The Observer Corps was formed in 1925 to give an early warning of any airborne attack of London.
Following exercises over Kent, with a control room in the Post Office in Cranbrook, two "groups" were established with Headquarters in Maidstone (No 1 Group) and Horsham (No 2 Group), and a network of 43 aircraft observation posts were set up across Kent, Sussex and parts of Surrey.
Following this, the network of posts was gradually expanded to cover more and more of the country and by November 1926 two more groups with Headquarters in Winchester and Colchester had been formed.
This progress then slowed considerably, until in 1935 the Boyd Committee recommended the more rapid expansion of the Corps due to the worsening of the political situation in Europe. This decision meant that by the outset of war, the Corps' network covered a large part of the country.
In 1940, the Observer Corps' biggest challenge yet was in the Battle of Britain, tracking and aiding the interception of vast numbers of enemy aircraft. The success of the part they played can be gauged by the granting of the "Royal" title by George VI in 1941.
The work of the Corps continued throughout the war, saving many lives with the early warnings of air attack, but many members of the Corps were keen to be more involved with other activities, closer to the action, and when the call was made for volunteers to join gun crews onboard defensively equipped merchant ships (DEMS) 1400 men volunteered. Those that passed the rigourous testing and training were known as "Seaborne" observers, and were involved in "Operation Overlord" on D-Day, saving many aircraft from "friendly fire".
As with TOCSIN BANG, we tell the story of the Corps through the eyes of those who were there, the Observers who stared at the skies, the Operations Room crews who plotted the aircraft and passed the information to the RAF, and the people who were aided by the work of the Corps.
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For more information about the programme visit: CyclopsTV - Sentinels of Britain
Also available - Tocsin Bang - The Cold War Story of the Royal Observer Corps
