Fort Southwick UGHQ

World War Two

 Created 11-03-2004   Last update 26-04-2006

Overview & History

<

UGHQ - WWII

page 3 of 3

 

 UGHQ - modern

During March 2004 I received an email from Richard Parker which gave an account of his Mother's war service in the UGHQ at Fort Southwick. He subsequently supplied me with the family's personal collection of wartime photos, news cuttings and other memorabilia relating to the Fort. I am very grateful to Richard for sharing this with the website.

 
 
My mother - Audrey F Parker nee Mayo - who died several years ago now, was one of the WRNS officers in charge of the plot at Fort Southwick

She was posted there from Staff officer training college (Greenwich) in April 1944 and up to D Day spent her time correcting the plans. There were in fact several plans one for each of the first days of June 1944 and as each would have had different tidal situations the standard plan had to be corrected to allow for all the various vessels etc to be at the right place at the right time on which ever day they chose to invade. They also had to take into account the relative speed and displacement of the craft. 

This was a hugely secret operation of course. My mother had been in the WRNS since the outbreak of war in Portland as an officer. She says they selected the candidates for office by their family background and as her father was a Captain RN (having served in WWI) she went to officer training. By the time she got to Fort Southwick she was a First Officer [equivalent to Lieutenant-Commander]. This rank allowed her to do this very secret job and as a yachtswoman all her life she knew exactly what she was doing. She used to tell the story that the work was done by men and a few women. Whereas the men appear to have been billeted in the tunnels the women were billeted in or around Southwick House. They had to leave the tunnels at the end of their shift with strict instructions not to divulge any of the information they knew and walk under blackout conditions to their billets. She often wondered what would have happened if they had been accosted by a German parachutist who were thought to be dropped to find out what was going on! There was no question of issuing a side arm to a woman! 

Post invasion she became one of the officers responsible for the plot, which mapped all the vessels and supports as they were deployed to the beach heads and later to the captured ports. This went on right up to VE day as there was a constant need to get supply vessels in to the beach heads / ports and then back again for the next trip. They all needed some sort of escort since E boats out of the Channel Islands remained a threat for a very long time. 

In 1945 she was awarded an OBE (military division) for her services and promoted to Chief Officer. [equivalent to Commander a very senior rank for a female of the time].

On 4th April 1944 she married my father Commander H Gordon Parker RN, who she met while serving at ANLO in Portland. He served at sea in HMS Iron Duke in WWI, reenlisted in 1939 and served in the Air Naval Liaison Office in WWII. 

Her father was Captain Herbert C Mayo RN who served in WWI in HMS Princess Royal and was also awarded the OBE.  He died in 1939.

Richard Parker son of Audrey Parker - March 2004
 
front of Audrey Parker's pass 

The front of Audrey Parkers security pass. Here the UGHQ is referred to as the UHQ - Underground Headquarters. It is believed that S.O.E represents Staff Office (or Officer) Escorts.

Richard Parker
 
 
 
back of pass

The reverse side of the pass dated 25 October 1944.

Richard Parker
 
 

 
parade in honour of the King

On Thursday 17 November 1944 (as reported in the Daily Telegraph) King George VI visited the UGHQ. Afterwards there was a march-past outside the Fort in his honour. This photograph was taken from the Barrack Block of the Fort looking south towards Portsmouth. The road the march-pass is taking place on is James Callagan Drive. The building on the left is FOF3 (Flag Officer Fleet 3). The open ground at the back is now the DSA (driver test centre). This march-past was referred to in the email from Elsie Horton on the previous page.

Richard Parker
 
 
 
parade view 2004battle HQ

A comparison shot, taken in 2004, of the previous photo taken in 1944 is shown on the left. It was taken from the roof of the Battle HQ shown on the right. This building was constructed in the early 1940s to act as command post for the Fort in the event of German invasion. 

Photo Jan West
 
 
 
Chief officer Audrey Parker

Chief Officer (lieutenant-commander) Audrey Parker is second from the left.

Richard Parker
 
 
 
King George VI

The plotting room. On the left is Commodore Bellars, Chief of Staff to the Commander-in Chief (Admiral Sir James Little).  Next to him is King George VI. Fourth from the left is Squadron Leader Geoff Hodgson. The plot on the table has been reset to 04:30 6 June 1944. The King was informed that on invasion day more than 5,000 signals were sent out and over 450 WRNS, some of them only 18 years old, were on duty night and day.
 
 
 
King George VI in the Plotting Room

This photograph has been taken looking towards the south end of the Plotting Room, previously never seen so clearly before The King is in the centre, just to the right of the three personnel standing rigidly to attention. This was the King's first official visit to Portsmouth since D-Day. He also visited HMS Vernon (anti-mine and torpedo HQ) and HM Dockyard (Portsmouth Naval Base) where lunch was taken onboard HMS Victory. 
 
 
 
Movements Office

The Movements Offices located in the grand tunnel of the Plotting Room. Second from the left (seated) is Commander Martinean then around the table Lieutenant-Commander Groves and Lieutenant Wade.
 
 
 
SOOs office

The SOO office (Staff Office Operations) was located just off the plotting room - location 23 on the UGHQ plan. This photo gives a good view as to how the tunnels were divided up in compartments. The officer on the right is Lieutenant Peter Raleigh. 
 
 
 
From the book: Escort - The Battle of the Atlantic Fleet - by Commander Denys Arthur Rayner who joined the staff at Fort Southwick on the 1 January 1945.

"The actual duties were something quite new to me. Radar had completely changed what little I had been taught about staff work before the war. At that time if ships were ordered to patrol certain waters the manner of doing this was left entirely to the initiative and skill of the Senior Officer. Now with radar covering almost the whole Channel, the staff could plot the minute-by-minute position of the ships, and could see how their orders were being carried out. What is more they could actually guide (or interfere with) the tactical conduct of operations at sea. Taking a leaf from the book of the RAF, they control their ships in the same manner as the RAF handled fighters - vectoring the groups on to the enemy".

"I always had three or four groups from the Western Approaches, totalling fifteen to twenty frigates or corvettes, as well as the Portsmouth command's own anti-submarine force of twenty-five trawlers, and about a dozen asdic fitted Motor Torpedo-Boats. With these I had to provide close escorts for the outward and homeward bound convoys passing through the command, and also had to maintain very close relations with Coastal Command, to see that their patrols dovetailed in with those of the surface vessels".

"The anti-submarine trawlers were operated by a WRNS officer, 1st Officer Audrey Parker. I think she was the only Wren officer to be given an operational job. She sat at the next table to mine in the office, and we worked together in perfect harmony. She really knew about ships, and had it not been for this partnership I could never have left the fort. One never knew when the enemy would appear".

Contributor: Simon Baddeley
 
 

There are three sections for this topic. You can select which one you view by clicking a link in the box below

Overview & History

<

UGHQ - WWII

page 3 of 3

 

 UGHQ - modern