Royal Signals Museum

14/10/2026

𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗬 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦
𝗔 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗗𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗡 𝗟𝗘𝗪𝗜𝗦

The Royal Signals Museum is delighted to welcome Sunday Times bestselling author Damien Lewis on 3 November for an evening lecture. The talk will be based on his latest book, Behind Enemy Lines: The Special Forces Who Changed the Course of WWII.

At the heart of the book is the remarkable story of Captain Archie Gibson, whose daring operations behind enemy lines demonstrated the courage, ingenuity and determination that characterised some of the war's most extraordinary missions.

Damien, who lives locally, is generously supporting the Museum through this event. The lecture forms part of a wider programme of national appearances making this a special opportunity to hear from one of Britain's most respected military historians here at the home of the Royal Signals. Whether you served in the Corps, have a family connection to Signals, or simply enjoy compelling wartime history, this promises to be an engrossing evening of storytelling and discussion.

To purchase a ticket, follow the link below:

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/behind-enemy-lines-a-talk-by-best-selling-author-damien-lewis-tickets-1999026727755

09/10/2026

02/10/2026

𝗪𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗦

Communications developments a century ago included radio equipment known as Wireless/Telegraphy Sets A, B and C. Owing to defence cuts, only A and C sets saw service.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖 𝗦𝗲𝘁

Lt Col Ronald Penney, writing in the Royal Signals Institute journal refereed to C Set as "Intercommunications between the two fighting columns was allowed for by the C set, but local conditions defeated these sets and communications between the columns failed. At times atmospherics made work impossible, but wireless operators rapidly became familiar at dealing with messages up to 500 words, working under bad conditions for hours on end. When the C sets were defeated, then shortwave sets homemade in the Corps Signals Workshop played their part.”

Radio was the future, but as all Royal Signals operators were to find out, this came with its own challenges, especially in the High Frequency band.

𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
- The C set Mark 4
- A set in the field, 1926
(Images held by the Royal Signals Museum)

25/09/2026

𝗙𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗨𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦!

The Royal Signals Museum has been awarded a National Archives Scoping Grant to support our new project, 'Creating a Path Forwards.'

This exciting opportunity will help us review and strengthen our archive services, improving access, increasing visibility, and unlocking the full potential of our collections so that more people can discover and engage with the story of military communications.

Fritha Costain, Director of the Museum, said: "I am absolutely delighted that we have received a scoping grant for the Royal Signals Museum Archive. The funding will provide us with essential guidance to ensure that the Archive is appropriately safeguarded and allow important stories to reach and inspire wider audiences."

18/09/2026

The Museum was recently contacted by a friend of Emrys Williams, who is helping him write an account of his Army service. Emrys was called up in 1946 and joined the Royal Corps of Signals. He trained as an Operator Wireless and Line. Eight decades later, aged 99 he reflects fondly on his memories of training at Shenley Hall.

“After completing three months basic Army training at Catterick Camp which began in early 1946, thirty of our Squad caught a troop train to Shenley near Boreham Wood, Hertfordshire. Our billets were not in Shenley Hall itself but scattered around the property. Importance was given to the Wireless operator training & our goal was to reach 22 words per minute. We also had to learn how to operate a 20 line switchboard. This was connected to important offices and senior staff at other camps. Although we did not send or receive important messages while training as it was all top secret.

We were at Shenley for the summer, until I moved to Harrogate, Yorkshire for a few weeks to fulfil final training. This involved travelling up to the moors to another camp, near Thirsk, Yorkshire. From there, we had two weeks embarkation leave, just before Christmas, reporting back to camp on Dec 14th, 1946. Our camp had been an aerodrome during the war and only basic NAAFI facilities were now available there. This was the start of the bad winter – the worst on record with deep snow.”

Emrys went on to a posting in Palestine – he is pictured in the photo (bottom right) at Haifa, August 1947. The other images show a portrait shot of Emrys shortly after joining up and in more recent times. He has recently been recovering from a spell in hospital, and everyone here at the Museum sends him our warmest wishes.

11/09/2026

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗛𝗘𝗠

As the anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem approaches, we remember the extraordinary courage of all those who took part in ‘Operation Market Garden’ in September 1944.

Among them was Major Anthony Deane-Drummond of the Royal Corps of Signals, who served with 1st Airborne Divisional Signals during the battle. A highly decorated airborne officer, Deane-Drummond played a vital role in maintaining communications during one of the most intense and challenging operations of the Second World War. Following the battle, he was captured by German forces, but true to his remarkable reputation, later escaped and eventually made his way back to Allied lines.

