Just before war was declared in 1939, the Germans sent an airship to spy on the radar work, then at Bawdsey on the Suffolk coast.  The radar scientists were evacuated from Bawdsey and, in May 1940, arrived at Worth Matravers in Purbeck, Dorset UK [radar in Purbeck].  While in Purbeck, the scientists developed many new technologies.  These included the now familiar rotating aerial and map like radar display (Plan Position Indicator) and the cavity magnetron which was able to produce powerful radio signals at short wavelengths.

The Germans had also built radar defences and in February 1942 British paratroops raided one of their radars at Bruneval on the French coast.  They brought back key pieces of the radar to understand better how it worked and how it might be countered.  After this there were fears that the Germans might raid Worth Matravers, and the scientists hastily moved to Malvern in May 1942.  A working RAF radar station remained at Worth, and the last tower was not taken down until 1976.

After the war, many of the ideas developed in Purbeck went on to form the basis of the electronics industry we take for granted today [legacy].  Radar is important for keeping ships and aircraft safe, and is key to manage aircraft in flight (Air Traffic Control).  Radar has gone on to find applications as diverse as weather forecasting, ornithology and speed traps for cars!

The cavity magnetron, developed for radar, was Top Secret in Word War II but now provides the source of unseen heat in microwave ovens around the world!  Short wavelength radar technology was also behind the growth of microwave communications links after the war, supporting telephone, television and satellite communications.  

The Purbeck Radar Museum Trust was set up in 1991 by a few people interested in keeping a public record of the wartime work on radar.  To raise the profile of the early radar work, the Trust has sponsored various exhibitions and publications [milestones].  A memorial to commemorate the wartime radar work at Worth Matravers was unveiled in October 2001 [radar memorial].  An historical radar exhibition was opened in Worth Matravers in July 2006 and moved to the Swanage Museum & Heritage Centre in April 2007 [exhibition].

The Trust also published this website to co-incide with the exhibition opening www.purbeckradar.org.uk.  There are also references and links on where to go for more information [more..].  Work is underway (May 2007) to to establish an historical radar reference library in collaboration with the Swanage Museum & Heritage Centre.

If you have photographs, papers, items or memorabilia relating to early radar development the Radar Trust would be delighted to hear from you [contact]. The Trust would also be keen to hear from anyone interested in helping assemble educational material about this significant part of our heritage [study].