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School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
The Role of Radio Amateurs in World War One
Dr Elizabeth Bruton, Postdoctoral Researcher,
“Innovating in Combat: Telecommunications and intellectual property in the First World War”, University of Leeds.
Twitter: @WWITelecomms / @lizbruton
Leeds Café Scientifique, Tuesday 3 December 2013.
Innovating in Combat• Elizabeth Bruton, Postdoctoral
Researcher, “Innovating in Combat: Telecommunications and intellectual property in the First World War”
• Aim of the project is to help museums, archives, and the wider public to better appreciate the significance of communications technologies during World War One
• University of Leeds and Museum of the History of Science, Oxford
• Graeme Gooday and Elizabeth Bruton
• Funded by AHRC
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
Outline• Introduction
• Amateur Wireless before World War One
• Wireless Society of London
• What could wireless amateurs do in wartime?
• Henry Norman, MP
• Russell Clarke and Colonel Richard Hippisley
• Leslie McMichael
• Postwar developments – broadcast radio
• Conclusion
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
Transcript of wireless message about outbreak of war sent from Marconi wireless station at Poldhu on 4 August 1914.
Image courtesy of Burton-upon-Trent Amateur Radio club.
Introduction• Early August 1914: World War One
• Wireless telegraph: valuable and dangerous tool
• Amateur wireless sets sealed up
• End of story?
• No!
• Signals Intelligence and wartime work
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
Instruction to the Sectional Engineer of Post Office Telegraphs, E A Pink, to take possession of wireless telegraphy equipment, dated 1 August 1914.Image courtesy of Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB).
Amateur Wireless before World War One• Wireless Society of London
• 6 June 1913: Rene Klein writes to English Mechanic
• 5 July 1913: Establishment of London Wireless Club
• Summer 1913: GPO introduces one guinea charge for all wireless licenses
• 13 September 1913: First AGM of London Wireless Club; changes name to Wireless Society of London – national not local
• 1922: RSGB
Three of the founder members: Rene Klein (seated),L F Fogarty (left), Leslie McMichael (centre) and Frank Hope-Jones (right) who became the first Chairman.Image courtesy of RSGB
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
Early Members of Wireless Society of London
Includes
•Henry Hope-James
•A.A. Campbell-Swinton
•J. Ambrose Fleming
•William Duddell
•W.H. Eccles
•Henry Jackson
•Oliver Lodge
•Sylvanus Thompson
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
Alan Cambell Swinton.
Image courtesy of RSGB.
Wireless Publications
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
Left: First cover of The Marconigraph (1911);Right: The four-color cover of May 1913 Wireless World.
Both images are available inthe public domain.
What could wireless amateurs do during wartime?
•“Listen in”• Russell Clark and Richard Hippisley
• Henry Norman MP
•Wartime Service• Leslie McMichael
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
Richard John Bayntun Hippisley (1865-1956)
Image from Mate's County Series (1908) andavailable in the public domain.
Hunstanton Wireless Station, Norfolk
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
A postcard of theLighthouse and MarconiWireless Station atHunstanton, early 20th C.
Wireless station is tothe left of the mast.
Image available in thepublic domain.
Hunstanton Wireless Station, Norfolk
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
Wireless Direction-Finding Station atHunstanton, early World War One.
Image available in the public domain.
Hunstanton Wireless Station, Norfolk
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
Former power station forthe Marconi wirelessstation at Hunstanton asit is today.
Image courtesy of RightMove.co.uk.
Henry Norman, MP (1858-1939)
•Born in Leicester and educated abroad
•MP for 23 years
•Knighted in 1906
•Pioneer in radio telegraphy
•1914: First President of Derby Wireless Club, founded in 1911
•“Listening in” begins before outbreak of war
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
Portrait of Sir Henry Norman, 1st Baronet,taken from The World's Work (1914).
Image available in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Hubert Leslie McMichael (1884-1951)
•Generally known as Leslie McMichael
•Background in electrical engineering (and laundry?)
•Served in Wireless Instructional Section of RFC and RAF
•1919: Demobbed and begins business in Hampstead, supply ex-military stock including radio valves
•June 1920: Establishes L. McMichael Ltd• Directors are Leslie McMichael and Rene Klein
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
Leslie McMichael, callsignG2MI.
Image courtesy of RSGB.
Conclusions
•Revival of wireless amateurs post-war
•Wartime expertise crosses over into peacetime
•Wireless amateur have key role in development of broadcast radio
•1922: Different radio clubs and societies including Wireless Society of London merge to become RSGB
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
Acknowledgements: Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) for permission to use many of the images in
this presentation.
Thank you!
w: http://blogs.mhs.ox.ac.uk/innovatingincombat/
@WWITelecomms / @lizbruton
School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of ScienceFACULTY OF ARTS
