In Memoriam

We regret to report the deaths of the following Veterans and extend our sympathy to the families of those mentioned.

F Beales1949
Joseph Bourne1948
Ronald (Ron) Bradbrook1947
George Byrne1954
P Frost1952
David Nash1961
John (Jack) Parker1939

This list was correct on 05 December 2017 and supersedes the list published on 18 September 2017

We have intentionally kept this page as simple as possible and provide minimal details of the deceased.  However, where we have biographical details of a person and/or funeral details these will be published under the Notices tab above.

At the request of some Veterans we have included Given names where these are known to us.

Ron Bradbrook – Past President

We regret to report the death of veteran Ron Bradbrook on 20 November.  Ron was our President in 2010/11.

The funeral will be at Chelmsford Crematorium on Thursday 11th January 2018 at 1-30 pm.

Ron was born in Barking and moved early on to Writtle. After the benefits of the local school he passed the exams to attend Chelmsford Technical College. A group from the college, including Ron, joined Marconi’s as craft apprentices in 1947. During his apprenticeship he did his National Certificate studies at the Tech.; he had spells at Pottery Lane, Hut 3 at Baddow, Writtle and the dreaded Building 46 in New Street.

After National Service he rejoined Marconi as a development engineer and found himself in Building 46 working for a very fine senior engineer, Douggie Bowers. This is where high powered transmitters started to take over his working life.

Having joined Marconi’s in 1947 his career almost covered the whole era of high power radio transmitters just missing out on the coming into service of the 100kW SWB-18 in 1940.

Ron was closely associated with the development of the BD 272 the first one of which became Sender 93 at Woofferton. In the nineties he undertook the early design work on what was to be Marconi’s last HF transmitter, the 500kW B6132, but retired before it went into service.

Ron was also the senior Marconi engineer responsible for the design of the equipment for the BBC’s re-engineering of its UK MW network of transmitters in 1977 using the 50kW B6034 as it basic building block and for the modification of this transmitter in 1986 to long wave as the B6046 for use at Westerglen and Burghead. At about this time he also was responsible for the overall design of the 10kW B6525 and 20kW B6526 FM transmitters that formed the backbone of the re-engineering of the BBC’s network.

However, this range of activities needed an authoritative voice that could cut through the problems and make a decision. Ron was that man in Building 46.

He encouraged those who tried and put their best efforts into the job and brought the best out of his close associates but he did not have much time for those that did not pull their weight for Marconi’s.

In Memoriam

We regret to report the deaths of the following Veterans and extend our sympathy to the families of those mentioned.

John H Cox1955
Alan W F Cushing1947
Tony J Gay1965
John Bert Jewell1938
Frederic (Fred) Kime1951
Mike G MacKenzie1958
John A McHattie1958
Terence W Pegram1955
H Geoff Smith1950
Joe Stobseth-Brown1960
John Whittaker1956

This list was correct on 18 September 2017 and supersedes the list published on 20 March 2017

We have intentionally kept this page as simple as possible and provide minimal details of the deceased.  However, where we have biographical details of a person and/or funeral details these will be published under the Notices tab above.

At the request of some Veterans we have included Given names where these are known to us.

In Memoriam

We regret to report the deaths of the following Veterans and extend our sympathy to the families of those mentioned.

Arthur Raymond Batsford1956
Tom Bealin-Kelly
Derek Bennett1957
Ross Cheffers1956
A Cook1951
Roger Dixon1960
Grant Findlay2014 (Friend)
Ken Fooks1965
Alexander James Gordon1942
John Harber1946
Philip Haworth1941
Jim Hogan1960
Peter Brian Keeley1958
Fred Kime1951
Kenneth Knight1956
John Frederick Mennell1946
Royston Charles Moody1950
Jim Philbrick1961
Ralph Reid1963
Neil Schoonderwoerd1984
Andrew Sharp1966
Doug Skinner1967
Viv Smith1964
William (Jack) Southam1944
Arthur Wray1944
Miss Babs Yule1941

This list was correct on 20 March 2017 and supersedes the list published on 23 January 2017

We have intentionally kept this page as simple as possible and provide minimal details of the deceased.  However, where we have biographical details of a person and/or funeral details these will be published under the Notices tab above.

At the request of some Veterans we have included Given names where these are known to us.

In Memoriam

We regret to report the deaths of the following Veterans and extend our sympathy to the families of those mentioned.

Alan R Alderson1963
William (Bill) J Blackburn1965
Billy (Bill) O Cooke1935
David A French1968
David A Hills1959
John R Mark1956
Victor (Vic) Olley1953
Robert (Bob) G Prior1968
Roy A Wellsteed1952
Miss Joan P Wigley1937

This list was correct on 23 January 2017 and supersedes the list published on 01 December 2016

We have intentionally kept this page as simple as possible and provide minimal details of the deceased.  However, where we have biographical details of a person and/or funeral details these will be published under the Notices tab above.

