On this Day – 24th July

On this day in 1935, aircraft from RAF Martlesham Heath was detected by the experimental radar station on Orford Ness at a distance of 40 miles during a test, with the response received by ‘the Islanders’ strong enough to tell that there were, in fact, three aircraft being used in the test. By September, the range of the system was consistently 40 miles, a figure that was doubled by the end of the year and increased by early 1936.

Despite this success, space on Orford Ness was limited and a new site with more space to construct the necessary buildings and towers required was sought. Bawdsey Manor, and the surrounding estate, proved ideal for this and it was here, behind the manicured gardens and grand façade, that the radar technology that proved vital in the Battle of Britain was developed.

Want to learn more about radar and the men and women who operated it? Visit Bawdsey Radar!

Learn more here: https://www.bawdseyradar.org.uk/visit/