Secret Location: A Witness to the Birth of Radar and its Postwar Influence

In a letter to one of the scientists at the Telecommunication Research Establishment written immediately after VE Day, Sir Stafford Cripps wrote ‘I do not hesitate to say that without your team we should certainly not be celebrating the victory in Europe - yet - and probably never.’ TRE was responsible for the development of radar that contributed hugely to winning the Battle of the Atlantic, the Battle of Britain - indeed influenced practically every facet of the Allied war effort. Ian Goult was there as part of the team and he describes the extraordinary work done by the boffins at Bawdsey Manor, Swanage and Malvern. Postwar, his work included such key projects as ‘autoland’, GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System) and radar systems for the Blackburn Buccaneer and the Vulcan. Ian also provides here a handy ‘one-stop’ history of the development of radar for the layman, alongside his own fascinating story.