Help required finding service record of Lerwick Coastguard officer

[JohnH]

I'm look for the service record of John Blundell, who is listed as serving as a Coast Guard Officer in the Jan 1914 Navy List per Ancestry.co.uk. 

 

[horatio2]

I think this is his ADM 188 record but I am unable to find an officer's record. On the RN Officers' Medal Roll he appears as Divisional Chief Officer, Royal Navy. (ADM 171/89/109).   He claimed a British War Medal. 

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6629724

P.S. found in ADM 175/104  Page 25 (image 27).

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2976665

Edited 12 March by horatio2

[JohnH]

Thanks @horatio2 for the above. 

I need your help again looking for another Coastguard service record.  This time for a Frederick William SMITH, who I believe was based at the Wireless Telegraphy Shore Station at Lerwick during WW1. 

SMITH aged 35 is recorded in the 1911 Scottish Census as living at the Rosyth Wireless Telegraph Shore Station with his wife and 2 children. His occupation is noted below: 

Image Ref: ScotlandsPeople_C1911_432_00_005_000_2_003Z

I found reference to his daughter Edith A. E. SMITH, serving as a Shorthand-Typist,
W.R.N.S., at the Wireless Station, Lerwick in the Shetland Roll of Honour and Roll of Service published in 1920 by T & J Manson.  There were 13 dwellinghouse for families working at this W/T Station. 

SIMITH is listed as her NOK per her service record at TNA ref ADM 336/27/544

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 16 March by JohnH
add image ref.

[horatio2]

I think this may be your man   -   https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6680355

[JohnH]

16 minutes ago, horatio2 said:

I think this may be your man   -   https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6680355

Thanks @horatio2. Can you confirm his rank whilst at Lerwick from 2 Jan. 1918.  

[horatio2]

Looks like W/T Acting Petty Officer (Coast Guard)

[horatio2]

I should also note that his record "REMARKS" shows he was "Passed and rated PO Tel 15/6/15" but this at variance with the dates and ratings recorded above.

[JohnH]

It looks like the Admiralty Wireless Telegraphy Shore Station at Lerwick was staffed by Coast Guard personnel during WW1.

 

[KizmeRD]

John, in addition to the CG Wireless Station on the hill at Sound, was there also a ‘Y’ Station (D/F & Listening Station) established further south at Cunningsburgh?

MB

[JohnH]

22 minutes ago, KizmeRD said:

was there also a ‘Y’ Station (D/F & Listening Station) established further south at Cunningsburgh?

Yes, @KizmeRD Link below to photos of Cunningsburgh Station at Voxter. 

Shetland Museum and Archives::Quick Search

[KizmeRD]

Thanks John, but can you help me with the local geography please? - my understanding is that Voxter is to the north of Lerwick and Cunningsburgh is to the south, is that correct?

MB

[JohnH]

@KizmeRD Voxter is a hamlet within the parish of Cunningsburgh which is south of Lerwick. Voxter is East of the Mail Beach at the Southern coast of the village of Cunningsburgh. You can see the Church of Scotland Manse (large white building) at Mail Beach in the back ground of Station photo above and on this map below, which helps locate approximate position of this Wireless Station. 

Image: OS 25 inch Scotland 1892-1949.

 

Side by side georeferenced maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland (nls.uk)

P.S. There is another Voxter in the north mainland of Shetland, just to the North of Brae.

Edited 16 March by JohnH
additional information

[KizmeRD]

Great, and much appreciate seeing the map and having your explanation - I can understand it all better now!

MB

[JohnH]

@KizmeRD please find below, link to photo of staff at Cunningsburgh D/F Station at Voxter. Can you tell me more about their rank and which service they belonged too.  Thanks John. 

Shetland Museum and Archives::Radio station at Voxter

I'm also trying to find out when this Station was built. 

[horatio2]

My guess would be Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer Telegraphists, all wearing No.1 Dress (Long Jacket) of Class I Uniform. Two vertical cuff buttons, cap badges and collar branch badges are typical but I believe  that the double-breasted jacket could have three or four pairs of buttons (confirmation required please - @RNCVR ??).

Edited 19 March by horatio2

[KizmeRD]

Up until 1923, the Coastguard was a fully incorporated reserve of the Royal Navy (mobilised during the Great War).

However I’ve a suspicion that the photo may in fact show a group of Marconi men who were recruited into naval wireless service for duration of hostilities.

MB

[horatio2]

40 minutes ago, KizmeRD said:

the photo may in fact show a group of Marconi men who were recruited into naval wireless service for duration of hostilities.

That is a fair point.

Marconi men were enrolled into the RNR, usually as Wireless Telegraph Operators (WTO) 1st and 2nd Class (CPO equivalent), with a WTS suffix to their Official Numbers. This group could be such ratings.

