 search radar to supplement the existing AN-FPS¬3 and Type 7 Mk. 3. An additional Type 13 height finder would supplement the existing Type 13 Mk. 6/7 and two AN-FPS-6. The R3 operations block was to be reorganised to house twenty-nine consoles with a maximum of eight control positions to oversee interception control, height finding, DRW (Defence Radar Warfare) reporting, aircraft reporting, surface reporting and radar office monitoring. Additionally the station was to be equipped with remote VHF transmitters and receivers for communication with fighters. In 1956 the establishment had comprised 27 Officers, 45 senior non-commissioned officers, and 350 junior NCO’s and aircraftsmen. The new scheme the station personnel would be reduced to 25 Officers, 49 senior non-commissioned officers, and 206 junior NCO’s and aircraftsmen. It is unclear if any work was undertaken to convert Sandwich for its new role as a satellite station.
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