Telecommunications Research Establishment

Huts of the TRE, Malvern, winter 1942-3

Radar research memorial atSt Aldhelm's Headnear Worth Matravers, unveiled by Sir Bernard Lovell

TheTelecommunications Research Establishment(TRE) was the mainUnited Kingdomresearch and development organisation forradio navigation,radar,infra-red detectionfor heat seeking missiles, and related work for theRoyal Air Force(RAF) duringWorld War IIand the years that followed. It was regarded as "the most brilliant and successful of the English wartime research establishments" under "Rowe, who saw more of the English scientific choices between 1935 and 1945 than any single man."

The name was changed toRadar Research Establishmentin 1953, and again to the Royal Radar Establishment in 1957. This article covers the precursor organizations and the Telecommunications Research Establishment up to the time of the name change. The later work at the site is described in the separate article aboutRRE.

History

TRE is best known for work on defensive and offensive radar. TRE also made substantial contributions to radio-navigation and to jamming enemy radio-navigation. Radar dominates the history.

The organization was originally at Bawdsey, later moving to Dundee and then Worth Matravers ('Swanage'), where it was renamed TRE. It subsequently moved toMalvernand then amalgamated with other establishments to become theRoyal Radar Establishment.

Bawdsey

The development of radar in the United Kingdom was started by SirHenry Tizard'sCommitteefor the Scientific Survey of Air Defence in 1935. Experimental work was begun under the direction ofRobert Watson-WattatOrfordnessnearIpswich.Looking for a suitable permanent location, one of the team members recalled an empty manor house a short distance south of Orfordness and the location becameBawdsey Research Station(BRS) in 1936. At that time the team became known as theAir Ministry Experimental Station(AMES).

Dundee

Bawdsey was only a shortE-boatdash across the North Sea from the Netherlands, a fact that was not lost on theAir Ministry.Watson-Watt planned to move the teams to a safer location in the event of war, and approached the rector of his alma mater,University College at Dundee.It is not clear whose fault it was, but when the war opened in 1939 the AMES teams rushed to Dundee they found the rector was only dimly aware of the earlier conversation and nothing had been prepared. By this time the students had returned for the autumn term and consequently there was little room for the researchers.

In addition to lacking room at the University, the teams working onaircraft interception (AI) radarwere sent toRAF Scone,a small, formerly civilian airfield nearPerththat was entirely unsuited to the scale of their work. Complaints by one of the AI team members worked their way up to higher levels of the Ministry, which led to a search for a more suitable location. Late in the year, the AI team was moved toRAF St AthaninWales,but ultimately found the location to be only marginally better than Perth.

The "Army Cell" that had formed to take advantage of the AMES research initially followed their moves. In 1941 they moved to join their colleagues of theAir Defence Experimental Establishmentwho had recently moved fromRAF Biggin HilltoChristchurch, Dorseton the south coast of England. The merged group became theAir Defence Research and Development Establishment(ADRDE).

Worth Matravers

By the early part of 1940 it was clear that the location in Dundee was not going to work in the long term. A new location was ultimately selected west ofWorth Matraverson the south coast of England, a short distance from the ADRDE teams. The location had a number of advantages, including good views over the English Channel not unlike the ones they had at Bawdsey. However, there was also no infrastructure at the site, which had to be hurriedly prepared. As there was no real village at the site, the location is often referred to asSwanage,a small town a short distance to the east.

The move took place in late May 1940, and further annoyance was created when the careful planning for the move was upset with the AI team arrived first. On arrival, what was AMES was renamed again as the Ministry of Aircraft Production Research Establishment (MAPRE). It was established as the central research group forRAFapplications ofradar.The name was once again changed to the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) in November 1940.

Malvern

In parallel with these technical developments, theMinistry of Home Securitydeveloped a plan, early in 1939, "to evacuate the critical functions of government out of London" if a threat of air raids developed. A site was purchased inMalvernfor the Ministry itself. Although it was not developed, the location had become well known to defence officials.The Air Ministry acquired jurisdiction, and used the site for a Signals Training Establishment, housed in prefabricated one storey buildings. In May 1942, the Radar Research and Development Establishment (RRDE) was set up on the site, to develop truck mounted early warning radars.

