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Introduction

The involvement of Marconi in radar activities passed through several major stages of evolution. Prior to and during the whole of WW2 various parts of the research and manufacturing components of the Company provided services and equipment to government agencies and the armed services. Postwar these services were gathered together under the wing of the Service Equipment Division, which morphed into the separate Radar Division. Following a major parent group reorganisation a fully-fledged trading company Marconi Radar Systems Ltd came into being, which in fact comprised virtually all of the individual companies responsible for radar development in the UK from its inception prior to WWII. This lasted until the Marconi Company as a whole fell victim to a series of mergers and makeovers until the name itself finally disappeared.

Early Days               Services Equipment Division             Radar Division               Marconi Radar Systems Limited

A very significant jump in operations occurred in the later days of Services Equipment Division and early days of Radar Division and therefore has its own entry here.  

The following sequence of names is currently thought to be the succession after MRSL but needs confirmation: 

Marconi Defence Systems        

Marconi Radar and Control Systems    

GEC-Marconi Radar and Defence Systems    

Alenia Marconi Systems

A little more explanation:

In the 1980’s the Marconi Frimley site was the headquarters of Marconi Space and Defence Systems. It had earlier been 
Elliot Brothers but the name eventually changed to MSDS as a result of GEC taking over and forming the GEC Marconi group 
(which also included Marconi Radar and Marconi Communications in Chelmsford). Later in the decade the Frimley company 
name changed to Marconi Command and Control Systems to better reflect the nature of their business as the radar business 
was focused at Chelmsford. At the same time Stanmore became the headquarters for Marconi Defence Systems. Following 
further changes Marconi Radar Systems became the Radar Division of a new group, Marconi Radar and Control Systems 
(MRCS), Frimley and Leicester becoming the Command and Control Systems divisions, thus Marconi Command and Control 
Systems ceased as a distinct business entity. All the businesses carried on under new management, with even more 
titles- e.g GEC-Marconi Radar and Defence Systems - for several more years until GEC and GEC-Marconi were themselves 
broken up.

General GEC organisation 1969

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