Station IX (formerly known as the Inter-Services Research Bureau) was a secret British

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...

factory making special weapons and equipment during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The small

Welbike The Welbike was a British single-seat folding motorcycle produced during World War II at the direction of Station IX — the "Inter Services Research Bureau" — based at Welwyn, UK, for use by Special Operations Executive (SOE). It has the di ...

paratrooper's motorcycle and the

Welrod The Welrod is a British bolt action, Magazine (firearms), magazine fed, suppressor, suppressed pistol devised during the Second World War by Major Hugh Reeves at the Inter-Services Research Bureau (later Station IX). Station IX, being based near ...

assassination weapon were both products of the station.

Overview

Station IX was responsible for the development and production of weapons for the SOE, which supported agents and cells of resistance throughout occupied Europe. It was one of several similar workshops and laboratories throughout England. Under its commanding officer Lt. Colonel

John Dolphin John Robert Vernon Dolphin (1 October 19052 May 1973) was a British engineer and inventor, who joined the Secret Intelligence Service and then became the Commanding Officer of the top-secret Second World War Special Operations Executive (SOE) " ...

, and Chief of Scientific Research, Professor D.M. Newitt, secret research included military vehicles and equipment, explosives and technical sabotage,

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

biological Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary in ...

and

chemical warfare Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare, biological warfare and radiological warfare, which together make up CBRN, the military acronym ...

. It was situated at a mansion called "

The Frythe ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

" about an hour's drive north from London near the town of

Welwyn Welwyn is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The parish also includes the villages of Digswell and Oaklands, Hertfordshire, Oaklands. It is sometimes referred to as Old Welwyn or Welwyn Village, ...

. This had been an exclusive hotel but was commandeered in August 1939 by the British Directorate of Military Intelligence. In the grounds, small cabins and barracks functioned as laboratories and workshops. Heavily guarded, the personnel included civilian scientists and craftsmen, (who like Dolphin received "war service" military rank) and military personnel from all three services, who all wore their own regimental badges and uniform.

Inventions

All machines developed for the SOE by Station IX at Welwyn were given prefix "Wel-". Dolphin was responsible for the

and

Welman submarine The Welman submarine was a Second World War one-man British midget submarine developed by the Special Operations Executive. It only saw action once and was not particularly successful. Design Designed by the Commanding Officer of SOE's Inter S ...

and led the development of the Welfreighter. One of the most productive and creative engineers attached to Station IX was Major H. Q. A. Reeves who invented both the

and the Sleevegun. He was also, among others, behind the silencer for the

Sten gun The STEN (or Sten gun) is a family of British submachine guns chambered in 9×19mm which were used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War. They had a simple design and very low production cost ...

, fluorescent night sights, the Welgun and the Welbum. This was made clear in a document that was produced at the end of the war to ensure that the correct people were credited for their inventions. *

– a simplified pistol with a built-in silencer, designed as an assassination weapon for use by irregular forces and resistance groups. *

Sleeve gun A sleeve ( ang, slīef, a word allied to ''slip'', cf. Dutch ) is the part of a garment that covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The sleeve is a characteristic of fashion seen in almost every country and time period, acro ...

- a device attached to the forearm concealing a small firearm under a long-sleeved coat or jacket. When triggered the firearm extends out of the gadget so that the user can grab it and fire *

Welgun The Welgun was a prototype submachine gun developed by the British irregular warfare organisation, the Special Operations Executive. Although it performed well in tests, it was never adopted, and was produced in small numbers only. Development Wh ...

– a basic

submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...

designed to be simple and cost-effective * Normgun – the predecessor of the Welgun, rejected as being too expensive for mass-production *

– a small single-seat

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

designed to be air-dropped for use by paratroops *

Motorised Submersible Canoe The Motorised Submersible Canoe (MSC), nicknamed Sleeping Beauty, was built by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II as an underwater vehicle for a single frogman to perform clandestine reconnaissance or attacks ag ...

- an open submersible enabling a single

frogman A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some European countries, police work. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver, comb ...

to carry out

clandestine Clandestine may refer to: * Secrecy, the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups, perhaps while sharing it with other individuals * Clandestine operation, a secret intelligence or military activity Music and entertainmen ...

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...

missions *

– a one-man British

midget submarine A midget submarine (also called a mini submarine) is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine, with little or no on-board living accommodation. They normally work with mother ships, ...

designed for attacks against enemy vessels. * Welfreighter - a

developed for the purpose of landing and supplying agents behind enemy lines. * Welbum - a device to provide motive power for parachutists who were dropped into water. It consisted of a streamlined metal container with an electric motor and battery inside which was harnessed to the back of the swimmer. Driven by a screw, it would travel silently for 2 miles at 2 knots.National Archives Special Operations Executive Records Release 8th Feb 2002
/ref>

References

External links

Biography of Professor Dudley Newitt. Director of Scientific Research, SOE.
{{coord, 51, 49, 12, N, 0, 13, 24, W, region:GB, display=title Military history of Hertfordshire Research institutes in Hertfordshire Special Operations Executive

Overview

Inventions

See also

References

External links