Chicksands was a Royal Air Force station in Bedfordshire, England (but not an airfield). It is named for Chicksands Priory, a 12th Century Gilbertine monastery now located within the perimeter of the camp. Chicksands is close to the small town of Shefford. The RAF acquired the priory in 1936 and established a signals gathering unit there. During World War II and throughout the Cold War, Chicksands was an important signals gathering station, part of the NATO's signals intelligence (SIGINT) network. Since 1950 it was subleased to the USAF 6940th radio squadron. The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the UK Armed Forces. ... Bedfordshire is a county in England. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... The Gilbertine Order was founded by the English-born Gilbert of Sempringham in the middle of the 12th century. ... Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ... Shefford can mean the following: Shefford, Bedfordshire - town in Bedfordshire, England Shefford County, Quebec - an historic county in Quebec Shefford (electoral district) - a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was by far the bloodiest, most expensive, and most significant war in... For the generic term for a high-tension rivalry between countries, see cold war (war). ... The flag of NATO NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April... SIGINT stands for SIGnals INTelligence, which is intelligence-gathering by interception of signals, whether by radio interception or other means. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Seal of the Air Force. ...

During the 1960s, a huge antenna array was constructed at Chicksands, a type known as the FLR-9, but known colloquially to base staff as the "elephant's cage". This massive array was visible for a considerable distance and was a well-known local landmark. It was dismantled in the 1990s. This array was part of a world-wide network of installations known collectively as "Iron Horse", a system for eavesdropping on HF communications. Each antenna had a range of up to 5000 km. The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... A yagi antenna Most simply, an antenna is an electronic component designed to send or receive radio waves. ... The AN/FLR-9 is a type of very large circular Wullenweber antenna array, built at many locations during the cold war to gather signals for western signals intelligence (SIGINT), . The world-wide network, known collectively as Iron Horse, could eavesdrop on HF communications from almost anywhere on the planet. ... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ... High frequency (HF) radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. ...

In World War II, Chicksands received German Enigma transmissions that were then passed to the cryptanalysts at Bletchley Park. Since 1997 Chicksands has been the home of the Defence Intelligence and Security Centre (DISC), and also a museum of defence intelligence open to the public by prior arrangement. It is the home of the British Army Intelligence Corps. All training for the Int Corps and for RAF Intelligence Officers and Analysts is carried out at Chicksands. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was by far the bloodiest, most expensive, and most significant war in... In the history of cryptography, the Enigma was a portable cipher machine used to encrypt and decrypt secret messages. ... Cryptanalysis (from the Greek kryptós, hidden, and analýein, to loosen or to untie) is the study of methods for obtaining the meaning of encrypted information without access to the secret information which is normally required to do so. ... During World War II, British and American cryptographers at Bletchley Park broke a large number of Axis codes and ciphers, including the German Enigma machine. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Royal Air Force has its own dedicated intelligence branch. ...

External links

• Friends of Chicksands Prioy
• RAF Chicksands, England - USAF Message Board
• grid reference TL124395