Echoes of Bawdsey - The Story of Radar

Reach For The Sky

It's June 1940 and most of Europe has fallen under Nazi control. Hitler is planning the invasion of Britain, Operation Sealion, but before that could happen the Luftwaffe had to destroy the RAF. What followed was the first major military campaign fought entirely in the air. The Battle of Britain. Without radar the British would have not won the battle. Notes on the Soundscape: At the end of the episode is a soundscape which is when you record the sounds of a place or event and you capture the atmosphere through the sound. The sound takes your imagination wherever it wants to go and there is no commentary. I was walking from the Bawdsey Manor terrace by the sea, across the gravel path in front of the manor and onto the Bawdsey Village fete in the grounds of the manor, and as I walked around you hear snatches of conversation and noises from the stands and crowds. Soundscape is an technique used in audio and some people use them for ASMR ( Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) to ease stress, relax or even fall asleep to.

War Breaks Out

It's 1939, and Britain has declared war on Germany, but this is the time of the 'phoney war' before any fighting actually started. We find out what the Army and Navy were doing, alongside the RAF, in the race to get radar ready for war. The scientists have to leave Bawdsey for Scotland, but things don't go to plan, and just as things seem hopeless, a major development is made, just in time for our biggest test so far.

Series 2 Echoes of Bawdsey - The Story of Radar

Series 2 Echoes of Bawdsey - The Story of Radar.  In this series, we hear about the part radar played in the Battle of Britain, as well as stories from the people who lived and worked at Bawdsey Manor. We’ll also hear how Bawdsey became an RAF station, how radar is now used everyday, and Bawdsey’s place in young people’s lives and the community today.

Women of Radar

One of the untold stories of the birth of radar at Bawdsey is the part that women played. Even in the early days of radar, women were operating the equipment, long before most people even knew it existed. This episode explores the contribution women played in the development of radar. We hear stories of their determination and bravery and how they fought against prejudice and preconceptions to become a vital part of the war effort. You can read more about the Women of Radar on the Bawdsey Radar Museum Website [https://www.bawdseyradar.org.uk/history/#womenInRadar]

IFF - Identify Friend or Foe

In 1938 the Munich Crisis holds off the threat of war but only for a year, and in that time huge advances are made in the development of radar. Decisions are made on who will manufacture the transmitters and receivers, we fool the Germans with a 50 HZ frequency, and a little device called Pipsqueak helps us identify on the screen who was a friend and who was a foe.