have been made on them – nervous, emotional as well as physical. It is in
their home life that people have felt the controls and restrictions, the privations and the burden of work …
And, anticipating ‘… the organised quarrelling which is to start up politically after the war
…’ another year passed.
1945 began with a seventh decoration for the Laboratories when A.
G. Pearce, then leader of magnetron pre-production, received a ‘well
deserved’ MBE in the New Year Honours, but January saw little developments of note, except for the first approximation by Paterson of the ‘after-war’
laboratory organization. By the end of the month he and Oliver Humphreys
had produced a second approximation of some 900 staff and annual costs of
about £325,000. The remaining few months of the war Diary are littered
with ideas for the engagement of the Laboratories in peace time viz., police
radio, cinema equipment in discussions with Sir Alexander Korda and the
Rank organisation, Jessops entered the fray as did the Kodak company
together with the ‘knotty problem’ of the junior technical assistants as these
were dead-end occupations if these fellows were not going in for research.
Each advance of the Allies was also recorded but during these months only a
rare mention of Robert, now in his sixties and just a few years from
retirement.
In an entry on 07 May 7th 1945, at 5.15 pm, the war diary anticipates the
final victory in Europe;
The weekend has brought news of surrenders and successes and the end
was obviously near. Today we hear that cease fire has been ordered by
Hitler’s successor to all forces – submarines are to cease operations and
return to base. The great announcement of VE day has been expected
momentarily but has not yet come through. If it comes through this evening
we shall close for Tuesday and Wednesday.
followed on 08 and 09 May with Paterson’s economic, unemotional, ‘matter
of fact’ closing remarks;
Public holidays and rejoicing. We have now passed into the post-war era,
this five and a half year diary comes to an end. At our pre-production
meeting, Pearce announced that we had made 295,138 valves.
57
And so it was that Wembley’s war was finally over.
442
D. Sheppard
their home life that people have felt the controls and restrictions, the privations and the burden of work …
And, anticipating ‘… the organised quarrelling which is to start up politically after the war
…’ another year passed.
1945 began with a seventh decoration for the Laboratories when A.
G. Pearce, then leader of magnetron pre-production, received a ‘well
deserved’ MBE in the New Year Honours, but January saw little developments of note, except for the first approximation by Paterson of the ‘after-war’
laboratory organization. By the end of the month he and Oliver Humphreys
had produced a second approximation of some 900 staff and annual costs of
about £325,000. The remaining few months of the war Diary are littered
with ideas for the engagement of the Laboratories in peace time viz., police
radio, cinema equipment in discussions with Sir Alexander Korda and the
Rank organisation, Jessops entered the fray as did the Kodak company
together with the ‘knotty problem’ of the junior technical assistants as these
were dead-end occupations if these fellows were not going in for research.
Each advance of the Allies was also recorded but during these months only a
rare mention of Robert, now in his sixties and just a few years from
retirement.
In an entry on 07 May 7th 1945, at 5.15 pm, the war diary anticipates the
final victory in Europe;
The weekend has brought news of surrenders and successes and the end
was obviously near. Today we hear that cease fire has been ordered by
Hitler’s successor to all forces – submarines are to cease operations and
return to base. The great announcement of VE day has been expected
momentarily but has not yet come through. If it comes through this evening
we shall close for Tuesday and Wednesday.
followed on 08 and 09 May with Paterson’s economic, unemotional, ‘matter
of fact’ closing remarks;
Public holidays and rejoicing. We have now passed into the post-war era,
this five and a half year diary comes to an end. At our pre-production
meeting, Pearce announced that we had made 295,138 valves.
57
And so it was that Wembley’s war was finally over.
442
D. Sheppard