Action when lost - Navigator's Notes
Title
Action when lost - Navigator's Notes
Description
John Mansell's notes.
Creator
Date
1942
Temporal Coverage
Coverage
Language
Type
Format
Three handwritten sheets
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
MMansellEJ132971-220520-040001, MMansellEJ132971-220520-040002, MMansellEJ132971-220520-040003
Transcription
[underlined] Action When Lost
[underlined] A [/underlined] Land mark beacons. [circled 1] Circle beacon., flash period letter followed by Q on downward recognition light [circled 2]. Beacon crew will flash the peacetime characteristic of the ‘drome .e.g PENRHOS. [underlined] PEN. [/underlined] with a RED aldis lamp & will light a T pointing to aerodrome. [circled 3]. If beacon is at the ‘drome the characteristic will be flashed in [underlined] WHITE [/underlined] and NO “T” will be displayed. [circled 4]. Should A/C wish to land, the call sign must be flashed on downward Recco. light.
[underlined] B [/underlined] [underlined] DARKY PROCEDURE [/underlined] [circled 1] The A/C calls, using the ground station R/T call sign & individual letter, [underlined] eg [/underlined] Hellow [sic] Darkey [indecipherable letter] Silvo [indecipherable word] Rodeo calling 3 times. [circled 2]. the station hearing the call replies. Hellow [sic] Silvo [indecipherable word] Rodeo [underlined] twice [/underlined] this is Maram (sic) [underlined] twice [/underlined] standing by [underlined] twice [/underlined]. [circled 3] if A/C only wants its approx position it [underlined] replies [/underlined] “Hello Maram [underlined] twice [/underlined] OK. Switching off [underlined] twice. [/underlined] [circled 4]. If A/C requires further information it replies “Hello Maram” [underlined] twice [/underlined] what is the cloud base? [underlined] twice, [/underlined] or any other details according to circumstances. [circled 5] When urgent need of assistance, say [underlined] ‘M’aidez [/underlined], at the end of [underlined] first [/underlined] Darkey Call.
Navigator’s notes 1942?
[page break]
[circled 6]. When an unknown A/C is in the vicinity it may receive the call “Hello Nemo” three times Answer Darkey according to prevailing circumstances [circled 7]. The station answering “Darkey call” must do so with name of station, not the RT call sign, or must indicate the actual position, if it is an “Observer Corps” post, or “M.F. beacon” site or an “aerial Lighthouse” Site.
[underlined] C [/underlined] [underlined] SEARCHLIGHTS [/underlined]
[circled 1] Circle over searchlight for at least two minutes.
[circled 2] Switch on Navigation and Downward Recognition lights. & five coloured lights of the period.
[circled 3] Navigation & Recco lights may be kept on at the pilots [sic] discretion until preparing to land. [circled 4] The searchlight will be exposed as near the horizontal as possible for a period of 30 [underlined] secs [/underlined] in the direction of the selected airfield. The beam will be elevated to 45° and depressed again 3 times without dousing. It will then be left exposed for [deleted] (a further 30 secs towards the airfield) [/deleted] two minutes or until sound of A/C has died away, or whichever is the longest. [circled 5] It may take up to three minutes for a searchlight to be exposed. [circled 6] Airfield will be indicated to A/C, by means of cones of
[page break]
searchlights where available. [circled 7] Balloon barrages will be defined by searchlights pointing at approx. 70° above the horizontal, all on a similar bearing. [underlined] Aircraft in distress over the sea will [/underlined]
1. Switch on to [indecipherable word] 3 of [underlined] IFF [/underlined] when 100 [deleted] 2. [/deleted] miles from the coast.
2. Fire the colour of the day, switch on recognition & navigation lights when crossing the coast.
3. The above organisation will then come into force without further requests.
[underlined] A [/underlined] Land mark beacons. [circled 1] Circle beacon., flash period letter followed by Q on downward recognition light [circled 2]. Beacon crew will flash the peacetime characteristic of the ‘drome .e.g PENRHOS. [underlined] PEN. [/underlined] with a RED aldis lamp & will light a T pointing to aerodrome. [circled 3]. If beacon is at the ‘drome the characteristic will be flashed in [underlined] WHITE [/underlined] and NO “T” will be displayed. [circled 4]. Should A/C wish to land, the call sign must be flashed on downward Recco. light.
[underlined] B [/underlined] [underlined] DARKY PROCEDURE [/underlined] [circled 1] The A/C calls, using the ground station R/T call sign & individual letter, [underlined] eg [/underlined] Hellow [sic] Darkey [indecipherable letter] Silvo [indecipherable word] Rodeo calling 3 times. [circled 2]. the station hearing the call replies. Hellow [sic] Silvo [indecipherable word] Rodeo [underlined] twice [/underlined] this is Maram (sic) [underlined] twice [/underlined] standing by [underlined] twice [/underlined]. [circled 3] if A/C only wants its approx position it [underlined] replies [/underlined] “Hello Maram [underlined] twice [/underlined] OK. Switching off [underlined] twice. [/underlined] [circled 4]. If A/C requires further information it replies “Hello Maram” [underlined] twice [/underlined] what is the cloud base? [underlined] twice, [/underlined] or any other details according to circumstances. [circled 5] When urgent need of assistance, say [underlined] ‘M’aidez [/underlined], at the end of [underlined] first [/underlined] Darkey Call.
Navigator’s notes 1942?
[page break]
[circled 6]. When an unknown A/C is in the vicinity it may receive the call “Hello Nemo” three times Answer Darkey according to prevailing circumstances [circled 7]. The station answering “Darkey call” must do so with name of station, not the RT call sign, or must indicate the actual position, if it is an “Observer Corps” post, or “M.F. beacon” site or an “aerial Lighthouse” Site.
[underlined] C [/underlined] [underlined] SEARCHLIGHTS [/underlined]
[circled 1] Circle over searchlight for at least two minutes.
[circled 2] Switch on Navigation and Downward Recognition lights. & five coloured lights of the period.
[circled 3] Navigation & Recco lights may be kept on at the pilots [sic] discretion until preparing to land. [circled 4] The searchlight will be exposed as near the horizontal as possible for a period of 30 [underlined] secs [/underlined] in the direction of the selected airfield. The beam will be elevated to 45° and depressed again 3 times without dousing. It will then be left exposed for [deleted] (a further 30 secs towards the airfield) [/deleted] two minutes or until sound of A/C has died away, or whichever is the longest. [circled 5] It may take up to three minutes for a searchlight to be exposed. [circled 6] Airfield will be indicated to A/C, by means of cones of
[page break]
searchlights where available. [circled 7] Balloon barrages will be defined by searchlights pointing at approx. 70° above the horizontal, all on a similar bearing. [underlined] Aircraft in distress over the sea will [/underlined]
1. Switch on to [indecipherable word] 3 of [underlined] IFF [/underlined] when 100 [deleted] 2. [/deleted] miles from the coast.
2. Fire the colour of the day, switch on recognition & navigation lights when crossing the coast.
3. The above organisation will then come into force without further requests.
Collection
Citation
John Mansell, “Action when lost - Navigator's Notes,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed June 16, 2025, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/collections/document/49199.