| This section records a
little about the scientists, engineers and
service personnel who worked on early
radar. A photograph of the
organisation chart
in the director's office forms the basis
for the staff lists - both alphabetical
and by group.
This section also has short biographies
for a few of the scientists. Key to
success was the close co-operation between
the scientists, the armed services and
industry.
At the outset in 1934, AP 'Jimmy' Rowe
went beyond his relatively junior
responsibilities to investigate Britain's
air defence strategy. He raised his concerns
with Henry Wimperis, his boss, and this led
to the formation of the Tizard committee to
explore possible improvements.
Well before the war and before the
initial Chain Home radar system was
operational, Henry Tizard anticipated that a
working system would result in hostile
aircraft switching to night attack. He had
the foresight to start early work on
Airborne Interception radar to help combat
this.
Winston Churchill, the wartime prime
minister, identified the key significance of
technology to the war effort at an early
stage, and in a minute to cabinet on 3rd
September 1940 he wrote: "... our
supreme effort must be to gain overwhelming
mastery of the air ... we must regard the
whole sphere of RDF ... as ranking with the
Air Force of which it is an essential part.
The multiplication of the high class
scientific personnel ... should be the very
spear point of our thought and effort."
Priority was given to recruit top
scientists from Britain's universities to
work on radar. It was Top Secret at the time
and referred to with the 'cover' name Radio
Direction Finding (RDF). Scientists arrived
at RAF stations... and were given the
nickname 'boffins' - the origin of the name
is not clear but probably has something to
do with the makeshift appearance of the
Blackburn Baffin biplane.
After the war many of the scientists went
on to eminent careers with a number becoming
Nobel prizewinners, Fellows of the Royal
Society or being awarded knighthoods.
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