Monument record 1169101000 - GRENDON HALL EDGCOTT ROAD

Grendon Hall was used by the Special Operations Executive (the SOE) as its communications centre for the development and cracking of codes and ciphers. It was known as Station 53a, the wireless station had Nissen huts in its grounds and was home to 400 signallers and coders, mostly women belonging to the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. Grendon Hall is now a prison. It's also home to a memorial plaque presented by the Special Forces Club in London in memory of S.O.E.'s agents and the members of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, who worked in secrecy at Grendon Hall (B2).
Grendon Hall was initially used to train SOE agents in wireless communications. After SOE gained control of its wireless networks in 1942, Grendon Hall became its first receiver station, known as Station 52 (also Station 53a) with the signal office in a downstairs room of the house. Later a signal office was constructed in the grounds with 18 operating positions, 4 of which were equipped for automatic sending. The receiving aerials consisted of 8 Rhombics and 4 cage dipoles, later incorporating Wide Band Receiving Amplifiers. The earliest reference to Station 52 was in July 1941 (B7).