In the second week of February 1942, the German battleshipsScharnhorstandGneisenauescaped from Brest in theChannel Dash.They were undetected until well into the English Channel because German ground forces had gradually increased the jamming of British radar over a period of weeks. The British command had not realized this was happening.

In the aftermath,Lord MountbattenandWinston Churchillapproved plans for a raid on the German radar station atBruneval,nearLe Havre.The landing party included D. H. Priest, of TRE. The Bruneval raid (code-namedOperation Biting) captured a GermanWürzburg radarsystem and a radar operator. These were taken to TRE. During the weeks that followed, the British authorities became concerned that the Germans would retaliate in kind. When intelligence reported the arrival of a German paratroop battalion across the Channel in May, the staff of TRE pulled out of the Swanage site in a period of hours.

The former Telecommunications Research Establishment moved toMalvern,taking up residence in the buildings ofMalvern College,an independent boys' boarding school. The move, which was carried out in great urgency, is described in detail byReginald Jonesin his bookMost Secret War: British Scientific Intelligence 1939-1945.

At the end of the war TRE moved from Malvern College, to HMSDuke,aRoyal Navytraining school,about a mile away in St. Andrews Road adjacent to the area ofBarnards Green.

Research and development

Radio navigation

Radio navigation(navigational beam) systems are based on the transmission of pulsed radio beams that are detected by aircraft. R. J. Dippy devised theGEE(also calledAMES Type 7000) radio navigation system at TRE, where it was developed into a powerful instrument for increasing the accuracy of bombing raids.

Radio jamming

The counter measure to radio navigation was jamming.R. V. Joneswas theMI6science advisor and TRE staff worked closely with him, in countering theLuftwaffe's navigational beam technology to hamper the enemy's ability to do pinpoint night bombing raids in what has become known as the "battle of the beams".Robert Cockburnof the TRE was responsible for the development of the Jostle IV radio jammer — the most powerful jammer device used over Europe. At 2 kW output it could block all VHF transmissions over 32-48 MHz. However, enclosed in its own pressurised container, (to preventarcingof the high voltages inside), it was large and at 600 lb took up the entirety of the bomb bay of theBoeing Fortressesused byNo. 100 Group RAF.Due to the high transmitter power, test flights had to be carried out in the vicinity ofIceland,otherwise the jamming would have blanked out all frequencies in the specified range, over a large area, as well as giving the Germans warning of the impending arrival of a jamming system.

Radar

The development ofradarfor defensive and offensive operations was of paramount concern during the war. Early work was onaircraft interception (AI) radarthat was able to be carried innight fightersand used for locating enemy aircraft in the dark, as Britain was soon facingThe Blitz.The first tests had been carried out as early as 1936–7 using aHandley Page Heyfordand later anAvro Ansonat the initial suggestion ofHenry Tizardthen Chairman of theAeronautical Research Committee.Initial aircraft used operationally wereBristol Blenheimsconverted to fighters with belly gun packs, followed by a brief usage of the AI radar-equippedTurbinliteDouglas Havocpaired withHawker Hurricanes,but later theBristol Beaufighterwas chosen, followed by thede Havilland Mosquitowhich later became the standard RAF night fighter for the remainder of the war. Initial versions of AI radar were metric-wavelength, the antennas being arrow-shaped ordipoles,later centimetric versions used a rotatingparaboloidaerial carried under a streamlined noseradome.Aircraft interception radar progressed from the initial AI Mk I version to theAI Mk 24Foxhunterused in thePanavia Tornado.

Parallel work was carried out onair-to-surface-vessel (ASV) radarfor use byCoastal Commandaircraft for huntingU-boatsat sea, initially using theLockheed Hudsonequipped with an early version of ASV. Success with the new equipment led to mounting the equipment ontoVickers WellingtonsandSunderlandflying boats, the early metric-wavelength ASV-equipped types carrying an array of transmitting and receiving "Stickleback" aerials on the rear fuselage top and sides and under the wings. Later a version of the centimetric-wavelength H2S was used. ASV-equipped aircraft such as the Wellington, Sunderland,CatalinaandLiberator,made a substantial contribution to winning theBattle of the Atlanticfor the Allies. ASV-equippedFairey SwordfishandFairey Barracudaswere carried on boardaircraft carriers,the Swordfish being flown from the smallerescort carrierswhere they formed a valuable anti-submarine presence when used over the numerous North Atlantic convoys.

