Introduction
This page is for those bits and pieces that either don't fit exactly into any other section or spread over several or are just curiosities.
RDF or Radar?
To start with there is the background to these two nomenclatures. There are several claimants for the coining of RDF but the one that seems to have the best provenance is to be found in "Britain's Shield RADAR" by David Zimmerman on page 132 - quote:
On 23 August (1935) Wing Commander J.O.Andrews, a staff officer at the Air Ministry, reported to Wimperis (Director of Scientific Research at the Air Ministry) that the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff had requested 'a name for this system of detection which [did] not immediately indicate its method of operation'. Andrews suggested that they use the term 'R.D.F. (a compression of R.D and D/F) to serve as verb, noun or adjective as required.' If Wimperis agreed this term would be used in all further official documents. On 17 September Wimperis concurred with Andrews' recommendation and British radar became known as RDF. This is confirmed by the earliest document which refers to the term. This document is a paper written by Wimperis on 24 September titled 'Notes on proposed methods of plotting information received from R.D.F. stations'.
RDF remained the term used in Britain until Radar, standing for 'Radio Detection and Ranging', the official derivation used by the Americans as their cover for the secret work at the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington with ranging meaning distance and direction measurement, became the generic nomenclature in 1943.
Offcuts & Harmonics
First of all the Marconi Roundel
Marconi experimenting with radio location in 1935
A compendium of Marconi facts and figures
Marconi House in London
Marconi Employees Manual - those were the days
Marconi Centenary 1997
This is the only reference I can find to what should have been a considerable event. There were a considerable number of events in 2001 to celebrate the first wireless transmission across the Atlantic.
Baddow" - still leading Story 1 Story 2
The Beginning of someone else's History
Pre-History!
Ian's selection of acoustic detectors
MRSL Mementoes
GEC History 1
GEC Archives
GEC Computers
RADAR EQUIPMENT - SITES & SPECIFICATIONS - references to Rotor
Diversions of a radio telescope
Marconi Conference Centre
The Marconi Society
RAF Yatesbury Association, RAF Yatesbury and RAF Locking - many MOGS and others have "fond" memories of these two establishments
Royal Air Force Museum
The Radar War
Informal Radar Conference 1946
London Airport - a COI film - includes some very early radar footage
Live ATC - an eye-opener
CH Radar
This is a blog consisting mainly of critiques of books about radar by various authors with
some fascinating comments
The other side of the story 1, 2
The National Valve Museum
Another private venture recording electronic history
The Virtual Valve Museum
A fascinating article referencing a variety of electronic warfare systems
Alexandra Palace at War
A definite oddity - Bruce Neale was involved (followup on /BTNeale2.htm and /BTNeale3.htm)
Daventry Anniversary
Another version of the story
A rather quaint overview of wartime radar published in Flight magazine in June 1945
A comprehensive overview of WW2 radar production published in Wireless World in October 1945 (starts page 290)
RAF Air Defence Radar Museum - a photographic essay describing a visit to the museum at Neatishead in June 2016 by Nick Pinnock.
RAF Neatishead - a documentary film from c.1985 about the first female CO, Gp Capt Joan Hopkins.
Online Air Defence Radar Museum
A Computer Curiosity
Radar Basics - an interesting if somewhat skewed educational site
Inforapid Knowledge Portal - a very idiosyncratic compendium
List of WWII electronic warfare equipment
A German Compendium - includes some interesting insights and Freya and Wurzburg radars
Another German Compendium related to D-Day
An interesting insight into early radar problems
Early Radar memories
An erstwhile competitor's story: The Decca Legacy
An interesting item about early offshoots of radar
An interesting snippet about the Pourville raid, an equally critical event as the more well-known earlier Bruneval raid
This is an equally interesting story about the people who operated radars in WW2 and the conditions under which they worked in all theatres of the war
Two advertisements for Marconi Wireless Telegraph radar equipment and featuring "The Hand of Marconi" (Link 1 and Link 2), found by Steve Bousfield in Grace's Guide.
Radar on the silver screen
At the end of the Second World War, the Air Ministry was eager to publicise the discovery of a technology that played a crucial role in assisting British forces in defending the nation against German attack: radar. A young private in the army's cinema unit, Peter Ustinov, was attached to the RAF in order to write the script and direct the film, the first of what turned out to be a substantial collection. The film was 'School for Secrets'
Pathe have released a catalogue of films including this.
A piece from a documentary.
Pictures - general interest
A news story about Bentley Priory
Air Traffic Control
A number of tracking websites now give anyone with a computer and an internet connection a view of controlled airspace that many air traffic controllers as late as the 1980s would have dearly wished. Here is a selection of interesting tracking and information sites for the interested traveller:
The London Heathrow Terminal Control Area
Casper Flights
Flight Radar 24
Radar Virtuel
Localiza Todo (includes ships!)
Flight Aware
Flight Stats (includes airport, airline etc. statistics)
Airport Codes (translates airport ICAO, IATA codes, eg. EGKK, LGW)
People
Figures in the story of radar other than those connected with Marconi in particular those comprising the original 1930s pioneers.
ACM Hugh Dowding Two items related to his WW2 HQ - Bentley Priory 1. 2.
Harry Wimperis
A P Rowe
Henry Tizard
Arnold "Skip" Wilkins
For the definitive exposition of the radar story see "The Birth of British Radar" joint-edited by our own Colin Latham especially the revised second edition
Edward "Taffy" Bowen
"Bill" Penley - a paper written by him, his obituary circa 2017 and a reminiscence
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