General Discussion

With the outbreak of war in September 1939 the War Office instructed the Post Master General to construct three wireless listening stations for the exclusive use of the RSS. These would be manned by the civilian staff of the GPO but under the command and control of the RSS. In my quest to find these local GPO veterans I met Mr. Kenneth Larkin. Kenneth joined the Post Office as a Telegram Boy and through time took and passed his Civil Service entrance exam. He was then trained as a teleprinter operator and in May of 1940 was assigned to GPO Gilnahirk Wireless Station. During my interview with Kenneth he recalled many aspects of his work which was never ending day or night, but you never asked questions and spoke to no one other than your fellow teleprinter operators. His work at Gilnahirk came to an end in September 1942 when the Royal Signals personnel took over and he returned to work in the central post office in Belfast. During our one to one I asked if he could recall anything of importance and he mentioned the Bismarck. From what Captain Banham told all the staff, Gilnahirk was one of many stations involved in the sinking of Bismarck. Kenneth knew nothing of how this was achieved until someone invited him to visit the HF /DF underground cabin some three hundred yards form the wireless station. I asked Kenneth if he knew where his teleprinter messages were going and he said no. Once again you never asked questions and the teleprinter address was preset. I then mentioned Bletchley Park and he laughed. Bletchley Park, catch yourself on Mr. Busby we had nothing to do with that place. By this time the "We Also Served" badge and certificate had been announced for those who worked at Bletchley and the Out Stations. I told him Gilnahirk was an outstation and once again he laughed. Having obtained certain information from his wife and daughter who were both present during my interview I sent off a request for a badge and certificate and three days later he finally believed me. Kenneth could not believe he had been involved in such vital war work. The question he, his wife and daughter asked, "How many have gone to their grave not knowing the true nature of their war work? Sadly Kenneth died a few years after receiving his badge. This post will be the last from me for the time being, but I may return and reveal more of my research in the days to come.