TheOboeblind bombing system was designed and developed byFrank Jonesat TRE in collaboration withAlec Reevesat theRoyal Aircraft Establishment.Oboe transponders were fitted toMosquitoesof109 Squadron,which developed the use of the device as part of thePathfinder Force.The Mosquito was chosen because the transponder device mounted in the airplane was not large, and its use required the aircraft to fly for 10 minutes on a straight and level course. That being the case speed was essential to avoid being intercepted. In addition, the Mosquito could reach 30,000 feet altitude, and this improved the range across the continent that the device could be used over.

TheH2S radarused the newly developedcavity magnetron.It was carried byRAF bombersto identify ground targets for night and all-weather bombing. Initial trials were with aHandley Page Halifaxand despite setbacks the equipment later became a standard fitting on Halifaxes,Short StirlingsandAvro Lancasters.It was also fitted to the post-warVickers Valiant,Avro Vulcan,Handley Page Victor,and bomber versions of theEnglish Electric Canberra.H2S in its final form of H2S Mk 9 was still being used on Vulcans as late as the 1982Falklands War.C. E. Wynn-Williamsworked on these navigational radars, but was transferred to cryptographic work atBletchley Park.

TheAutomatic Gun-Laying Turret(AGLT) was an airborne radar used in bombers by the gunners against attack by fighter planes. It was designed byPhilip Deeand developed byAlan Hodgkin.The device allowed a turret gunner to fire at and hit a target without ever needing to see it. Known by the codename 'Village Inn', the AGLT was installed in a number of Lancasters and Halifaxes and used operationally during the war, and was also fitted on some post-warAvro Lincolns.

Radar trainers were designed and developed byGeoffrey Dummer.

The priority that Winston Churchill placed on the development and deployment of radar is described by SirBernard Lovell:Every daySir Robert Renwickwould phone Lovell or Dee, asking "any news, any problems" [and these would be] dealt with by Renwick's immediate access to Churchill.

Other work

Radar jamming was developed by Robert Cockburn. The resulting devices, such as Mandrel, Carpet, Piperack, and Jostle, were carried or used by aircraft ofNo. 100 Group RAFfor radio countermeasures andECMpurposes to combat the increasing German night fighter force then opposing the RAF night attacks on Germany.

Cathode-ray tubes,for radar display, and a variety of electronic components were developed under direction ofGeoffrey Dummer.

Flight simulators were developed byA.M. Uttley.

Electronic computer systems were developed byPhilip Woodward.

In 1942 the staffing level was about 2000 people; by 1945 increased electronics production had increased this number to around 3500 staff.

Successor organisations

TRE was combined with the Radar Research and Development Establishment in 1953 to form the Radar Research Establishment.

This was renamed theRoyal Radar Establishmentin 1957.

It became theRoyal Signals and Radar Establishmentin 1976 when the ArmySignals Research and Development Establishment(SRDE) moved to Malvern.

It was made part of theDefence Research Agency(DRA) in April 1991.

This was renamedDefence Evaluation and Research Agency(DERA) in April 1995.

In July 2000 it was split into two entities comprising the private sector companyQinetiQ,and the wholly government ownedDefence Science and Technology Laboratory(Dstl).

Staff and their contributions

Staff were affectionately known asboffins.They included:

