Thursday, June 10, 2004
Having deleted old test posts, I want to use this blog for the co-operative research project on George William ("Bill") Hartland, in particular relating to his WWII secret work on the Proximity Fuse at Salford Electrical Instruments, Silk Street, Salford 3, Lancashire ("SEI" - later GEC-Plessy Telecommunications - then Marconi Communications which, I believe, is still part of Marconi Plc [= most of old GEC].
Family lore - mainly through his brother Malcolm - has it that he invented this device. I recall that Malcolm used to talk of coming home to find Bill working on strange devices which, when Bill invited Malcolm to approach them, started to hum.
It seems reasonably certain that he was a) at least in the team b) was said to be heading the project team c) may have been the inventor.[Note: US sites claim this to be an American invention; however there was much UK-US cooperation and information sharing in WWII e.g. on radar [in which SEI seems to have been involved too on UK side - see links below]
Some preliminary searching has found some links, namely
Proximity Fuse (US Navy) Definition
SEI - see reference to Henry Cobden Turner
R V Jones - see reference to Henry Cobden Turner
I have also exchanged emails with one former SEI employee who did not know Bill (he was only there for a short time in late 40's / early 50's) but said he thought there was a SEI historian / history website [unable to find this yet].
In the early(?) 1950's, the local (Swinton & Pendlebury Journal?) interviewed Bill Hartland on this secret work (my recollection was that it was a "bomb-aiming device" but this clearly ties in with proximity fuse)
My aim is to have a co-operative effort among all interested parties to research this matter and try to establish a coherent a story as possible of this remarkable man to serve as a valuable part of the Hartland family history.
Family lore - mainly through his brother Malcolm - has it that he invented this device. I recall that Malcolm used to talk of coming home to find Bill working on strange devices which, when Bill invited Malcolm to approach them, started to hum.
It seems reasonably certain that he was a) at least in the team b) was said to be heading the project team c) may have been the inventor.[Note: US sites claim this to be an American invention; however there was much UK-US cooperation and information sharing in WWII e.g. on radar [in which SEI seems to have been involved too on UK side - see links below]
Some preliminary searching has found some links, namely
Proximity Fuse (US Navy) Definition
SEI - see reference to Henry Cobden Turner
R V Jones - see reference to Henry Cobden Turner
I have also exchanged emails with one former SEI employee who did not know Bill (he was only there for a short time in late 40's / early 50's) but said he thought there was a SEI historian / history website [unable to find this yet].
In the early(?) 1950's, the local (Swinton & Pendlebury Journal?) interviewed Bill Hartland on this secret work (my recollection was that it was a "bomb-aiming device" but this clearly ties in with proximity fuse)
My aim is to have a co-operative effort among all interested parties to research this matter and try to establish a coherent a story as possible of this remarkable man to serve as a valuable part of the Hartland family history.
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