Preface by Don Halstead

What follows is a composite of information from a number of sources available on the web, but by no means all of them. There is nothing novel here, but I thought it worth collating and publishing anyway.

Biographical Notes

Basil Neil MacLarty was born 30 November 1899.

From 'Institution Notes' [presumably the IEE], circa early '65':

"Mr B N MacLarty, OBE, MIEE Engineering Consultant to the Marconi Company, who has been closely associated with many of the major developments in broadcasting for the past 43 years, retired this year from the Company
He first joined the Company in 1921. He was one of the team of Marconi engineers who constructed [the] 2MT station at Writtle, near Chelmsford, which was opened in 1922 and provided the first regular broadcasting service in Great Britain. [As I understand it, the transmitter had to be reconstructed each week, due to its elements being required for development work the rest of the time.]
In 1926 he joined the BBC Research Department and he was with the BBC for 21 years during which period he was responsible for the design and construction of a large number of the BBC transmitting stations including the design of the Daventry 100 kilowatt transmitters, the first high-power overseas short-wave broadcasting station.
In 1935 and 1936 he directed the design and installation of the world's first television studio and transmitting centre at Alexandra Palace. [He retained considerable interest in such matters, asking pointed questions at an IEE presentation by the BBC on design aspects of the White City Television Centre.]
In recognition of his services to British Broadcasting, Mr MacLarty was created an OBE in the Coronation Honours List of 1937."

He served of course under Sir John Reith, Director General of the BBC in both its forms from 1922 to 1938. One wonders if any of Reith's characteristics influenced MacLarty?

Circa September 1939 MacLarty and family were listed in the England and Wales [Wartime] Register as resident at Hill End House, Salwarpe,
Salwarpe is a small village less than two miles south west of Droitwich, close to the well known BBC transmitter station. MacLarty was there at that time because the Station Design and Installation Department (S.D.I.D.) which he headed had been evacuated from London and housed in emergency accommodation erected on the transmitter site. On the outbreak of war only one programme was broadcast, the Home Service, with just two groups of synchronised transmitters across the UK to avoid providing enemy aircraft with navigational information. Shortly afterwards the Forces Programme came into being.
This must have been a very busy time for MacLarty and Co, given the introduction of many low power 'filler' transmitters, many temporary studios such as Bedford and Bangor, and much use of existing and new BBC transmitters for overseas and special purpose broadcasting, even using Ally Pally to interfere with enemy navigation and communication. See some further details here. It is reported elsewhere that towards the end of WW2 the BBC were using upwards of 30,000 miles of GPO landlines to make it all happen!

MacLarty rejoined [the] Marconi Company [MWT] in 1947 and was their Engineer-in-Chief from 1954. For the last two years [presumably to the end of 1964, when he would have celebrated his 65th birthday] he held the position of Engineer Consultant to the Company."

He died in July 1973 aged 73.