Phantom at War : The British Army's Secret Intelligence and Communication Regiment of WWII

This is the story of perhaps one of the British Army’s least known regiments of World War Two – The General Headquarters Liaison Regiment, code-named Phantom.

Every commander in the field or at rear headquarters needs to have up to the minute information on the progress of the battle to enable him to plan his strategy. Communication, or lack of it, can sometimes decide the outcome.

One man had the foresight and inspirational thinking to realize this. Lieutenant-Colonel George Frederick Hopkinson served in France and Belgium in 1939/40 with the British Expeditionary Force until he was evacuated from Dunkirk. His experiences convinced him of the need for a special communication service. Immediately on his return to England, Hopkinson wasted no time in presenting his ideas to the War Office and the Ministry of Defense, and, with their approval, the General Headquarters Liaison Regiment, Phantom, was born.

Phantom was to serve in many theatres of World War Two, in Greece, North Africa, Italy and the Mediterranean, and its role was to be of paramount importance in the liberation of Europe. When General Urquart was trapped at Arnhem in September 1944, it was the Phantom radio patrol serving with him that provided the only radio link to the outside world. This elite regiment worked with all the Allied forces and a special Phantom squadron served with the SAS behind enemy lines.

This book is about the men of Phantom and the memories of some of those who served in this elite regiment, both officers and other ranks. Some of the reminiscences are funny, some are sad, but hopefully the readers will enjoy reading the stories as much as the writers did writing them. Many of those who served with Phantom went on to achieve distinction in public life after the war.