Radio During World War One (1914-1919)

This is about United States early radio history .... does anybody know what Britain had ?

Civilian radio activities were suspended during the war, as the radio industry was taken over by the government. Numerous military applications were developed, including direct communication with airplanes. The war also exposed thousands of service personnel to the on-going advances in radio technology, and even saw a few experiments with broadcasting entertainment to the troops.

http://earlyradiohistory.us/sec013.htm

 

All I can offer is this map. Radio technology made great progress in WW1. At the start there were a few very heavy 'Spark sets', by the end of the war there were 600 RAF planes fitted with 2-way voice communications.

(my first post! hello everyone)

 

Hi Geoff !

Heres something ... a Marconi !! ... my Dad would have loved that stuff !!

http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/marconi/exhibition/worldwarone.htm

Good to see you - and welcome !!

Annie

 

Welcome Geoff. I am an avid user of your search engine (though mainly the WW2 one). Excellent resource - thank you for sharing it with everyone

 

Hi Geoff ....

Here's a couple of articles .. one a soldier in a trench - one German u boat - about communications during WWI being pretty rudimentary ! According to your map .... they had quite a few spark wireless' .... that surprises me .... I thought they were mostly tapping out on a Morse key !

http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2008/12/29/10527/

http://www.uboat.net/articles/index.html?article=35

Annie

 

The Navy Arc Transmitter at Sayville

http://www.sayville.com/wireless.html

http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/sayville.html

 

The British side of the pond...........

http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/marconi/exhibition/worldwarone.htm

Some nice pictures here too.

Phil (who still keeps his amateur licence going)

 

CQ ... CQ .... CQ..... !!

Well Phil ........ now I find out you're a man of many talents !!!!!!!!!!

 

I had to do something to wile away the long winter nights in Wales many years ago......... it was either that or get the wellies out (and go hill walking!!!!!!!!!!!!)


Just realised I doubled your link up Annie

 

Spark wireless was Morse key!

geoff
(who passed the exam but did not bother to get a license - still have a Racal Rx 'boat anchor' though, now converted to DRM)

 

Hello Geoff,

I've still got my FRG-7 and FT-480 (c/w original boxes ).

Here's some pictures for the Techie in you Annie:
http://www.sparkmuseum.com/WIREREC.HTM

Phil

 

Welcome Geoff from another user of your search engine.

 

I lived around "Ham Radio " for years ............

Without the foggiest idea what was being talked about .... all I could say was "hmmmmm !!"

lots of tubes and those little skinny things that had bands of different colours that denoted a number !!

Though my son was doing morse when he was six !!

Nice pictures Phil !!!!!!!!!

 

Was it Tony Hancock? (sadly missed genius)

Thanks Phil, Geoff and annie for the info. Was the Marconi stuff that which GE/Marconi decided to auction about 10 years ago? And what happened? I presume a lot of Marconi trained wireless men ended up in the RE. Is there a memorial or roll of honour to these men, anyone know of any?

 

Yes Geoff, it was Tony Hancock.

There doesn't appear to be a Roll of Honour in the Marconi Archives.

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/wmss/online/modern/marconi/marconi.html

Phil

 

I found one !!!!! but there's some other interesting stuff there too !!

And this is for you guys first !!!!

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-3mIrP68QBe4/tony_hancock_yellow_jack/

In the Catalogue of the Marconi Archives .... you'll find this .....

A.14.5 World War 1: other papers, 1914-20

Shelfmarks: MSS. Marconi 358-361

Miscellaneous papers relating to wireless in World War 1, 1914-18
Shelfmark: MS. Marconi 358
Extent: 1 folder

Scope and Content:
Includes
note of an intercepted wireless message in German announcing the outbreak of war, copied down by H.J. Round, 1914
letter from Godfrey Isaacs to Guglielmo Marconi advising that experiments with America are not possible, reporting on speculation as to the side Italy will take in the war, and referring to the hope of concluding the contract for the Imperial stations, Sept. 1914
letter from the Home Office advising it is not possible to grant exemption to Marconi from the Alien Restrictions Order to allow him to travel more freely, Nov. 1914
correspondence with the War Office about a visit by Marconi to the headquarters in France, 1915
letter from Lord Kitchener to Marconi in appreciation of Marconi's success in organising the manufacture of cartridges for rifles loaned by the Italian Government to Russia, 1915
wartime annual report of the U.S. Naval Radio Service, 1915
copies of the message announcing the cessation of hostilities, with related papers, Nov. 1918
letter from Field Marshal Douglas Haig to the Wireless Press Ltd., expressing thanks for the services performed by wireless telegraphists throughout the war, 1918
letter from Admiral David Beatty to Marconi, expressing thanks for the service of wireless ratings, operators and equipment in HM Navy, 1918
summary of Roll of Honour for the company, c.1918
letter from W.R. Cross, Marconi International Marine Communication Company Traffic Manager, to H.W. Allen giving a history of the work of the department during the war, including details of the recruitment and training of ships' radio officers, 1921

Volume of printed letters to men on service including news of staff in the forces, extracts from correspondence received, and rolls of honour, 1916-19
Shelfmark: MS. Marconi 359
Extent: 1 vol.

Administrative correspondence relating to the employment of Isaac Shoenberg, a former employee of the Russian company, in Britain, 1914-17
Shelfmark: MS. Marconi 360
Extent: 1 folder

Incomplete typescript draft of 'Wireless in the War' by Harold Begbie, with related correspondence, 1919-20
Shelfmark: MS. Marconi 361
Extent: 1 box

Scope and Content:
Draft of the book with chapters 4, 10, 11, 12 and 15 missing, possibly removed because of the sensitivity of the content; internal company correspondence directing adverse criticism at the draft overall; correspondence from the Directors of Military and Naval Intelligence with criticism noting material that should not be published in the national interest.

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/wmss/online/modern/marconi/marconi.html

 

See that room Tony Hancocks got ? .... we had one of them ! ... "The Shack "

Bl**dy antennas all over the roof .... scared skinny - in case we had a gale force wind - that brought it all down and killed us all !!!!!!!

( took 5 burly fellahs to put it up !! )

Those were the days ....................

 

Thank you for that bit of nostalgia Annie.

Well done!!!!
You obviously had a bit more patience. I started going bleary eyed scanning down that lot.

 

Heres something for you guys to read when you have a spare few hours ......

Full text of "Telephony without wires" 1915

http://www.archive.org/stream/telephonywithout00couriala/telephonywithout00couriala_djvu.txt

Enjoy !!

Annie

 

Are you taking the Michael?

How about running off a couple of dozen of these to keep you busy

http://www.hjsstudio.com/redbala.html

Enjoy!!!!!