HMS ''Valkyrie'' was a shore establishment or "

stone frigate A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. "Stone frigate" is an informal term that has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a ' sloop of war' to harass the French in 1803–04 ...

" of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

located in

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. The establishment was split into two component parts, ''Valkyrie'' I and ''Valkyrie'' II.

History

HMS ''Valkyrie'' was established as the

's No. 1 Radar Training School, its personnel billeted in a number of

guest house A guest house (also guesthouse) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the exclusive use o ...

s which had been requisitioned for the duration and which were situated on Loch Promenade, Douglas. The training was undertaken at a series of buildings on

Douglas Head Douglas Head (Manx: ''Kione Ghoolish'') is a rocky point on the Isle of Man overlooking Douglas Bay and harbour. Views extend to include Snaefell Mountain and Laxey. General Until 1870, the headland was owned by The Nunnery Estate when Sir ...

, one being the Douglas Head Hotel, and one of which today is occupied by

Manx Radio Manx Radio (legally Radio Manx Ltd.) ( gv, Radio Vannin) is the national commercial radio station for the Isle of Man. It began broadcasting on 29 June 1964, almost ten years before commercial radio was licensed in the United Kingdom. The Isle of ...

. HMS ''Valkyrie'' was commissioned in October 1941. Much of the early work involving Radar took place at Douglas Head with investment in the required equipment totaling £3,000,000 (£146,864,930 as of 2018). The training school worked in conjunction with a

Sea Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane was a British single-seat fighter aircraft designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft, Hawker Aircraft Ltd. Some versions were built in Canada by the Canada Car and Foundry, Canada Car and Foundry Co Ltd British vari ...

of the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

which belonged to 772 Squadron (FAA) and was based at

RAF Andreas Royal Air Force Andreas or more simply RAF Andreas is a former Royal Air Force station in the Isle of Man which was operational between 1941 and 1946. It was built in fields between Andreas and Bride in the north of the island. As was common p ...

. The aircraft was employed to provide simulated attack conditions. The Hurricane was replaced in October 1944, after crashing on Douglas Head, killing the pilot

Sub Lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

Robert Paton. During the operation of No. 1 Radar Training School,

was closed to the public which meant no access to

Port Soderick Port Soderick ( glv, Purt Soderick) is a small hamlet to the south of Douglas, capital of the Isle of Man, once famed for its pleasure grounds and beach. In latter years there have been various attempts to rejuvenate the area, all of which have b ...

was available via the Marine Drive, which had been a popular recreational area for tourists before the war.

HMS ''Valkyrie'' II

HMS ''Valkyrie'' II was commissioned in September 1943, to train signal men and

wireless telegraphy Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimental technologies for ...

ratings for

landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Pr ...

assembling for

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

as existing establishments could not provide sufficient personnel in time. To meet this requirement men were transferred from the Army and RAF, and at the peak period 2,500 ratings were under training on a six months course. The messing problem of this huge commitment was solved by supplying the food from naval sources and cooking it at the Empress and Palace hotels under the supervision of civilian contractors. The Palace Dance Hall was converted into a vast

mess hall The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

where 1,200 ratings could sit down together for a meal. A section of Douglas Beach was closed off to the public for training, much of which necessarily took place outdoors. By the time of the

Invasion of France France has been invaded on numerous occasions, by foreign powers or rival French governments; there have also been unimplemented invasion plans. * the 1746 War of the Austrian Succession, Austria-Italian forces supported by the British navy attemp ...

, ''Valkyrie'' II's function had ceased and the establishment was paid off in March 1944. The Royal Navy during the Second World War A10029

Decommissioning

On the cessation of hostilities plans were put in place to decommission HMS ''Valkyrie''. At 16:00hrs on Monday 30 December 1946, the

White Ensign The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign due to the simultaneous existence of a cross-less version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cross on ...

at HMS ''Valkyrie'' was lowered for the last time. The premises on Douglas Promenade were vacated and this was followed by the premises on

which were vacated on 31 January 1947, at the conclusion of the decommissioning ceremony. During the lifetime of HMS ''Valkyrie'' over 30,000 naval ratings passed through the

's No. 1 Radar Training School.

French Detachment

HMS ''Valkyrie'' was responsible for the training of Radar operators from various countries and in addition it became home to a detachment from the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

who underwent

Radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

training at the establishment. Under the command of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Jean Colin, the detachment arrived at the commencement of the ''Valkyrie's'' commission and from June 1943 over 400 French sailors were trained in

Notable personnel

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996) was an English actor, comedian, entertainer, cabaret performer and TV presenter. Born into a theatrical family, he served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during ...

: Pertwee served at the establishment during the course of which he was instrumental in the formation of an amateur dramatic society, the Service Players, of which he was made an honorary life member.Isle of Man Times, Saturday, August 19, 1950; Page: 9

References