IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Barnet Drive, GRIMSBY, DN36 4GH

See also Image These were once the married quarters of the Waltham Naval wireless Station, officially the "RN W/T station, New Waltham". See: http://www.navy-net.co.uk/bases-shore-est/31640-waltham-wireless-station-nr-grimsby-lincolnshire-2.html. The station was first used by the army and had a single wooden mast and a long aerial that ran down the length of the site. All around the site were gun batteries for air defence. This was around 1907. The RN took over the station several years later and installed LF and HF transmitters on the site (see below). The station finally closed in 1980. The married quarters at the front of the station were still MOD property then. All the equipment from the station was removed and taken to Chatham dockyard and to Forest Moor. The LF transmitters were refurbished by Post Office staff and installed at PO Radio Station Criggion. There are, or were, pictures of the original aerial, in WW1, being overflown by a large German airship. These belonged to the local milkman who delivered to the station. All serving RN staff were on lodging allowance and lived in the local area (or in these cottages). The base was part of HMS Pembroke's domain (Chatham Naval Base), and was manned entirely by serving RN staff, who ran watches and maintained the base. See below. The site of the station was behind the houses and is now a housing estate. Following contributed by Chris Lee: Some information from the RN Museum web site, www.rnmuseumradarandcommunications2006.org.uk : In the “Communications Collection Menu”: It seems that RN W/T New Waltham was originally RN W/T Cleethorps (New Waltham may not have existed then?) First mentioned in 1907. 1907: Naval Shore W/T Stations. Naval Stations manned by the Coast Guard [who are also the navy recruiters]: Classes of Station. [1] CLASS 'A' - 100 kW, several wavelengths, 1000 miles day and night - 2 in England at Cleethorpes and Horsea Island [for experiments and instructional reasons] - 1 at North Front Gibraltar. They transmit Admiralty orders and information to ships of the Fleets at sea. Note Horsea Island is located in Portsmouth Harbour. General summary of W/T progress during 1908: A 100kW transmitter has been designed for Cleethorpes [the most important of all naval shore W/T stations], Horsea Island and Gibraltar with day time ranges averaging 1000 miles for large ships, and each has a Special Tune capable of being received by ships with a Mk11 aerial. In 1909: Interference with naval signalling by Marconi high power stations. Admiralty messages from Cleethorpes to ships at sea missed because of Clifden. Clifden also interferes in communications between Horsea Island and Gibraltar. Mr Marconi has promised change. 1910: Signal Book and wavelengths debated. Admiralty messages to the Fleets and the receipts back, to be modified. More transmissions from Cleethorpes and more frequent reception periods for ships. Cleethorpes hasn't got enough power to increase transmitter time on air - it is supplied by the Grimsby Public Utilities - and anyway, it is also busy with Gibraltar as well as with ships. There is quite a lot of information on the museum web site but it includes lot of information about the history of RN wireless communication not just Cleethorps/New Waltham Not sure when but I believe the original single wooden mast caught fire at the top but it was to high for it to be put out and burnt for several days. The anchor points for this mast were still in place during my time there in 1970/71. Note about the staff: Serving members did mostly live in local area or the married quarters, when I was there the newer houses at each end were the only ones occupied. There were several Chief Radio Electricians/REA1 and several LREMs (They were mostly watchkeepers – Chief spent all day there but could sleep in duty cabin, LREMs worked shift through out the day/night. There were also a couple of day staff REMs plus any LREMs not on the watch keeping rota. The Officer-in-Charge was Lt Pamplin RN (retired) he was OiC for many years, not actually a serving Officer, he lived in the detached house at the main gate end. There was also a small civilian staff, three ground staff and the Stores manager. There was an on site electrician but he worked for the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works, not the RN. Following contributed by David Lingard: ...my Parents lived in the Navy Cottages and Dad was the last general handyman to be employed there. Their house was bought by four of the children and my parents lived there until they died. The house was then sold. I was their eldest son and during the middle 70's I was in charge of a Coastguard Station in Cornwall where my colleague informed me that he had been stationed at Waltham at one time. ...[After retirement] my dad worked part-time as a Gardener at the pub just across the old railway crossings... I remember travelling along Humberston Ave. on the 'Red Bus' from Tetney Lock, where Mum and Dad lived with us six children, and seeing the red warning lights on the several masts. I always wondered what went on there, never aware that one day I would see my parents located there, and my Coastguard colleague could have been there when I was passing, as he was much older than me. Further, my sister, Joy, lived for a short while in one of the new houses built in the old ground of the station. When on leave, visiting Mum and Dad, a ginger and white tomcat used to pop in for a snack! Dad told me that the cat was called 'Able Seaman Ginger' and was part of the establishment. I don't know what happened to him, whether Dad adopted him when the station closed...

