Llantilio Crossenny Church Suboutstation

The altar at St Teilo's Church at Llantilio Crossenny is said to have been the hiding place for the wireless and the lightning conductor up the spire was used for, or to support the aerial.

According to the late George Vater a loose stone in the churchyard wall at St. David's Church, Llanddewi Rhydderch was a drop-off point for messages to and from the Operator Rev. Vincent Evans. At Llanarth it was behind a loose board on a door on the barn or garage opposite the Vicarage. 

He also recalled receiving messages at his home at Coed Morgan to take to Rev. Sluman. "They came in a split tennis ball hidden in a Yew tree. I never met Sluman face to face. The nearest I got to him was when I pushed the bell in the porch to let him know there was a message hidden behind a rafter". He remembered 8 people involved; 3 Vicars, a Doctor, [as yet unknown], an engineer, a carpenter, a gardener and a farm worker.

Asked to choose a location for a local "H.Q" he located a barn, surrounded by a cattle shed wall about 5 feet high, which was approachable from at least 5 different roads and at least one field away from any one road. It was at a high elevation and due to the road links no more than 2 men had to follow the same route to the site.

He also recalled; "There was a massive American camp nearby that was shrouded in secrecy. One day Cecil Gower Rees decided to take a more direct approach to intelligence gathering. He dressed up as what the Americans would see as the very image of an eccentric British vicar. Then he turned up at the camp asking to meet the commanding officer. He looked so ridiculous he got his audience. The American CO asked what he could do for him. 'I'd like to invite your men to my Sunday service' said Gower Rees. The American smiled condescendingly and replied 'Oh really. You would like to invite my men to your little church?' When Gower Rees replied he would, the Commander smiled and said 'Well it had better be a big goddamn church, vicar because do you know how many men I have under my command here?'. When the vicar replied that he did not, the American proudly listed the size of every unit, which state it had come from and what it was going to do to Hitler's Germany. At the end of that month 'Tommy Atkins' was absolutely delighted with our intelligence gathering".

The church is in direct line of sight with the Blorenge Zero Station so could likely have communicated direct. However it does not feature on the Jones map compiled in June 1944. This would mean it was either a sub-outstation or had been closed down by that time.

George Vater thought that messages were also passed to Western Command H.Q in a cellar in the Abergavenny town centre.

George was recruited by "Tommy Atkin" who was actually IO John Todd. He was made to swear the Official Secrets Act with his hand on Todd's own pocket bible. He was given a map and an amount to edible paper which George recalled tasted of gum. They were told to learn the colours and insignias of German units and where they were based. By day the observations were made and the messages delivered at night. They were tested as to how quickly they could move around the countryside, rarely using roads and often in pitch darkness. Their exercises meant the reporting of all troops in their area. Initially the British and allies and later the Americans, watching their movements and locations. When they were on duty at night they would have looked out for paratroopers who could have been dropped in the area. Later in 1942 'Tommy Atkins' gave them petrol coupons so they could travel around by car and a ID card with a phone number to call in case they were stopped.