The spy center can be found close by
at the unassuming location of Irton Moor . Back bench MP's in
successive governments have failed gloriously in trying to find out
precisely what goes on at this base, which MI5/6 operatives refer
to as simply "Scarborough". On OS maps it is shown in full detail
and is labeled with the rather romantic title of "Wireless
Station". It dates back to the very early pre-WWII days of GCHQ,
when it was known as the Government Codes and Ciphers School
(GC&CS). Irton Moor is sometimes referred to as a Composite
Signals Organisation (CSO) station. Irton Moor spy base opened in
1943 on the site of the old Scarborough Racecourse (The races were
first held in 1758, and were continued yearly till 1789, when,
owing to some dissatisfaction or disagreement, they were
discontinued ). It replaced an earlier naval wireless station at
nearby Sandybed Lane in Falsgrave, which is where St. Augustine's
Roman Catholic School is now sited. In 1941, the Sandybed station
intercepted secret signals between the German battleship The
Bismarck and its HQ in Berlin. This enabled its position to be
calculated and British forces then attacked. Prime Minister Winston
Churchill sent a personal message of thanks to the Sandybed staff
for their efforts that contributed so greatly towards sinking The
Bismarck. In the 1980s and 1990s, GCHQ Irton Moor was upgraded
significantly and now has a new hardened underground bunker on the
base's north east side.