1940-42 Worth
Telecommunications
Research
Establishment

TRE General Introduction

Based on A.P. Rowe’s Obituary 1976, written by Sir Bernard Lovell 19.
Readers should reflect on the extra-ordinary secret establishment at Worth Matravers and its Superintendent, Albert Percival Rowe (1898-1976), who controlled the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) Worth during part of the Second World War 1940-42. A radar pioneer and university vice-chancellor, born on 23 March 1898 at Launceston, Cornwall, England, son of Albert Rowe, sewing-machine agent, and his wife Mary Annie, née Goudge. Young Albert attended the Portsmouth Dockyard School and studied physics at the Royal College of Science, University of London (B.Sc. Hons, 1922). He joined a defence science unit of the Air Ministry, and lectured part time (1927-37) at the Imperial College of Science and Technology.

In 1934, Rowe was a participant in the Scientific Survey of Air Defence Committee, known as the Tizard Committee. This was chaired by Sir Henry Thomas Tizard GCB AFC FRS (1885 – 1959). In 1935, Rowe was secretary of the Committee for the Scientific Survey of Air Defence, formed under the chairmanship of Sir Henry Tizard to evaluate research in radio direction finding. In 1938-45 he was chief superintendent of the organization which became the Telecommunications Research Establishment and which led much of the development of RADAR.

 

In September 1938, Rowe was appointed as head of the new Air Ministry Research Establishment (AMRE) at Bawdsey Manor, near Felixstowe, Suffolk, superseding Robert Watson-Watt who had been the head since 1936. Watson-Watt had made the original proposal for the Chain Home service in a report entitled The Detection of Aircraft by Radio Methods and executed a practical demonstration for A. P. Rowe.
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TRE Worth

Chain Home West TRE Worth.

From Rowe’s obituary there is a description of his deeds, it states:     ….. From Rowe’s establishment there soon poured out a host of ground based and airborne RADAR devices which were to exert decisive influences in many of the theatres of war…    it continues with a detailed list of the achievements instigated by him and a reflection of the great work undertaken by his scientists to achieve the governments objective of quashing Hitler’s objective of conquering Europe. Some of these scientists were members of the Cavendish Laboratory, a collection of 80 scientists from Cambridge University, led by Professor John Cockcroft, known as Cockcroft’s Army in 1939.
In June 1940, three of those members, Mr Dee, Dr W. H. B. Skinner and Dr W. E. Burcham moved to TRE, Worth Matravers, to help tackle the 10cm RADAR development and achieved a solution to high resolution aircraft mounted RADAR 17.

Products from Rowe’s Establishment

From Rowe’s establishment there soon poured out a host of ground based and airborne RADAR devices which were to exert decisive influences in many of the theatres of war.

 

A system to detect low flying bombers. The Chain Station Home Service – Low Cover (CHL), for the detection of low altitude (500 ft) aircraft. The stations consisted of a pair of broadside aerials 28ft wide by 10ft high on searchlight turntables mounted on pairs of 20ft high wooden gantries over huts for separate 200 MHz transmitters and receivers. One set was installed at site D at the end of St Aldhelm’s Head.

 

An air interception RADAR for the night fighters. The first use of the Magnetron valve, the system was developed at Leeson House, Swanage. It used a parabolic dish to improve the directionality of the signal; the resulting beam was so sharply focussed, spanning about 10 degrees, that it easily avoided ground reflections at even low altitudes.

 

GEE and Oboe navigation and bombing devices. Both developed at Worth Matravers, GEE was designed by R.J.Dippy, his original proposal was put forward when he worked at Bawdsey Manor. In late 1940, he was posted to Worth Matravers where he developed GEE, an aircraft RADAR navigation system, and then to Durnford House, a requisitioned Prep school. By March 1942 GEE was in service. Oboe a blind bombing radio navigation system, designed by Alec Reeves and assisted by Frank Jones. It was operational in late 1942.  

Chain Home Service Low Level

Counter measures. Developed by Mrs Joan Curran at Leeson House. This counter measure code name “Window” was invaluable on D-Day. It tricked the German Radar operators into thinking that a large armada of bombers was destined for an attack on the Calais area of France and a precursor of an amphibious attack of that area. What she developed was precisely cut bunches of aluminium foil that could be dropped from a few aircraft to fool the German radar, by producing echoes indistinguishable from those of an aircraft.

Products from Rowe’s Establishment

Modified Version of Air to Surface Vessel (ASV) for U-Boat Detection. Coastal Command Bombers were equipped with Air to Service vessel ASV but had been using a longer wavelength, 1.5 metre since 1941, based on original work at Bawdsey.  However, the German Navy countered these attacks with the invention of a receiver METOX that detected the transmissions from RAF aircraft. The Germans could detect 1.5 metre RADAR well before the aircraft could find the U Boat, allowing them to dive out of harm’s way.   As a consequence few U-boats were sunk and shipping losses increased to unprecedented proportions. At the beginning of 1943, threatening widespread food shortages.   After the TRE exodus to Malvern, Dr Bernard Lovell, who had been put in charge of the H 2S navigation/bombing radar work at TRE Malvern. Discovered a new role for 10 centimetre RADAR, in a modified variant of H 2S for ASV purposes this would improve accuracy and not be detected by METOX due to the use of microwave frequencies.  Seven H 2S sets were modified in the Preston laboratories at Malvern College for installation in Maritime Wellington aircraft. It was tested at Defford airport and finally fitted in the nose cone of Coastal Command Wellington aircraft for testing and it proved successful. The Germans did later recognise that new radar at a higher frequency was being deployed and produced a receiver called NAXOS that was be able to detect microwaves.
Magnetron Valve

1940 10 Centimetre Radar Magnetron Valve

TRE devised a simple interim solution, the power output of the magnetron was increased and an attenuator fitted so that as soon as the U-Boat was first detected, the power was turned down while still maintaining contact. The reduction in power detected by the German NAXOS appeared to the Germans that the aircraft was flying away and therefore not a threat 18. Rowe’s obituary states a remark made by Hitler:.. the modified version known as ASV which so troubled the U-Boats that Hitler remarked in 1943 that the setback to the U-boat campaign was “due to one single technical invention of the enemy”….