Jack Moseley, G2CIW, 5 November 2018

Jack Moseley, G2CIW, passed away at the Gloucester Royal Hospital on the 5th Novemebr 2018, just six days short of his 95th birthday.

I first met Jack in 1948 when we were both living in Kent and although our working lives took us in different directions we had many excellent contacts during the years that followed.

Jack Moseley, G2CIW (SK)

Jack was born on 11 November 1923 and at the age of 14 began his working life in his father’s bike shop. His interest in radio began after reading Practical Wireless and he went on to build a receiver that started him on the road to amateur radio. He first began to copy DX commercial broadcast stations but it was the amateur signals that really excited his interest. He soon met local amateurs, taught himself Morse code and went on to build all his own equipment.

In early 1939 he obtained his amateur licence, 2CIW. His shack was in the garden shed. His amateur activities were cut short in September, 1939 on the outbreak of WWII, when his transmitter was confiscated – but his skill with Morse code, which included the teaching of Air Cadets, had been noted. He was approached by the authorities with a view to his joining the Radio Security Service (RSS) and becoming a Voluntary Interceptor (VI). He readily accepted the job and, after signing the Official Secrets Act would, when not working in the bike shop or on ARP duty, sit in his shack listening for German signals. Those evening and night time activities attracted the attention of neighbours who reported Jack to the local police. This was a common problem amongst the VIs, fortunately the police were aware that VIs were not enemy spies.

It soon became clear to the authorities that it was necessary to have full time RSS stations to copy the enemy signals and in 1941/42 Hanslope Park in Buckinghamshire became the first such station. Jack joined Hanslope Park in February 1942 where he met many other VIs including my father Bill Windle, G8VG.

In 1943 Jack was sent to Gibraltar, a highly secure military base, where, toward the end of the war, he and a friend operated on the bands using the call EA7AB.

Shortly after his return to Hanslope in August 1945, where Betty had been working preparing Rockex encryption key tapes, she and Jack met at a dance. They were married on 12th April 1947 at Fenny Stratford, near Bletchley.

In the 1950s Jack worked in Tangier, where his daughter was born in 1952. Jack then had regular morning contacts with fellow Voluntary Interceptor Maurice Handcocks, G5HN, and asked Maurice to phone his and Betty’s parents with news of the birth.

Jack was FOC member No 34 from 1955 to 2007 and for his last few years he lived, like many of us, in an apartment where his radio activity was severely limited – but he still managed to put a signal on the bands using a stealth antenna. His last entry in his log was 17th June 2018.

Jack was appointed to the rank of Chevalier in the Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur (the highest French order of merit for military and civil merits) by decree of 18 June 2018, recognising his “engagement and steadfast involvement in SIGINT activities during the Second World War … responsible for saving countless Allied lives and played a key role in the Liberation of France … we must never forget the heroes like you … we owe our freedom and security to your dedication”.

RIP Jack, you will be greatly missed.

Tribute by Peter Windle, G8VG

Addendum

French General Poincignon (L) presents award to G2CIW’s son David at his father’s funeral

Jack’s funeral took place in Gloucester on 5 November 2018, attended by a representative from the French Embassy and General Poincignon, who presented Jack’s son David with the award. Davit informed us, via Peter, G8VG, that the award was symbolic, in the sense that Jack received it on behalf of the Radio Security Service operators of his generation.

Category: Silent Keys