Wireless Equipment, 'Sweetheart' Miniature Receiver Type 31/1, British

RCD receiver Type 31/1. Also known as the ‘Sweetheart’ set, this receiver was parachuted to the ‘Wrestler’ circuit in Occupied France. This circuit was run from May 1944 by SOE courier Pearl Witherington (later Cornioley).

A cardboard box, which has tape along the edges and a label on the top saying’ 'NOT TO BE FLOWN ABOVE 15,000 FEET UNLESS H-METICALLY SEALED'. The letters ‘T’ and ‘E’ are written in black pen to the left of the label. Also a small rectangular box coated in brown rubber. There are wires attached to each side of the block and 'JAN 1944' is printed on. The rubber has thin lines in it and there are two bars of rubber than run down the length of the object. Just to the right of the rubber box is a gold-coloured metal tin with an indented line running around the edge. The inside of the tin has a black wire with black and clear plastic earpieces attached at the end of it. Just above the tin is a long length of grey wire with a crocodile clip on one end and two separate (black and red) plastic coated metal plugs on the end . To the right of the tin is one small and one large grey metal unit. The smaller of the units has three ports for wires plug into and has several gold screws in the side of it. The larger of the units has black metal plate with gold writing on the front and a gold border. There is a window with measurements within it that can be changed by a black plastic dial on the side. There is a similar black plastic dial on the other end of the same edge. There are three wires (grey, yellow and red) wound together and attached to the end of the box with a three-pronged plug on the end. There is a gold plate with the inscription 'No. 10 698' stamped into it.

RCD receiver Type 31/1. Also known as the ‘Sweetheart’ set, this receiver was parachuted to the ‘Wrestler’ circuit in Occupied France. This circuit was run from May 1944 by SOE courier Pearl Witherington (later Cornioley).

This receiver was designed in 1942 by Willy Simonson, an exiled Norwegian, who was employed in the Inter Services Research Bureau. His successful design was manufactured by Hale Electric at a cost of £8 each and 50,000 were manufactured. The Norwegian Government-in-Exile, in England, ordered 5,000 sets and deliveries to the Norwegian Resistance began in 1943. Others were used by SOE and Resistance groups throughout Occupied Europe to receive messages from the BBC. The receiver was small enough to fit into a coat pocket and was designed for low-powered battery operations. The name 'Sweetheart' came from Simonson's affection for an attractive woman who worked on the Type31/1 project.

Operational instructions on receiver.