16.5 September 1934, a Professional Pinnacle
—BBC Droitwich
It is difficult to understand how one gets life back on track after such a tragedy.
The social inclusion between all levels of staff at Wembley under Paterson may
have helped both Robert and Emily to come through this difficult time. Even so,
as the years passed, Chirnside’s Obituary of Robert (Chap. 18), records that
Robert rarely spoke of Peter, maintaining instead a quiet dignity which was
simply ’his way’. Like many men, he may too have eased the pain by throwing
himself into his work, and at the time there happened to be much work to do
with the imminent commissioning of the new giant BBC super-broadcasting
station at Droitwich which had the M-OV valve group’s awesome CAT14s at its
beating heart. Other than the coming war years, Droitwich probably represented a pinnacle in the professional careers of many of the original Marconi
valve group. In turn, Droitwich was a milestone for the BBC, and indeed for the
broadcasting world. Today, radio and television broadcasts are ubiquitous;
available 24/7, digital, high quality, terrestrial and satellite. But in 1934,
Droitwich made broadcasting history and became the very model of a modern
transmitting station whose technology was exported world wide. Through his
work on the development of large radio transmitting valves, Robert had helped
to make a significant contribution to what was at the time another ‘cutting edge’
technology. Without which super broadcasting and even radar may not have
been achievable.
16.5.1 Droitwich, Construction and Opening
35
The development of broadcasting in the UK over the previous ten years had
naturally mirrored transmitter technology. By 1925 there were over 20
medium wave stations in operation centred in large towns and cities all over
the country. Today, these would be regarded as local radio stations. With the
creation of the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1927
5 the broadcasting
structure gradually developed into a regional service, the low power stations
being replaced by ‘high-power’ transmitters serving seven regions
of the British Isles. The new stations—transmitting on two wavelengths—
gave listeners the choice of a regional or national programme. By 1930 for
example, the Midland region was served by the two transmitters situated at
Daventry; the regional midland programme on medium-wave and the national
programme on long-wave. At just 25 kW, Daventry 5XX long-wave was
unable to cover the whole of the British Isles as originally intended and it was
392
D. Sheppard
—BBC Droitwich
It is difficult to understand how one gets life back on track after such a tragedy.
The social inclusion between all levels of staff at Wembley under Paterson may
have helped both Robert and Emily to come through this difficult time. Even so,
as the years passed, Chirnside’s Obituary of Robert (Chap. 18), records that
Robert rarely spoke of Peter, maintaining instead a quiet dignity which was
simply ’his way’. Like many men, he may too have eased the pain by throwing
himself into his work, and at the time there happened to be much work to do
with the imminent commissioning of the new giant BBC super-broadcasting
station at Droitwich which had the M-OV valve group’s awesome CAT14s at its
beating heart. Other than the coming war years, Droitwich probably represented a pinnacle in the professional careers of many of the original Marconi
valve group. In turn, Droitwich was a milestone for the BBC, and indeed for the
broadcasting world. Today, radio and television broadcasts are ubiquitous;
available 24/7, digital, high quality, terrestrial and satellite. But in 1934,
Droitwich made broadcasting history and became the very model of a modern
transmitting station whose technology was exported world wide. Through his
work on the development of large radio transmitting valves, Robert had helped
to make a significant contribution to what was at the time another ‘cutting edge’
technology. Without which super broadcasting and even radar may not have
been achievable.
16.5.1 Droitwich, Construction and Opening
35
The development of broadcasting in the UK over the previous ten years had
naturally mirrored transmitter technology. By 1925 there were over 20
medium wave stations in operation centred in large towns and cities all over
the country. Today, these would be regarded as local radio stations. With the
creation of the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1927
5 the broadcasting
structure gradually developed into a regional service, the low power stations
being replaced by ‘high-power’ transmitters serving seven regions
of the British Isles. The new stations—transmitting on two wavelengths—
gave listeners the choice of a regional or national programme. By 1930 for
example, the Midland region was served by the two transmitters situated at
Daventry; the regional midland programme on medium-wave and the national
programme on long-wave. At just 25 kW, Daventry 5XX long-wave was
unable to cover the whole of the British Isles as originally intended and it was
392
D. Sheppard