• Joe AireyMBEJoined radar radio research in 1924. Worked at various TRE locations. Responsible for masts and other equipment. Was Senior Technical Officer at the time he was awarded the MBE. Rose to Station Manager RSRE by the time of his retirement.
• James Atkinson.Worked, at Malvern, on Cathode-ray tubes,Chain Homestations, radar, super-refraction and infra-red detectors; later, at theUniversity of Glasgowon nuclear photo-disintegration; and in administration atUKAEADounreay,the British Ship Research Association andHeriot-Watt University.
• C. E. Bellinger was one of the people "all of whom achieved eminence in their respective fields".
• Alan Blumlein,electronics pioneer. Starting in 1924, he worked on telecommunications, sound recording, stereo and television atColumbiaand thenEMI.While attached to Malvern, he developed the line typepulse modulator,a key element of the H2S airborne radar, vital to bombing missions. He died in the crash of an H2S test flight in June 1942, together with fellow TRE/EMI personnel, F/O Geoffrey HensbyRAFVR,B.Sc. Hons, Cecil Browne and Frank Blythen.
• Henry G. Booker,radio-physicist. From 1933 until World War II he worked in the radio-physics group at theCavendish Laboratoryof Cambridge University withJ. A. Ratcliffeon magneto-ionic theory of radio wave propagation in the atmosphere. At Malvern, Booker was in charge of theoretical research, covering antennas, electromagnetic wave propagation, and radar systems. After World War II, he taught mathematics at the University of Cambridge, until joiningCornell Universityin 1948. In 1965 he moved to theUniversity of California at San Diego.The International Union of Radio Science named a Fellowship in his honour. His publications include four books.
• B. V. Bowden,worked on radar. Later, he became Baron Bowden, of Chesterfield in the County of Derbyshire, Minister for Education and Science in 1964 and Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology,
• E. G. ( "Taffy" ) Bowen(later FRS, CBE)Member of team atOrfordnesswho, by 1935, had developed the radar that first detected an aircraft. This led to theChain Homeground-based radar. At Bawdsey, he began development of airborne radar. In 1940 he went to the U.S. with theTizard Mission.In 1943 he joined theCSIROin Australia.
• R. P. Chasmar, co-author of definitive textThe Detection and Measurement of Infra-red Radiation, Clarendon Press, 1960and, for many years, Head of the infra-red group at RRE.
• Robert Cockburn,electronics engineer. He directed the development of radar jamming systems (counter measures) code namedWindowand widely known asChaff.An obituarydescribes this work as "a main contributor to the reduction of civilian [air raid]casualties... and [bomber] losses". He is in a group photograph.Later, he was knighted.
• Joan Curran,invented theWindow(Chaff) radio countermeasure system. As Samuel Curran's wife, she became Lady Joan Curran. She also went to theManhattan projectwhen he did.
• Samuel Curran,worked on radar at TRE, joined theManhattan projectin 1944, where he invented thescintillation counter,then theUnited Kingdom Atomic energy authoritywhere he invented theproportional counter,then became Vice Chancellor of theRoyal College of Science and Technologyand led it to become theUniversity of Strathclyde.He was knighted.
• Philip Deedesigned theAutomatic Gun-Laying Turret,known by the code nameVillage Inn,
• Robert J. Dippy,electronic engineer, who was a pioneer of radio navigation. He developed and devisedGEEandLoran-A of major importance inD-day invasion.He received thePioneer Awardof theIEEEin 1966 for hyperbolic radio navigation.
• G. W. A. Dummer,electronics engineer. He developed theplan position indicatorradar display. As head of Synthetic Trainer Design Group, he was responsible for the design, manufacture, installation and servicing of over 70 types of radar training equipment during World War II. In 1944, he became Divisional Leader of the Physical and Tropical Testing Laboratories and the Component Group, that had responsibility for outside contracts. Later, he was one of the innovators ofintegrated circuits.For his further work seeRoyal Radar Establishmentand his personal article.
• A. F. Gibson, Head ofTransistorGroup at RRE, later Head of Laser Division ofRutherford Laboratory.
• Antony Hewish,physicist and radio astronomer. He worked withMartin Ryleat TRE on the design of antennas for airborne radar during World War II. In 1984, they shared theNobel Prize in Physics.
• Alan Hodgkinwas primarily a physiologist and biophysicist, who worked on theAutomatic Gun-Laying Turretand later won a Nobel Prize and was knighted,
• "Frank" Jones(Francis Edgar Jones, later FRS, MBE),worked withAlec Reevesat theRoyal Aircraft Establishmentto design and develop theOboeblind bombing system,
• Tom Kilburnworked withFreddy Williamson radar at TRE during the war. He then went to theUniversity of Manchesterwhere he was a pioneer of computer hardware, both he and Williams being involved in the design of theManchester Baby.
• SirBernard Lovell,led theH2Sdevelopment team and was later responsible for the building of the radio telescope atJodrell Bank.
• G. G. MacFarlane, later knighted
• T. S. Moss, author of definitive monographsPhotoconductivity of the elementsandOptical Properties of semiconductors,
• W H (Bill) Penley, compiler of archives on early history of radar
• John Pinkerton,later developed Leo computer at theLyonscompany,
• A. P. ( "Jimmy" ) Rowe,physicist. He was a leader in the development of British radar from its inception, starting in 1934, when he was appointed secretary of theTizard Committee,He succeededRobert Watson-Wattas Superintendent of the Bawdsey Research Station, and directed the renamed Telecommunications Research Establishment when it moved to Malvern. After the war, he was appointed first scientific advisor to the government of Australia, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Adelaide. A pioneer ofOperational Research.
• Martin Ryle,physicist and radio astronomer. He worked at the Telecommunications Research Establishment on the design of antennas for airborne radar during the war. Later, he was knighted in 1966, wasAstronomer Royal1978–1982, and shared the Nobel Prize Physics withAntony Hewishin 1984.
• Joshua Sieger,electronics engineer. At Worth Matravers, he designed large-screen displays of radar signals, arranging further components to triangulate a target. At other times, he made many contributions to electronics and communications technology.
• Robert Allan Smithlater Professor of Physics atUniversity of Sheffield,Director of the Center for Materials Science and Engineering atMIT,and Vice-Chancellor ofHeriot-Watt University.
• Albert Uttleydid important research in radar, automatic tracking and early computing at TRE, including the design of an aircraft interception (AI) radar trainer fornight fightercrewsHe was a founder member of theRatio Cluband became group leader atRRE,with a distinctive approach to air defence cybernetics. Left to head the pioneering Autonomics Division at theNational Physical Laboratorywhere he did research on machine intelligence and brain modeling. However, he also became well known as a neuropsychologist, having made several important contributions to the field. Later Professor of Psychology at Sussex University.
• F. C. Williams(Freddy), engineer. He worked on radar andservomechanismsat TRE during the war. He then moved to the University of Manchester, where he was a pioneer of computer hardware. He was knighted and became anFRS.
• Philip Woodward,mathematician, pioneered the application of probability theory to the filtering of radar signals. After the name change toRRE,he wrote a monograph on the topic.His early results included theWoodward Ambiguity Function,"the standard tool for waveform and matched filter analysis".Member of theRatio Club.
• C. E. Wynn-Williamsworked on navigational radar briefly, and was transferred to cryptographic work at Bletchley Park.
• Leslie Treloar,rheologist and expert on rubber, andMaurice Wilkes,creator of theEDSACcomputer and inventor ofmicroprogramming,worked at TRE briefly during World War II.
• Hundreds of other staff members made direct and support contributions to the projects that have been mentioned and to other work of TRE. Many are listed, under the respective group names, by Penley.

