16.6 Wembley Through the 1930s
and the Outbreak of War
The beginning of the 1930s coincided with the industrial depression in the
States and Europe and the Laboratories were encouraged to be as financially
prudent as possible. In the event however, the steady growth which began in
1919 was to continue until the outbreak of the second world war in 1939.
During the decade, progress was made in research groups across most areas.
The lamp group with which Robert had been initially involved developed the
first high pressure mercury lamps, a practical and commercial low pressure
sodium lamp, a mains voltage tubular florescent lamp and the illuminationgroup matched these developments with practical applications of the mercury
lamps for street lighting and the use of fluorescent lamps in big stores—and
indeed in the laboratories themselves. Throughout the 1930s the transmitting
and receiving valve groups continued their development of triodes and
multigrid valves, developments which culminated in the CAT14 series. But
the techniques involved were equally applicable to small valves, and this work,
especially relating to the metal-to-glass seals, was to be important in meeting
the requirements of various valves for radar, navigation etc. during the war.
Robert’s remarkably eclectic contribution to the work of the Laboratories’
valve-group can be seen from the fifteen patents submitted by him on behalf
of GEC-Marconi over the decade, the majority of which were in his name
alone and submitted after Peter’s death (see also Appendix D). Thus, we had
‘improvements in or relating to …’;
methods for modulating high frequency transmitters (1932), electric discharge devices (1933), electric arc converters (1934), thermionic
valves (1935), switches for converting electric currents (1936), electric discharge devices (1936), thermionic valves and other electric discharge devices (1936), electric discharge devices with indirectly heated
cathodes (1936), electric discharge devices with external cooled
anodes (1936), demountable electric discharge devices (1937), thermionic
valves (1937), large thermionic valves (1937), air-cooled thermionic
valves (1938), thermionic amplifiers (1938) and, the cooling of external metal
parts of electric discharge devices (1939).
The decade also saw the first appearance of the GEC Journal (1930), in which
much of the Laboratories’ work was published, but apart from his 1936 paper
on large transmitting valves Robert seemed to confine his publication efforts
to patent applications.
36
396
D. Sheppard
and the Outbreak of War
The beginning of the 1930s coincided with the industrial depression in the
States and Europe and the Laboratories were encouraged to be as financially
prudent as possible. In the event however, the steady growth which began in
1919 was to continue until the outbreak of the second world war in 1939.
During the decade, progress was made in research groups across most areas.
The lamp group with which Robert had been initially involved developed the
first high pressure mercury lamps, a practical and commercial low pressure
sodium lamp, a mains voltage tubular florescent lamp and the illuminationgroup matched these developments with practical applications of the mercury
lamps for street lighting and the use of fluorescent lamps in big stores—and
indeed in the laboratories themselves. Throughout the 1930s the transmitting
and receiving valve groups continued their development of triodes and
multigrid valves, developments which culminated in the CAT14 series. But
the techniques involved were equally applicable to small valves, and this work,
especially relating to the metal-to-glass seals, was to be important in meeting
the requirements of various valves for radar, navigation etc. during the war.
Robert’s remarkably eclectic contribution to the work of the Laboratories’
valve-group can be seen from the fifteen patents submitted by him on behalf
of GEC-Marconi over the decade, the majority of which were in his name
alone and submitted after Peter’s death (see also Appendix D). Thus, we had
‘improvements in or relating to …’;
methods for modulating high frequency transmitters (1932), electric discharge devices (1933), electric arc converters (1934), thermionic
valves (1935), switches for converting electric currents (1936), electric discharge devices (1936), thermionic valves and other electric discharge devices (1936), electric discharge devices with indirectly heated
cathodes (1936), electric discharge devices with external cooled
anodes (1936), demountable electric discharge devices (1937), thermionic
valves (1937), large thermionic valves (1937), air-cooled thermionic
valves (1938), thermionic amplifiers (1938) and, the cooling of external metal
parts of electric discharge devices (1939).
The decade also saw the first appearance of the GEC Journal (1930), in which
much of the Laboratories’ work was published, but apart from his 1936 paper
on large transmitting valves Robert seemed to confine his publication efforts
to patent applications.
36
396
D. Sheppard