4th June 2003 - Paul Taylor
Whitehall to Portsmouth
Paul Taylor (left) gave a very interesting presentation with numerous slides of past and present Signal Towers. He further developed the two main techniques employed starting with the French shutter method.
It did not take the British Admiralty long to see the value of the French communication technology and set about building one of its own. The system, which it adopted, was an apparatus consisted of a rigid vertical framework, on which was pivoted six rectangular shutters, which could be rotated independently about a horizontal axis. They were arranged in three pairs, one above the other, giving the appearance of the dots on the ‘six’ face of a dice. When the shutter was vertical, it could be seen at a distant station, but if the operator pulled a rope it could move to the horizontal position, in which it became invisible. 63 combinations were available.
Needless to say once he, Napoleon had been sent into exile following the signing of the Peace of Paris on 30th May 1814 this modern system of the day was disbanded as an expensive and unwanted means of communication, it seems that politicians never learn.
Hence when Napoleon returned to power and became yet another threat a new system had to be invented and established with many buildings needing construction and staff trained, although the Royal Navy provide the bulk of manpower. This new system of semaphore arms was devised by Sir Home Riggs Popham (bio of Sir Popham below) in 1816 and a series of Admiralty Semaphore towers, some of which still remain at Cooper's Hill, Chatley Heath and Pewley Hill were used between London and Portsmouth during 1822-1847.
The Popham semaphore consisted of two arms on a thirty-foot cylindrical wooden tower. The arms were pivoted 12 ft up and at the top, each arm being 8 ft long and 15" wide. Each arm could take up six positions, enabling in all 48 separate signals to be made.
As well as the optical mechanism Popham had a series of numeric codes relating to both semaphore and Naval flags this allowed a truncation to reduce the time of message delivery.
Paul expanded this aspect with the following, there has been a long held belief that Nelsons famous signal at Trafalgar: - 'England Expects that Every Man will do his Duty' was first intended to read: - 'Nelson Confides that...etc' in the morning of 21st October 1805, as the British fleet was sailing into action against the Combined Fleets of France and Spain. The flagship, HMS Victory, hoisted a nine-word signal. Although by far the most famous in naval history, the misquotation started immediately.
It is well known that Nelson first intended to signal the more trusting word 'confides' (has confidence) than the mandatory 'expects'. Paul explained that due to the code that certain words in the original version would have required too many flags and the messages were thus abbreviated. This was also the Popham code mentioned above where a numeric code indicated a word or phrase identical to a naval flag used in the data transmission of signal towers.
It is also of interest that a de-facto standard was used to truncate well known and used words, currently similar to the current text messaging using mobile phones.
Chatley Heath Semaphore Tower (shown left) is the best-preserved part of a chain of signalling stations to enable Whitehall to communicate with Portsmouth. Paul used Chately Heath as his focal point and took us step by step through its use and decline, via a house of residence once the manual method had been superseded by electrical methods of the Morse code etc and the subsequent destruction of the interior by fire after the building was considered unfit for human habitation. The tower stood in poor condition and deteriorated somewhat until the Surrey County Council who obtained sufficient grants to purchase the site and refurbished the tower to the condition as seen in the picture.
It is worth noting at this stage that here is a small museum (restricted opening times) but be prepared for a muddy walk if you visit in wet weather.
Paul continued his excellent lecture showing many slides of the different type of "tower" which in certain locations were only single story "bungalows" of two types A and B, giving from his research how the staff, consisting of the Lieutenant and his family plus only one sailor, (it was helpful if the Lieutenant had a large family!). Kept a long telescope watch during daylight hours of messages coming from both directions, the method of observation being every 5 minutes using a crude time method based upon the sand hour glass calibrated to empty every 5 minutes. The speed of response from Whitehall to Portsmouth was established as 32 seconds on a one signal used to calibrate chronometers, whereas a message could take on average 35 minutes, this was far superior than the previous post haste rider on horseback.
A diagram showing that it was not necessary to have all the towers on a high hill was interesting, the means of observation tended to be from low down looking upwards via a telescope to see the signal arm against the sky background, rather than most of us thought looking along a plane parallel to the ground.
A further interesting note Paul showed many examples of redundant Towers which had been converted to Public Houses and rather nice houses etc, perhaps the best location well known to the membership was the Hogs Back Hotel (left), which once you understand the types of construction of towers it is obvious that this was the centre of the original Hotel, of course much extended and modernised.
Paul concluded his talk by answering a multitude of questions, which indicated the interest of the membership. One was what happens if the visibility was so poor, due to fog or indeed atmospheric pollution; the signal could not be seen. He told the amusing backup system, which entailed a rider galloping from Whitehall to the next tower, and if this was not clear galloping onwards to the next until the horse was exhausted and the rider and horse retired gracefully homewards perhaps via a welcoming hostelry!
After a vote of thanks the membership joined in a very hearty applause for a most interesting and well-presented talk, thankyou Paul.
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POPHAM, SIR HOME RIGGS (1762-1820), British admiral was the son of Stephen Popham, a British consul, and was his mother's twenty-first child. He entered the navy in 1778 and served with the flag of Rodney till the end of the war. In 1783 he was promoted lieutenant, and was for a time engaged on survey service on the coast of Africa. Between 1787 and 1793 he was engaged in a curious series of adventures of a commercial nature in the Eastern Sea, sailing first for the Imperial Company, and then in a vessel which he purchased. During this time he took several surveys and rendered some services to the East India Company, which were officially acknowledged; but in 1793 his ship was seized, party on the ground that he was carrying contraband and partly because he was infringing the East India Company's monopoly, this loss was put at £70,000, and he was entangled in litigation.
In 1805 he obtained compensation to the amount of £25,000. The case was a hard one, for he was undoubtedly sailing with the knowledge of officials in India. While this dispute was going on Popham had resumed his career as a naval officer. He served with the army under the Duke of York in Flanders as 'superintendent of Inland Navigation' and won his confidence. The protection of the duke was exercised with so much effect that Popham was promoted commander in 1794 and post captain in 1795. He was now engaged for years in co-operating in a naval capacity with the troops of Great Britain and her allies. In the Red Sea he was engaged in transporting the Indian troops employed in the expulsion of the French from Egypt. His bills for the repair of his ship at Calcutta were made the excuse for an attack on him and for charging him with the amount. It was just the time of the general reform of the dockyards, and there was much suspicion in the air. It was also the case that St Vincent did not like Popham, and that Benjamin Tucker (1762-1829), secretary to the admiralty, who had been the admiral's secretary, was his creature and sycophant. Popham was not the man to be snuffed out without an effort. He brought his case before Parliament, and was able to prove that there had been, if not deliberate dishonesty, at least the very grosses carelessness on the part of his assailants.
In 1806 he co-operated with Sir David Baird in the occupation of the Cape. He then persuaded the authorities that, as the Spanish Colonies were discontented, it would be easy to promote a rising in Buenos Ayres. The attempt was made with Popham's squadron and 1400 soldiers; but the Spanish colonists, though discontented, were not disposed to accept British help, which would in all probability have been made an excuse for establishing dominion. They rose on the soldiers who landed, and took them prisoners. Popham was recalled, and censured by a court martial for leaving his station; but the City of London presented him with a sword of honour for his endeavours to "open new markets," and the sentence did him no harm. He held other commands in connexion with the movements of troops, was promoted rear admiral in 1814, and made K.C.B. in 1815. He died at Cheltenham on the 20th of September 1820, leaving a large family. Popham was one of the most scientific seamen of his time. He did much useful, survey work, and was the author of the code of signals adopted by the admiralty in 1803 and used for many years.
