Posted by John Wilson on August 08, 2004 at 12:31:02 from 202.154.157.203 user hugo.
In Reply to: Re: Wireless masts at Bawdsey posted by Geoff Emerson on August 07, 2004 at 12:17:12:
Bawdsey Manor (previously owned by Sir Cuthbert Quilter) near Felixstowe replaced Orford Ness (twelve miles north?) for Radar research about 1936, as Watson-Watt’s team had outgrown Orford Ness in less than twelve months. The site included Renscombe Farm and St Alban’s Head. Each of the A & B sites had a single 240 foot wooden tower and lesser structures. There was a C site, and a D site on the edge of 200 foot high cliffs. The E site added later had a 360 foot steel transmitter tower.
In 1938 Bawdsey Research Station became AMRE or Air Ministry Research Establishment. In 1940 when Churchill came to power they transferred from the Air Ministry to the new Aircraft Production Ministry and became MAPRE! Rather a mouthful, so (and also for secrecy) became TRE or Telecommunication Research Establishment.
And AMRE had expanded to Worth Maltravers near Swanage, Dorset. Now (1991) it is RSRE - Malvern, the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment.
See re WWII “The Radar Army: Winning the War of the Airwaves” by Reg Batt (1991).
PS: The masts are mentioned in WD, even if they were not there pre-1936!
Re mistakes in chronology, I think that in his AR bibliography Wayne Hammond mentions that AR realised he had made a mistake with the 1929 year in SA, and wanted it changed to 1930. I see that Wayne has not only read the books; for “Oscar Wilde” he has compared the first and second editions line by line to see what was left out after the court case (about Lord Alfred Douglas) and by agreement with Oscar Wilde’s family re his marriage. Also some changes on details of his schooling.