Hanslope Park

Hanslope Park is located about two kilometers southeast of the village of Hanslope in the English Borough of Milton Keynes and less than 15 km north of Bletchley Park ( BP ), the former central military department that in World War II successfully with the deciphering of the German dealt message traffic. It houses Her Majesty's Government Communications Center (HMGCC) , the UK government communications center .

history

The Hanslope House ( German "Hanslope House" ) was originally built as a mansion by Basil Brent in 1692 and was later extended to Hanslope Park . In 1941, in the middle of World War II, the property was requisitioned and placed under the British Ministry of Defense . From May 1942 it was fully operational as a radio listening station ( English Y station ) and served the vital task of intercepting and recording enemy, especially German radio traffic. He was the main listening post of the British Radio Security Service ( RSS , also known as MI8 , German " radio security service " ).

After the war in September 1945, Hanslope Park, like many other government institutions that had now become superfluous, was to be closed. Instead, however, the British Foreign Office specialized in diplomatic communications moved from Whaddon Hall to Hanslope Park, which continued to exist. From then on, its technical facilities were continuously modernized and in 1985 a new central building was built and equipped with modern radio and computer equipment.

Construction work in Hanslope Park in May 2007

In 1991 the "Edward Watts Building" was opened. It has since served as an archive in addition to the former National Archives of the United Kingdom, the Public Record Office (PRO) in London, and has a treasure trove of around 1.2 million historical documents.

In the 1990s, the previous type of radio communication lost more and more importance due to modern satellite radio technology. Consequently, in 1993 Hanslope Park ceased its activities as a listening post and radio communication center, became an administration and data center and from then on served as technical support for other departments. The original Park House was renovated between 1994 and 1995.

Web links

Hanslope Park: Home of Britain's 'real-life Q division' article by Tony Smith, July 5, 2013, accessed July 11, 2017.
The spy base where real-life British 'Qs' collaborated with CIA to hack TVs and phones Article in The Telegraph on March 10, 2017, accessed on July 11, 2017.
Photo of the Hanslope Park House , called The mansion ( German "Das Herrenhaus" ), accessed on July 11, 2017.

Individual evidence

^ The Y Service 1939-1945, Locations , accessed on July 11, 2017.
^ Will the UK Government Ever Release These Secret Files to the Public? (English), accessed on July 11, 2017.
^ Note from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services prior to the Committee visit to Hanslope Park (English), accessed on July 11, 2017.

52.105 -0.809Coordinates: 52 ° 6 ′ 18 " N , 0 ° 48 ′ 32.4" W.

[1] The Y Service 1939-1945, Locations , accessed on July 11, 2017.

[2] Will the UK Government Ever Release These Secret Files to the Public? (English), accessed on July 11, 2017.

[3] Note from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services prior to the Committee visit to Hanslope Park (English), accessed on July 11, 2017.