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| GHQ Liaison Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1939–1945 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Special reconnaissance unit |
| Role | |
| Garrison/HQ | Pembroke Lodge,Richmond Park |
| Nickname | "Phantom" |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
|
GHQ Liaison Regiment (known asPhantom) was aspecial reconnaissance unit of theBritish Army first formed in 1939 during the early stages ofWorld War II. The regiment's headquarters were at The Richmond Hill Hotel inRichmond, Surrey (now in London); its base (including theofficers' mess andbillet) was atPembroke Lodge, aGeorgian house inRichmond Park,London.[1][2]
It had its origins as theNo 3 British Air Mission in France in 1939. Moving with the Belgian General Staff, its role was to report information about theAllied forward positions from Belgian GHQ to theAdvanced Air Striking Force HQ so as to pinpoint the changing locations of "bomb lines". These were the battle areas not occupied by Allied troops and suitable targets for bombs and shells.[3]
In November 1939, Lieut-ColGeorge 'Hoppy' Hopkinson was sent as a military observer to the No 3 British Air Mission and subsequently changed the method of operations to focus upon greater use of wireless communications and mobility to provide assessment from the front line. 'Phantom', the collective code name for these missions, was chosen by themselves and later became an official term.
After theDunkirk evacuation, the unit was re-formed as No 1 GHQ Reconnaissance Unit. As such, it was intended to have a key intelligence role following any Nazi invasion of Britain.[4] In January 1941, theReconnaissance Corps was established and Phantom was re-named GHQ Liaison Regiment to avoid confusion. Phantom recruited men with various talents, linguists, drivers and mechanics – and undertook rigorous training in wireless communication and cipher.
In January 1944, the Reconnaissance Corps was absorbed into theRoyal Armoured Corps and with it the Phantom GHQ Liaison Regiment. Phantom was disbanded in 1945 and then reborn as the Army Phantom Signals Regiment (Princess Louise's Kensington Regiment) until 1960, when it was clear that technology provided for alternative solutions.
DuringOperation Overlord, in June 1944, many patrols from Phantom came toNormandy on D+1. Their task was to go around day and night to find all the British, Canadian and American units they could, marking their locations on a map, and passing the information to the main HQ.
DuringOperation Market Garden, in September 1944, the only communication between the surrounded airborne troops atArnhem and headquarters was via a Phantom patrol. This included the famous, desperate, message from Major-GeneralRoy Urquhart that "... unless physical contact is made with us early 25 Sept...consider it unlikely we can hold out long enough ..." Two Phantom officers were awarded theMilitary Cross for maintaining these vital communications during the operation. Phantom units also operated withXXX Corps and with General Browning whose HQ was next to the 82nd Airborne HQ inGroesbeek.
Phantom deployed in squadrons in north-west Europe, south-east Europe, North Africa and Italy. Each squadron supported an Army and consisted of a squadron HQ (SHQ) and a number of patrols (one per corps and a further ten further forward of corps). Each patrol consisted of an officer, an NCO and up to nine other ranks. They were typically equipped withNorton motorcycles, Jeeps,Morris 15cwt trucks andWhite M3 A1 Scout cars and carried a 107 Receiver, 52 and 22 sets. The patrols either embedded with other formations or went on special missions from their Army HQs. The patrols' role was to provide collection, passage and dissemination of contemporaneous information on the progress of battle to corps HQ.
ForOperation Overlord, one patrol was assigned to each divisional HQ of I and XXX Corps to land with main divisional HQ. Thus onD-Day, three Patrols (5, 8 and 14) landed with the 3rd British,50th Northumbrian and3rd Canadian Divisions. Some patrols undertook parachute drops with theSpecial Air Service (SAS) to provide communications withSAS Brigade HQ. Later, with Phantom efficiency proven and with US forces under the leadership of the 12th US Army Group, similar arrangements were made for Phantom to provide communications with US corps.
Famous Phantom officers included the actors MajorDavid Niven (who initially commanded A Squadron and who remarked in a letter, "these were wonderful days which I would not have missed for anything"),Tam Williams andWilloughby Gray; the MPs SirJakie Astor, the Hon.Michael Astor,Peter Baker, SirHugh Fraser,Maurice Macmillan (Viscount Macmillan), SirCarol Mather andChristopher Mayhew (Lord Mayhew); Law LordNigel Bridge, Baron Bridge of Harwich.[5][6] The journalist SirPeregrine Worsthorne andMetropolitan Police CommissionerSir Robert Mark.[7] Others, such asMichael Oakeshott andJohn Hislop, excelled in the fields of academe or athletics.[citation needed]