See also: Image These were once the married quarters of the Waltham Naval wireless Station, officially the "RN W/T station, New Waltham". See: http://www.navy-net.co.uk/bases-shore-est/31640-waltham-wireless-station-nr-grimsby-lincolnshire-2.html. The station was first used by the army and had a single wooden mast and a long aerial that ran down the length of the site. All around the site were gun batteries for air defence. This was around 1907. The RN took over the station several years later and installed LF and HF transmitters on the site (see below). The station finally closed in 1980. The married quarters at the front of the station were still MOD property then. All the equipment from the station was removed and taken to Chatham dockyard and to Forest Moor. The LF transmitters were refurbished by Post Office staff and installed at PO Radio Station Criggion. There are, or were, pictures of the original aerial, in WW1, being overflown by a large German airship. These belonged to the local milkman who delivered to the station. All serving RN staff were on lodging allowance and lived in the local area (or in these cottages). The base was part of HMS Pembroke's domain (Chatham Naval Base), and was manned entirely by serving RN staff, who ran watches and maintained the base. See below. The site of the station was behind the houses and is now a housing estate. Following contributed by Chris Lee: Some information from the RN Museum web site, www.rnmuseumradarandcommunications2006.org.uk : In the “Communications Collection Menu”: It seems that RN W/T New Waltham was originally RN W/T Cleethorps (New Waltham may not have existed then?) First mentioned in 1907 1907: Naval Shore W/T Stations. Naval Stations manned by the Coast Guard [who are also the navy recruiters]: Classes of Station. [1] CLASS 'A' - 100 kW, several wavelengths, 1000 miles day and night - 2 in England at Cleethorpes and Horsea Island [for experiments and instructional reasons] - 1 at North Front Gibraltar. They transmit Admiralty orders and information to ships of the Fleets at sea. Note Horsea Island is located in Portsmouth Harbour. General summary of W/T progress during 1908: A 100kW transmitter has been designed for Cleethorpes [the most important of all naval shore W/T stations], Horsea Island and Gibraltar with day time ranges averaging 1000 miles for large ships, and each has a Special Tune capable of being received by ships with a Mk11 aerial. In 1909: Interference with naval signalling by Marconi high power stations. Admiralty messages from Cleethorpes to ships at sea missed because of Clifden. Clifden also interferes in communications between Horsea Island and Gibraltar. Mr Marconi has promised change. 1910: Signal Book and wavelengths debated. Admiralty messages to the Fleets and the receipts back, to be modified. More transmissions from Cleethorpes and more frequent reception periods for ships. Cleethorpes hasn't got enough power to increase transmitter time on air - it is supplied by the Grimsby Public Utilities - and anyway, it is also busy with Gibraltar as well as with ships. There is quite a lot of information on the museum web site but it includes lot of information about the history of RN wireless communication not just Cleethorps/New Waltham Not sure when but I believe the original single wooden mast caught fire at the top but it was to high for it to be put out and burnt for several days. The anchor points for this mast were still in place during my time there in 1970/71. Note about the staff: Serving members did mostly live in local area or the married quarters, when I was there the newer houses at each end were the only ones occupied. There were several Chief Radio Electricians/REA1 and several LREMs (They were mostly watchkeepers – Chief spent all day there but could sleep in duty cabin, LREMs worked shift through out the day/night. There were also a couple of day staff REMs plus any LREMs not on the watch keeping rota. The Officer-in-Charge was Lt Pamplin RN (retired) he was OiC for many years, not actually a serving Officer, he lived in the detached house at the main gate end. There was also a small civilian staff, three ground staff and the Stores manager. There was an on site electrician but he worked for the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works, not the RN. Following contributed by David Lingard: ...my Parents lived in the Navy Cottages and Dad was the last general handyman to be employed there. Their house was bought by four of the children and my parents lived there until they died. The house was then sold. I was their eldest son and during the middle 70's I was in charge of a Coastguard Station in Cornwall where my colleague informed me that he had been stationed at Waltham at one time. ...[After retirement] my dad worked part-time as a Gardener at the pub just across the old railway crossings... I remember travelling along Humberston Ave. on the 'Red Bus' from Tetney Lock, where Mum and Dad lived with us six children, and seeing the red warning lights on the several masts. I always wondered what went on there, never aware that one day I would see my parents located there, and my Coastguard colleague could have been there when I was passing, as he was much older than me. Further, my sister, Joy, lived for a short while in one of the new houses built in the old ground of the station. When on leave, visiting Mum and Dad, a ginger and white tomcat used to pop in for a snack! Dad told me that the cat was called 'Able Seaman Ginger' and was part of the establishment. I don't know what happened to him, whether Dad adopted him when the station closed...

Heading north.