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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.

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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.

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Contributions for the 2018 newsletter

The editor would welcome more contributions for the 2018 edition.  Although there is never a need to pad things out to get our 12/14 pages, more would be welcome.  And please don’t think you need to talk about aspects of the company’s engineering past.  Naturally we were an engineering company and by far the greatest number of contributions are by engineers about some aspect of the engineering history, but I’d welcome items dealing with any non-technical aspects of our Marconi lives, my criteria are whether or not it is interesting or humorous.

And a further thing. Some years ago we had the criticism by a fomer lady colleague who said that she never saw anything from female contributors. The simple answer was that if I had had many more contributions from the ladies, more of them would have appeared in print.

So come all of you, get slaving over that keyboard.

 

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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.

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Service Records

On 22 July the Secretary received a letter, with a Scottish stamp on the envelope, requesting information on a Mr David Smart Esplin. He is not a veteran but appears to have been a Marconi employee.

Unfortunately, the writer did not give any contact information in any form. If this person could contact us again we may be able to provide useful information.

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Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society

The MVA does not normally mention CARS as they have their own web site on which all their activities are recorded.  However, their forthcoming meeting has items that will be of particular interest to To Marconi people and the note from the CARS secretary is included below:

At the next monthly meeting of the Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society three Club members will be giving short talks each of 35-40 minutes.  They are; A Century Not Out— WW1 Trench and Airborne Wireless sets, Magic Quarter Waves and Marconi’s Hidden Museum. The meeting will be held at Oaklands Museum, Moulsham Street, CM2 9AQ on Tuesday July 4th
The first talk by Brian Styles, an avid collector of all things scientific will discuss and display a one hundred year old working WW1 Mk-III ‘trench’ receiver and an aircraft 52B ‘spark’ transmitter, both initially used for military reconnaissance. There is a possible connection with the Marconi factory in Hall Street where this type of equipment was manufactured.
The second talk Magic Quarter Waves, will be by Tony Gilbey CARS President, as an aerial expert he will discuss the how and why of radio waves and the aerials of all sorts that send out the wireless signals we all use daily.
Finally, after a break for tea and coffee, CARS vice-President Murray Niman, courtesy of his international amateur radio efforts will reveal all about a real hidden gem, the Marconi Hidden Museum. Where is it hidden? You will need to come to Oaklands Museum at 7.30pm to hear the story.
All welcome. Free entry and parking. The purchase of a raffle ticket is requested. Refreshments are available.

 

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Marconi Mural

We have been advised that a Marconi mural will be officially launched at Chelmsford Railway Station at:

11 am on Friday 7th July

The mural has been produced by Victoria Button & Nick Haydon.

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Norman Lamont plaque

This photograph has been found by an ex Marconi Avionics/GEC Avionics employee when clearing out his late Father’s effects.  His Father also worked for the same companies.

It is believed that this refers to a building in Milton Keynes but we are asking if anyone knows the exact location of the plaque, either the building to which it was attached or where it now is as it appears it was no longer attached when this photograph was taken.