‘Bawdsey Research Station’ Commemorations 2010
In recognition of the historic events that took place in 1935 and 1940 which played a significant part in Britains war effort, commemorative events will take place at Bawdsey Manor during 2010.
During its time as a radar research centre and as an operational station for Chain Home radar, it was known by the acronym BRS – Bawdsey Research Station. It was here that Sir Robert Watson-Watt and his colleagues turned the ideas on which the well known experiment at Daventry (26 Feb 1935) was based into a full operational system, without which the outcome of the Battle of Britain would almost certainly have been quite different.
Over the weekend of 26 to 28 Feb 2010, a group of local amateur radio enthusiasts from the Suffolk area provided exhibition and display material. They also provided and operated radio stations at the Manor, covering the frequency bands used in the original Chain Home radar systems. The callsign was GB75BRS, since this operation commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Daventry Experiment, which resulted in radar development in the UK being based first at Orfordness, then at Bawdsey.
Also on 26 Feb 2010, the site of the original experiment at Daventry will be activated under the callsigns GB0WWR (Watson Watt Radar, the receiving site at Weedon, Northamptonshire) and GB75RDF and GB0RDF (Radio Direction Finding) at the original BBC transmitter site at Daventry.
The last surviving Chain Home transmitter tower is installed at BAE Systems Labs at Gt Baddow in Essex – from here GB75CH (Chain Home) will also be active on 26 Feb.
Later in the year we will repeat the activity on two weekends to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the start and end of the Battle of Britain in 1940. The callsign GB70BRS has been given. The first weekend was in early June, and the next is the weekend of 11 & 12 September, coincident with the opening the the Bawdsey Radar Museum on Sunday 2 Sept.
Members of the public, and students from the school now based at the Manor, will be welcomed at any of the events, where there will also be display materials relating to Bawdsey’s history during this period. We regret that the Manor house and Grounds will not be generally open to the public on this occasion, but anyone is welcome to come along to the exhibition by prior arrangement – there is a booking form for electronic bookings on the website.
Please see http://bawdseyresearchstation.org.uk for information about the events, booking forms for visits and general information and links about the history of Radar Development at Bawdsey Manor.
During its time as a radar research centre and as an operational station for Chain Home radar, it was known by the acronym BRS – Bawdsey Research Station. It was here that Sir Robert Watson-Watt and his colleagues turned the ideas on which the well known experiment at Daventry (26 Feb 1935) was based into a full operational system, without which the outcome of the Battle of Britain would almost certainly have been quite different.
Over the weekend of 26 to 28 Feb 2010, a group of local amateur radio enthusiasts from the Suffolk area provided exhibition and display material. They also provided and operated radio stations at the Manor, covering the frequency bands used in the original Chain Home radar systems. The callsign was GB75BRS, since this operation commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Daventry Experiment, which resulted in radar development in the UK being based first at Orfordness, then at Bawdsey.
Also on 26 Feb 2010, the site of the original experiment at Daventry will be activated under the callsigns GB0WWR (Watson Watt Radar, the receiving site at Weedon, Northamptonshire) and GB75RDF and GB0RDF (Radio Direction Finding) at the original BBC transmitter site at Daventry.
The last surviving Chain Home transmitter tower is installed at BAE Systems Labs at Gt Baddow in Essex – from here GB75CH (Chain Home) will also be active on 26 Feb.
Later in the year we will repeat the activity on two weekends to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the start and end of the Battle of Britain in 1940. The callsign GB70BRS has been given. The first weekend was in early June, and the next is the weekend of 11 & 12 September, coincident with the opening the the Bawdsey Radar Museum on Sunday 2 Sept.
Members of the public, and students from the school now based at the Manor, will be welcomed at any of the events, where there will also be display materials relating to Bawdsey’s history during this period. We regret that the Manor house and Grounds will not be generally open to the public on this occasion, but anyone is welcome to come along to the exhibition by prior arrangement – there is a booking form for electronic bookings on the website.
Please see http://bawdseyresearchstation.org.uk for information about the events, booking forms for visits and general information and links about the history of Radar Development at Bawdsey Manor.