Bibliography

• Batt, Reg:The Radar Army: Winning the War of the Airwaves(1991, Robert Hale, London)ISBN0-7090-4508-5
• Burrows Stephen & Layton Michael (2018) 'Top Secret Worcestershire' Brewin BooksISBN978-1858585819
• Gill, Holt (2003)Malvern Voices: WARTIME An Oral HistoryMalvern Museum.ISBN0-9541520-4-2
• Goult, Ian:Secret Location; A Witness to the Birth of Radar and its Postwar Influence(2010 The History Press Ltd)ISBN978-0-7524-5776-5
• Latham, Colin & Stobbs, Anne:Pioneers of Radar(1999, Sutton, England)ISBN0-7509-2120-X
• Putley, Ernest:Science comes to Malvern - TRE a Story of Radar 1942-1953(2009, Aspect Design, Malvern)
• Penley, Jonathan & Penley, B. (2008)Secret War in PurbeckPurbeck Radar Museum Trust
• Eds.Robert BudandPhilip Gummett(1999),Cold War Hot Science: Applied Research in Britain's Defence Laboratories 1945-1990,HarwoodISBN90-5702-481-0

See also

• Air Ministry Experimental Station
• RAF Defford
• Radiation Laboratory(MIT)
• Boffin

External links

• TRE History,Penley Radar Archives
• Purbeck Radar ~ Early Radar Development in the UKOrigin of TRE in Purbeck, Dorset.
• Radar Recollections 1934 - 1944,Centre for the History of Defence Electronics,Bournemouth University
• EKCO WW II ASV radar units
• The story of RADAR Development
• The Radar Pages - All you ever wanted to know about British WWII and Cold War air defence radar
• "Radar Revealed - Exhibition of the Work of T.R.E. at Malvern"a 1948Flightarticle
• "Radar and the Weather"a 1949Flightarticle on TRE's involvement in developing weather radar
• "Exhibition: Scientists Come To Malvern".Malvern Radar and Technology History Society. 2016.