Some in-depth discussion of these WTS ratings and Warrant Telegraphists RNR took place a few years back:-

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/230616-royal-naval-reserve-wireless-telegraph-operators/

 

[RNCVR]

1 hour ago, horatio2 said:

My guess would be Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer Telegraphists, all wearing No.1 Dress (Long Jacket) of Class I Uniform. Two vertical cuff buttons, cap badges and collar branch badges are typical but I believe  that the double-breasted jacket could have three or four pairs of buttons (confirmation required please - @RNCVR ??).

Yes, @horatio2 that is correct, Class 1 uniform double breasted jacket with three pairs of buttons.  I dont know if he would wear the CPO lapel rating badges as he was CG presumably.

[horatio2]

18 minutes ago, RNCVR said:

he was CG presumably.

Thank you for your opinion. As we have no detailed context for this undated gathering of CPOs at a remote Shetland W/T station, I do not think we can assume that they are RN CPO Tels, even if they are in Coast Guard drafts. Why so many in such an off-piste location?. I incline to the hunch of @KizmeRD that these are RNR CPO WTOs although the context is puzzling.

[KizmeRD]

My suspicion that these are a group of Marconi trained wireless operators (now in Royal Navy service) centres on the fact that their uniform jackets have eight buttons (rather than regulation six), leading me to believe that they have simply repurposed their old Marconi uniforms by sewing on new naval insignia (that and the fact that the younger man on the left of the group is turned out with a winged-collar shirt, looking altogether smarter than how most Coastguards at the time dressed).

As previously mentioned, Voxter was an interception and direction-finding station - and there’s a much greater likelihood of finding five CPO’s (WTO’s) working together in a signals intelligence facility than you would have in an ordinary naval signals station (like Lerwick, proper).

FYI - In order to help counter the Zeppelin and U-boat menace, Marconi assisted the Admiralty in setting-up a chain of 14 east coast intercept stations in 1915, from the Shetlands in the north down to Birchington (Westgate-on-Sea) in the south. They used a modified Bellini-Tosi system that took advantage of newly introduced ‘soft c’ round valves, providing greater accuracy and range than older equipment.

MB

 

 

Edited 19 March by KizmeRD

[JohnH]

13 minutes ago, KizmeRD said:

My suspicion that these are a group of Marconi trained wireless operators (now in Royal Navy service) centres on the fact that their uniform jackets have eight buttons (rather than regulation six),

Image from: marconiheritage.org/fww.html

[RNCVR]

Thi likely wont assist in the discussion but in the 1WW RCN WTO's were classed as Warrant Officers, thus wore 8 button (4x2 pairs) jackets.

[KizmeRD]

In the British Royal Navy there existed two classes of WTO’s,

WTO(1)’s were equivalent to Warrant Officers

WTO(2)’s were equivalent to CPO rate.

MB

Edit - Just speaking off the top of my head, There was a huge influx of WTOs once the war started. Several hundred WTS ratings were enrolled during August and September 1914 and were for the most part Marconi trained operators entering the RNR with prior merchant marine experience.. Most were rapidly advanced to WTO 1st Class, and others were promoted to Warrant Telegraphist (Commissioned Warrant Officer) commensurate with their specialist knowledge and qualifications and enabling them to better match their civilian status and level of earnings.

Edited 19 March by KizmeRD

[RNCVR]

@KizmeRD   

Hi Kiz,  Yes a similar stuation in the1WW RCN altho on a much smaller scale, many WTO's enlisted, I think from my head they started as WTO/4 class, then advanced up to WTO 1/cl. 

I had in my collection the War & Victory medal pair to a WTO1/c with a number of original insignia & docs including a good studio photo of him. He wore a Teleg insignia on his lower right cuff (as I recall, I no longer have his group as I have sold most of my collection).  He was a pre war trained telegraphist as I expect most of them were at that time.  I dont know what rates he was paid, but expect similar to what he was earning prior to entry), at but generally the RCN rates of pay were much higher that the RN rates of pay.

 I see in the photo link posted above the group of CPOs have a similar rate inisgnia on their lapels, altho the photo is not that great visually.  I cannot say why those CPOs' are wearing 8 (4x2) button jackets tho.

I also have  a large group photo of RCN WTO's, taken in 1917 or 1918, if I saved it in my data base(have to check) I will post it here.

[RNCVR]

OK I found the photo so will attach.....

 

 

 

& a closeup of the CPO Teleg(or possiby a Seaman branch CPO) on the right - note his Anchors on his lapels, CPO cap badge,  & 6 button jacket....

Edited 19 March by RNCVR