The Royal Signals Museum is proud to care for Deane-Drummond's medal group, preserving the story of a soldier whose courage, leadership and resilience became legendary. His medals serve as a powerful reminder of the sacrifice and service of the men who fought at Arnhem 82 years ago.

Images held by The Royal Signals Museum.

03/09/2026

𝗕𝗘𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗬 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦: 𝗔𝗡 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗡 𝗟𝗘𝗪𝗜𝗦 𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗬𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗨𝗠

Author Damien Lewis is coming to the Royal Signals Museum on Tuesday 3 November to give a talk about his new book, 'Behind Enemy Lines.'

Lewis will bring to life the extraordinary story of Captain Lewis ‘Archie’ Gibson, a pioneering member of the Long Range Desert Group whose daring missions took him deep behind enemy lines during the Second World War.

An unmissable evening for anyone fascinated by military history and Special Forces.

Tickets will be on sale from Monday 7th September through Eventbrite.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/behind-enemy-lines-a-talk-by-best-selling-author-damien-lewis-tickets-1999026727755?aff=oddtdtcreator%0D

28/08/2026

𝗜𝗡 𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗠

The Corps has sadly lost two of its most celebrated veterans recently.

Sir Billy Boston passed away aged 92 in his adopted home of Wigan. Billy was born in 1934 in Tiger Bay. He was approached by Wigan Rugby League Club in 1934 whilst doing his National Service in the Royal Corps of Signals in the north of England. He played on the wing for Wigan for 15 years scoring a record 478 tries in 488 appearances. Billy was a member of a winning Challenge Cup team three times and played 31 tests for Great Britain, scoring 24 tries.

He received the freedom of Wigan in 2000 and is immortalised in three statues in Wigan, Wales, and at Wembley. Sir Billy received an MBE in 1996 and was knighted by the King in June 2025.

𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗻

Jack Mann was the last surviving veteran of the World War II Long Range Desert Group (LRDG).

He passed away this month at the age of 100. Jack was born in Cairo in 1925, his father died four days before his birth. Despite this, he and his family had a happy childhood in Egypt. He initially served with the Royal Corps of Signals before becoming a radio operator for the Long Range Desert Group in North Africa.

Following his time in the LRDG, Jack’s wartime service included operations with the Special Air Service (SAS), the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) and the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Later he rejoined the Royal Signals, was trained as an instructor and sent first to Libya to teach a signals course, and then to Cyprus. He was discharged from the Army in 1947.

In civilian life Jack was employed in the shipping industry and later in the chemicals division of General Tire and Rubber. He lived in northwest London with his wife of 54 years, Helga.

21/08/2026

𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗦!

The Museum shop is continuing to add new products to its range of clothes, toys, books, models and Royal Signals memorabilia.

We now have Dorset chocolate and fudge for sale alongside our biscuit range — perfect for a little treat or a tasty souvenir!

Visit the Museum this summer and explore our fascinating collections, discover more about the history of the Royal Signals, and don’t forget to browse the shop for something special to take home.

14/08/2026

𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚

It is five years since ‘Operation Pitting’ –the UK’s emergency evacuation from Kabul, Afghanistan. The Museum holds accounts from some of the personnel involved, including Junior Jones.

“Operation Pitting was a humanitarian operation to extract individuals who were eligible for safe passage to the UK from Afghanistan. The whole operation lasted less than a month and was regarded as a massive success due to the number of people that were relocated. From 216 (Para) Signal Squadron, 6 JNCO’s, 2 SNCO’s and OC 216 deployed to establish and maintain BG HQ and Bde HQ.

The situation on the ground is one that was simply termed as the 'wild west' and it earned that title with flying colours. Days were long, on average 3-4 hours of sleep for most of us. Before you crack on with your day, you just take a moment to appreciate the things in your life and really put your problems into perspective.

There are people we couldn't extract, people who are still there who left everything behind to take their families to the airport in hope to leave behind the threat of the Taliban. They then had to survive days of being in crowded areas with limited food or water under the beating sun.

The initial target was for 1,500 people to be extracted. We extracted 15,000. All British Troops who deployed, came home. We returned with the knowledge that we achieved something incredible. And of that I am deeply proud.”

𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘀

Personnel deploying at RAF Brize Norton to assist with the drawdown of British nationals in Afghanistan.

UK Armed Forces personnel at Kabul Airport.