HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1975-07-24, Page 84•
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AY, Juvy 24,1975
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By AtheriO4ainee
Loudon* 05itaritt
, A few worth written on -a strap
of payer Were deatit4d tO.PeCtinle
tt4e •salvation Of a nstion and, 1n
a .dition, the saviour .etthe free
w rid. These worth form the
beginning of the Story. ,of radar'
which is to remain eeethe
mast faSCirtating to come t of
thenattleof Britain.
In 1934 thearitish Air Ministry,
aware that Britain Was no longer
an island and Was, vide open to
bomber. attack, set -Op is com-
mittee of scientists to investigate
every device which might help in
Air Defence. Nothing was ruled
out- noteven Death Rays.
The possibility of the use of
Death Rays was referred to the
superintendent of the govern,
ment Radio Research Depart-
-merit, Robert (later Sir RObert)
Watson -Watt. His answer was
immediate. It was his opinion
that the amount of energy 'which
_ would be needed to stall an air-
craft engine was far beyond the
practical capacity of any tran-
smitter. but . . , This i was the
but',' which was to decide the
fate of a nation. "But," reported
Watson -Watt. • -the ...amount ,of
energy needed- to detect. instead
of • destroy. an enemy aircraft
could—be rea - y ably, produced
and applied t extension of
radio metioxfs.
' '.,,,t:
This histori .'-'1' remark was .
written on t ,. half sheet of
notepaper and was based an
tillettliiiiMIS which took barely
half an hour to cOmpile; it in-
cluded Wait son -Watt's opinion
that location of aircraft by radio
was worth pursuing. He was told
to ,investigate the possible use of ,
this technique immediately.
Within a month he gave a
demonstration of how an aircraft
could he detected at a distance,.
By the outbreak of war. Britain
had a.net work of detectors which.
in the Battle of Britain. were
rapable o!' guiding fighter-
interePtors to their targets by
means of directions friim the
ground.
During the Battle of Britain.
England W WS blessed with the
totem. fighter aircraft in the
%Aiirld. the Spitfire. as well as the
mirage and ability of the men of
The R.A.F. However. there was a
-.1espeeate shortage of the men
and machines needed to engage
the ,overwhelming number of the
enemy. The eyes of the Radar
iietwiwk muck* it possible to send
up fighter squadrons to intercept
the ene-my and tii provide the
pilots with the height, bearings
inil numbers of enemy PiatiCS
.loproaching. Had the Rallar
network not been 4in existence. it
mould have been ilIMOSt itit-
,lossible for • R.A.F. fighter
squadrons to disperse .the
multitudes of enemy fighters and
bombers which almost con-
tinually attacked Britain during
those niementnus days of the
Battle of. Britain. In addition'to
the network of ground Radar
instailatiens. this amazing in-
vention aided niiiht-fighters in
night4ime interception of the
enemy. Coastal Command
Aircraft in the detection of enemy
shipping and particularly sub-
marines, and BomberCommand
-aircraft in the' improvement of
navigational and bombing ac-
curacy. In addition, both the
. s , Navy and the- Army utilized
Radar for many 9nd diverse
purposes. -
The story of Radar would not
be complete, however, without
including in it- something Of the
tremendous contribution which
Canada made towards the sup-
plying of the highly trained ,
personnel nee,ded, to operate and.,
service the vast quantities of
equipment used in every theatre
of war.
. , ft was absolutely essential that
-theft should be located 0 place,
remote from the. battle area*,
which would resemble. in many' ,
... respects .• the terrain over which ,
- ) the ' aerial conflicts were being
totight, in- southeastern England.
and: In which thousands of men
could be 'safely trained in this
inetvliciancl...
, .
Stith a.,place was discovered
near the -shores of L•alte Huron
and, here, the flot Radar
te414100 -establishment in North,
Amertint came into being in -the
early Summer of 1941. It was
tater to be known as .B.C.4‘17.
station maw, named after the
town of Clinton which was, two
miles north of the , Rad
establishment and- , ap-
proximately fifty miles north of
the city of kondoni Ontario.
The influential U.S. news
magazine Time reported' in
August. 1945: '
-From the time the first
Canadian class moved into
Clinton inthe fall of
1941, following a fourteen week
• basic radio training course at the
University of Toronto, "graluates „
of this school served in every
theatre of war all over the world.
The story of R.C:Ai.F. Clinton
ended in September, 1971, when
be commander Major F.A.
Golding ordered the Canadian
Forces ensign and the national
flag lowered for the last time at
the base, thus ending a 'thirty
year era of military activity in
the COnton area.
The physical aspects of this
famous air -base will be forgotten
hut the memories of one* of the
d v lo
cradles of "The Miraele of Today, Radar- has progressed eyes of the "Few" who 41/
Radar" will -long be remem- considerably since World War 11 England during the dark days
bere.. but it will always beknoWn as the the Battle of Britain.
•
TII railway station war Once the centre
ifftafttation leaving in 1014 testifies.
0. 4
of communication for Clinton, as this picture of the
Serving Clinton since 1967
WILFRED
McINTEE
& CO. LTD.
Real Estate Brokers
Joins
in the solute for
Clinton's
Centennial
Fs r prompt service
in baying er selling
all real estate properties,
the maa to ses is Manse
• Clarke Zinn
Best wishes from our staffs
Peter Darninto
Goderich, Ont. RR 54, Clinton
524449 MAIO
•44.4 .0.•10
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