Introduction

The essence of the Marconi approach was centred on its people starting with Guglielmo Marconi himself and the staff he gathered round him. To be known as a "Marconi man or woman" was to be acknowledged as belonging to a rather special organisation. The following quotes illustrate this:

A research engineer, walking in the soft sunshine on the little lawn beside Marconi College, and looking back over the feverish [war] years now closed was trying to explain this thing [the manner of tackling the scale of scientific and manufacturing work undertaken by the company]. He paused, considered for a moment and then said, as one who states an objective scientific fact: "It is, I think that the Marconi Company has a soul"

Marconi 1939-1945 A War Record

When you join the Marconi Company you are joining an organisation with a history of truly great achievements. From its earliest days the inventiveness and enterprise of its engineers and the remarkable loyalty of all those who have worked for it have built up a proud tradition which is recognised throughout the world. These qualities are required today as much as before and I am confident you will play your part in maintaining this high standard.

This small book [a new staff handbook] sets out many of the advantages and obligations of membership of the Marconi Company, together with some of the rules which are made so that the organisation can function smoothly and efficiently. I hope that it will be helpful to all staff and that it will also make it easier and quicker for newcomers to feel themselves to be full and useful members of the Company.

(signed) F N Sutherland, CBE, MA, MIEE

Deputy Chairman and Managing Director

September 1963

Autobiographies/Biographies/Tributes/Obituaries

Generations of families, many of whom passed through apprentice training, and service personnel who joined in the post-war period all contributed to this reputation in their various ways. These biographies are a collection of career histories, stories, reminiscences, and thoughts related to individuals who have been connected with one or more of the several manifestations of Marconi interests in radar over the past seventy years.

For those who are no longer with us, where possible information has been drawn from personal memories and published records. If you see a name and you have some knowledge of that person, or you have knowledge of a person not yet on the list,  please contact the team to pass it on. If you are a MOG you can do this, and of course also add your own entry, by posting a message or putting a entry in the Short Bios files area on the MOGS forum; if not then add a comment to an appropriate page. 

There are also the more formal staff lists showing the posts and functions and who occupied them.

Memories of D-Day, VE-Day and WWII

The 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019 triggered wartime recollections by former employees of Marconi Radar. Inevitably the passage of time has ensured that most were mere children in 1945. Nevertheless the intervening 80-odd years has not dimmed the memories of this fateful era, which are collected here for D-Day and here for VE-Day.

Other Significant Names

These are people who were not involved in the radar companies directly but who played an indirect but influential part in developments within Marconi.

C S Franklin and H J Round - Marconi's original staff

T L Eckersley - Marconi's original staff

Sir Neil Sutherland - Managing Director, Marconi

Sir Robert Telford - Managing Director, Marconi

David Speake - Head of Baddow Laboratories

R G Hulse - Principal of Marconi College

MOGS Members

MOGS is an active forum so please keep yourself up-to-date as you are sure to stir many personal memories if you read the posted messages and send your own in reply, and check/amend your bio above as you feel necessary.

Also see the general list here on the Family wiki.

In Memoriam - Photographs

Marconi Veterans Association

LinkedIn - this is a professional network that has a couple of groups that are of interest - see Everything Radar and Ex Marconi Chelmsford

Apprentices

There are many references to apprentices and their doings on the MOGS forum so the intention was to gather this information together for the History. However, the wiki Marconi Old FellowS (MOFS) was created by ex-apprentice David Samways to provide an apprentice-orientated mine of information which covers all the major Marconi product divisions. David went on to apply his disciplined and professional approach to the creation and maintenance of further wikis to cover these divisions. Sadly David died in late December 2017; there is a tribute page in the Communications wiki recording the appreciation of those who worked with him.

Field Services

When any major installation or piece of equipment was purchased it was quite likely that in addition support services were also required and these would be supplied by the Field Services division. This was a particular feature of the Marconi approach, rightly regarded as a significant activity, and the staff were the very public face of the Company for the customer. They talked to people, identifying problems and connecting them with those with solutions to those problems and documenting it all in an accurate and professional manner. Their working life involved much travel coupled with residence in many parts of the world so was the source of many interesting tales. Some of these are recorded here. The Division was the final stage in the Turnkey capability of Marconi Radar - we took on everything from concept to realisation including civil works and delivered - ultimately - a system to meet the customers' needs.

Technical Information Department - TID

In the early days of the New Street organisation Technical Information Department - TID  - was part of Central Division and was responsible for Maintenance and Repair handbooks for the complete range of all equipments manufactured by the Marconi Company. In those days fault diagnosis and repair was carried out down to individual component level and this in turn required a very large number of detailed diagrams and illustrations which were hand-produced in the TID Drawing Office using high levels of craft skills with consequent manpower requirements which at its peak involved in excess of 100 staff at Baddow , New Street, Waterhouse Lane, Writtle and other sites, and also included sub-contract labour both on and off site. However, with the advent of digital technology automatic fault diagnostics became possible, and CAD drawing methods led to a considerable reduction in manpower requirements and a system using  sophisticated photographic equipment was set up to produce material for company  presentations for sales  and advertising purposes.

Staff Lists

These show the staff organisation and functions at various stages of the radar workforces as they evolved, some in more detail than others. There are complete lists available in the archives and we are working our way through them but as they are in typescript it is taking some time to scan and format them to put on-line.

Tentative list of Divisional and Managing Directors

Picture Gallery

Ian's sepia mugshots - familiar faces from our younger days.

A selection of "people and places pics" some of which need identification - if you can help please do.

People

Development Staff 1939 ?

Early Baddow Staff

Four well known figures - Len Whitaker, Ben Starksfield, Roger Shipway, Roy Simons

Three erstwhile Erks

The Myriad Team

Management changes 1

Management changes 2

"Off abroad to build up the order book" - John Crispin, Bunny Austin, Alan Matthews and Bob Holloway.

Radar Division Reorganisation April 1963 (MCATP)

Retired Design Office & Other Management "Networking" Meeting

This video from Steve Bousfield is very nostalgic as it's all about people in Eastwood House just after the formation of Alenia Marconi. It was made as a practice exercise.