RAF Trimingham - History

History

The radar station was established on the cliff top at Trimingham by the British Army in the latter part of 1941. It was used to detect German E-Boats and low flying aircraft and was then equipped with a CD Mk.4 radar. The station also operated as an Oboe Navigation Station. Oboe worked using two stations at different and well-separated locations in England to transmit a signal to a Mosquito Pathfinder bomber carrying a radio transponder. The transponder reflected the signals, which were then received by the two stations. The round-trip time of each signal gave the distance to the bombers and guided them to their target.

In April 1942, Trimingham was transferred from the authority of the War Office over to the Air Ministry. The site had now been installed with a Type 54 radar on a 200 foot tower. The operating system was known as a Chain Home Extra Low (CHEL)/CD station. By 1945 the 'Oboe' equipment had been removed and In 1947 Trimingham was placed in the Northern Signals Area under No 90 Group. Between 1948 and 1949 the site was placed under care and maintenance. In January 1949 the site was re-activated and in 1950 was renamed No 432 Signals Unit (No 432 SU). In June 1950 RAF Trimingham was selected to be a Centimetric Early Warning Station (CEW). Between this event and 1961 the radar station had various systems installed at the site and operated constantly as the eyes and ears of the UK’s early warning systems until February 1964 when the site was mothballed. By 1965 the station had been largely dismantled and all the radar arrays had been removed apart from the Type 54 behind Beacon Hill Cottage but that had been removed by 1972.