Arnold Frederic Wilkins
Encyclopedia
Arnold Frederic Wilkins O.B.E., (born 20 February 1907 in Chorlton
, Cheshire
; died 5 August 1985) was a pioneer in developing the use of radar.
and was educated at The King's School, Chester
and St. John's College, Cambridge.
He was usually known as 'Skip' Wilkins. In an experiment on 26 February 1935 in a field in Northamptonshire
at Stowe Nine Churches
, Wilkins became the first to prove the possibility of radar. Known as the Daventry Experiment, this demonstration detected a plane at a distance of eight miles. A few weeks later at Bawdsey Manor
in Suffolk
, this distance was extended to 17 miles, then 30 miles. Wilkins was the leader of the team designated to develop radar, and was personally responsible for the design of the aerials and positioning of the radar stations.
He later helped to establish the Chain Home
system. This was first proposed as early as December 1935 by Sir Henry Tizard
. Immediate approval was given, and the chain of radar stations was established with great urgency. It was also important that the coastal radar stations did not interfere with grouse shooting
. The first set of five stations opened in 1938.
In 1938, he helped to develop the Identification friend or foe
(IFF) system.
After the war, he worked at the Radio Research Station
in Buckinghamshire
.
His memoirs were written in 1976 and lodged in Churchill College
Library, Cambridge.
Chorlton, Cheshire West and Chester
Chorlton is a civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester and ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. It has a population of 68. The main settlement in the parish is Chorlton Lane.-External links:...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
; died 5 August 1985) was a pioneer in developing the use of radar.
Early life
He was the son of John Knowles Wilkins of ChesterChester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
and was educated at The King's School, Chester
The King's School, Chester
The King's School, Chester is a British coeducational independent 7-18 school situated just outside the city of Chester. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
and St. John's College, Cambridge.
Radar
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
at Stowe Nine Churches
Stowe Nine Churches
Stowe Nine Churches is a civil parish incorporating the settlements of Church Stowe and Upper Stowe in the English county of Northamptonshire.-Name:...
, Wilkins became the first to prove the possibility of radar. Known as the Daventry Experiment, this demonstration detected a plane at a distance of eight miles. A few weeks later at Bawdsey Manor
Bawdsey Manor
Bawdsey Manor stands at a prominent position at the mouth of the River Deben close to the village of Bawdsey in Suffolk, England, about 118 km northeast of London....
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, this distance was extended to 17 miles, then 30 miles. Wilkins was the leader of the team designated to develop radar, and was personally responsible for the design of the aerials and positioning of the radar stations.
He later helped to establish the Chain Home
Chain Home
Chain Home was the codename for the ring of coastal Early Warning radar stations built by the British before and during the Second World War. The system otherwise known as AMES Type 1 consisted of radar fixed on top of a radio tower mast, called a 'station' to provide long-range detection of...
system. This was first proposed as early as December 1935 by Sir Henry Tizard
Henry Tizard
Sir Henry Thomas Tizard FRS was an English chemist and inventor and past Rector of Imperial College....
. Immediate approval was given, and the chain of radar stations was established with great urgency. It was also important that the coastal radar stations did not interfere with grouse shooting
Driven grouse shooting
Driven Grouse Shooting is among the field sports of the United Kingdom. The grouse shooting season runs from the 12th August, often called "The Glorious Twelfth", to the 10th December each year....
. The first set of five stations opened in 1938.
In 1938, he helped to develop the Identification friend or foe
Identification friend or foe
In telecommunications, identification, friend or foe is an identification system designed for command and control. It is a system that enables military and national interrogation systems to identify aircraft, vehicles, or forces as friendly and to determine their bearing and range from the...
(IFF) system.
After the war, he worked at the Radio Research Station
Radio Research Station
The Radio Research Station 1924 - August 31, 1979 at Ditton Park, Buckinghamshire, England was the UK government research laboratory which pioneered the regular observation of the ionosphere by ionosondes in continuous operation since September 20, 1932, and applied the ionosonde technology for the...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
His memoirs were written in 1976 and lodged in Churchill College
Churchill College, Cambridge
Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.In 1958, a Trust was established with Sir Winston Churchill as its Chairman of Trustees, to build and endow a college for 60 fellows and 540 Students as a national and Commonwealth memorial to Winston Churchill; its...
Library, Cambridge.
Personal life
He died in Saxtead, near Framlingham, Suffolk. His widow, Nancy, died in Framlingham in 2011. They are survived by three daughters.Further reading
- Colin Latham and Anne Stobbs, The Birth of British Radar: The Memoirs of Arnold 'Skip' Wilkins, Speedwell for the Defence Electronics History Society 2006, ISBN 0953716627
See also
- Alan BlumleinAlan BlumleinAlan Dower Blumlein was a British electronics engineer, notable for his many inventions in telecommunications, sound recording, stereo, television and radar...
- History of radarHistory of radarThe history of radar starts with experiments by Heinrich Hertz in the late 19th century that showed that radio waves were reflected by metallic objects. This possibility was suggested in James Clerk Maxwell's seminal work on electromagnetism...
- Aeronautical Research CommitteeAeronautical Research CommitteeThe Aeronautical Research Committee was a UK government committee established in 1919 in order to coordinate aeronautical research and education following World War I...
(Tizard Committee)