At the request of some Veterans we have included Given names where these are known to us.

In Memoriam

We regret to report the deaths of the following Veterans and extend our sympathy to the families of those mentioned.

Clifford Stanley Barham1956
Lester Carl Bearcroft1965
Billy (Bill) Orton Cooke1935
Malcolm Trevor Daniels1954
David A Hills1959
James (Jimmy) Anderson Leadbitter1942
Dr John R Mark1956
Mrs Audrey D Parmenter1944
Robert Reeve1949

This list was correct on 01 December 2016 and supersedes the list published on 24 October 2016

We have intentionally kept this page as simple as possible and provide minimal details of the deceased.  However, where we have biographical details of a person and/or funeral details these will be published under the Notices tab above.

At the request of some Veterans we have, starting with this post, included Given names where these are known to us.

Bill Cooke

We regret to report the death of Bill Cooke on 17 November aged 96.  Bill was Chief Engineer, Managing Director and finally Chairman of Eddystone Radio in Birmingham until retiring in 1985.

The funeral will be on 5 December at  St Thomas’s Church, Maesglas, Newport NP20 3AT  starting at 1.30 p.m. followed by the cremation at Gwent Crematorium, Croesyceiliog, Cwmbran, NP44 2BZ.

Bill was born in Birmingham and joined Stratton & Company in 1935 as an apprentice.  With a break for RAF service during WW2, where he worked on the new technology that would be called Radar, he remained with the company until retirement.  He was promoted to Chief Engineer in 1947.  The company was bought by The Marconi Company in 1965, Marconi being part of English Electric at the time, and Stratton & Company changed its name to Eddystone Radio.  In 1976 he was promoted  to Managing Director and in 1984 became Chairman.

 

 

Jimmy Leadbitter

jimmy_leadbitteraWe regret to report the death of Jimmy Leadbitter on 14 November.

The funeral will be at Chelmsford Crematorium on 2 December at 12.30.

Jimmy was born in 1925 in Whitburn, County Durham but moved South to work for the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company (MWT) at its New Street factory early in 1942. He worked in the Marine Test department, was subsequently transferred to Marconi Marine’s installation planning department and was the Installations Manager in 1963 when the Company moved from New Street to its headquarters in the newly-built Elettra House on Westway, Chelmsford, where he remained until his retirement in 1990. That period covered the introduction of Single Sideband radio telephony and radio telex in maritime communications (Apollo, Pennant receivers; Crusader, Commander, Commandant and Conqueror transmitter equipments), several new ranges of radar equipment, the transition from valve to solid-state technology and the maritime world’s adoption of satellite technology for communications and navigation.

His department was responsible for the planning, logistics and fitting of radio rooms and radio navigational aids on ships in shipyards and ports world-wide, overseeing MIMCo technicians on long-term assignment in shipyards in the Far East and South America as well as those working from the Company’s many offices in the UK and elsewhere. Overseas agents involved in the installation of MIMCo products were supported and directed from his office. They were also deeply involved in the planning and execution of Company display stands at shipping exhibitions around the world, behind the Iron Curtain as well as in the West, including those formerly held each year at the beginning of January at the London Boat Show at Earls Court – not a good recipe for a peaceful Christmas for those involved.

He joined the MVA Committee in 1988 and was President in 1989.  He was very knowledgeable in all things to do with Marconi Marine and was almost always able to answer a query from memory.  He remained an active member of the MVA committee until earlier this year, the picture above was taken at the reunion in April 2016.

 

In Memoriam

We regret to report the deaths of the following Veterans and extend our sympathy to the families of those mentioned.

J F Bacon1940
L C Bearcroft1965
B A Bingley1962
P W Buers1944
C S Burnham1951
J P Candler1957
D S Carlile1951
E C Clark1948
D I H Clements1952
B J Everitt1948
B J Hazelton1940
A T Humphrey1956
J Kurdelski1951
M E Lewis1962
D B Manning1937
Mrs B E Maltby1946
S R Moore1955
B E R Munday1961
J C Playle1950
R R Porter1944
K R Shaughnessy1955
R W Taylor1948
G F White1954

This list was correct on 24 October 2016  and supersedes the list published on 9 March 2016

We have intentionally kept this page as simple as possible and provide no details of the deceased.  However, where we have biographical details of a person and/or funeral details these will be published under the Notices tab above.

Bernard Hazelton

We regret to announce the death of Bernard Hazelton.

Bernard was secretary of the Marconi Veterans Association from 1989 until 2005 and remained on the MVA committee until shortly before his death.

The funeral will be at Chelmsford Crematorium at 1 pm on Friday 12 August.