CHURCHILL'S PROPHECY WHEN HE SAW RADAR

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 251, 23 October 1944, Page 4

CHURCHILL'S PROPHECY WHEN HE SAW RADAR

(By E. K. GREEN.)

\XTHEN Winston Churchill first saw '" radar equipment—then "radio location"—he made a comment which, in the light of later events, had prophetic meaning.

"If this invention succeeds," he said, "it will make England once more an island, and we shall be free from the intrigues of the Continent."

That comment was remembered by at least one of his hearers, Dr. E. Marsden,-New Zealand Director of Scientific Development for the Defence Services, and he quoted -it in telling me some of his experiences in the pre-war days of 1939, when he was for a time an observer with Mr. (now Sir) Robert Watson Watt, the Scottish physicist who gave to Britain her most important war weapon.

Mr. Churchill was then a private member of the British House of Commons—and radio location, then the topmost secret of the Air Ministry, was known to only a few Ministers of the British Government. In his character of "stormy petrel" he was urging with vigour the adoption of another detection device, so he was taken to see what was already in train. He was convinced, but, as an Indication of his foresight,, it was found that the device he was advocating was complementary, in certain later applications, to radar.

New Zealand's Special Interest Dr. Marsden had'two other revelations to make of special interest to New Zealand. When Watson . Watt first made his epic discovery that aircraft reflected 'or "echoed") back radio beam emanations—an accidental find while the scientist was conducting experiments in the ionisphere—he might have suffered the rebuffs that have often faced scientific workers in contact with officialdom. . However, he was able to interest "someone in the Air Ministry" and financial authority was given for the work which saved the day in the later Battle of Britain, and has since proven a mighty weapon in the hands of the Allies.

That "someone" was Air Marshal Sir Cyril Newall, then chief of the Royal Air Force, now GovernorGeneral of New Zealand. His Excellency has, ever sine:, taken a keen and knowledgeable interest in the development of radar.

The other revelation concerned a New Zealander — Squadron-Leader Ramsbottom Isherwood, who later, as a Wing: Commander, led the first R.-A.F. fighter wing to serve in Russia. Isherwood, carrying the first air radar set in his Spitfire, co-oper-ated with Watson Watt in the first air-ground radar experimental work. Experiments had been going on for a number of years and development work had reached an interesting stage in Britain when, in May, 1939, the late Rt. Hon. M! J. Savage, Prime Minister of New Zealand, received a cable from the United Kingdom Government requesting that a New Zealand physicist should be sent to Britain "to learn a new service development." No hint was given of what the development constituted, but the importance of the request was realised.

Mr. Savage's Decision Dr. Marsden, as permanent Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and himself formerly a professor of physics, was asked to make nominations. To his Minister, Mr. Sullivan, and Mr. Savage, he suggested the names of three young men. He commented to them that the rate of scientific development in physics was such that it was only young men in their twenties who could really keep abreast.

Mr. Savage smiled, and made his decision dryly: "There may be policy involved, Marsden. You'd better pack up to-morrow and go by air." It was a decision of importance to New Zealand, for it was the start of a scientific development in this country that has had vital results ... a work carried on by young men in civilian clothes, some of whom have

carried their scientific work right into the front lines of the Pacific war (one of them was wounded), and who have pioneered in several aspects of radar development. Their work, and that in other scientific fields also, bears the impress of volatile Dr. Marsden, himself a Peter Pan of science. -

It was not until he reached London that the doctor learned of the development of radar as a practical weapon of the first importance in the war that was already looming. And at that time it was contemplated only in its aircraft detection aspect. Its possibilities in gun ranging and other almost limitless spheres were future developments. ',

Dramatic Setting , No mystery story could have hada more dramatic setting than the place on the East Coast "to" which : he was directed—an old manor house, surrounded by a river as a moat, over which visitors had to be ferried by boat. Residents had been eleared away from the. vicinity. And here Watson Watt and his team of assistant physicists carried on their work.

Dr. Marsden, though mainly an observer, became one of the team, and on one , occasion he flew as a passenger, crowded in behind Isherwood in his Spitfire, while he conducted tests to judge the most handy placement of the equipment in the fighter.. -

Another privileged visitor to that establishment was Mr. Walter Nash, who had been visiting London, and after seeing a demonstration he placed funds at the disposal of Dr. Marsden to purchase sufficient components and materials to make radar development in New Zealand: possible. •.

"That decision was fully justified," said Dr. Marsden, "for radar equipment' could not be spared for export from Britain for nearly two years after the commencement of the war."

At the time, it will be remembered, 30 Wellingtons were on order in Britain for the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and crews had gone Home to ferry them out. Arrangements had been made to fit one with radar, to enable contact to be kept among the aircraft. That would have been the first radar set to be used overseas. Britain asked, however to be permitted to retain the aircraft, and New Zealand agreed.

Rushed Development Organisation Equipped with vital information, and with necessary components and materials, Dr. Marsden left England one day before war was declared,: but his "homecoming was not immediate. By direction of the Air Ministry he stopped off in South Africa to co-operate in the organisation of radar development in that Dominion —an organisation that was carried on by Professor Schonland, who afterwards became- scientific adviser to Field-Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery.

And New Zealand was not lacking in the speed with which her resources were organised to cope with the task. A Radio Development Laboratory was established, first as part of the radio section of the Post and Telegraph Department, and later under the aegis of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

It is indicative of the urgency given the work that arrangements were made immediately for training radio physicist personnel. A special course in radio physics was : organised at the university, with an allowance to each student undertaking it, and the first students (at Auckland and Christchurch) began their course in December, 1939. Those students never heard of radar while taking the course, but some of them became prominent research workers later, or entered the services .as, radio specialists. Others had a less pleasant fate. Some of them were among a number of volunteers for radar operating work in England. Their ship was intercepted by a raider, and they are still prisoners of war in Germany.—(Copyright;)