Detailed History 1911 to 1961
1911
It is an established fact
that the first Wireless Club in the country was formed in Derby during
the year 1911. Prior to this there was an Association run by the
periodical, "Model Engineer." Our local model engineering enthusiasts
were experimenting with the new science of wireless. In the Spring of
1911, Professor G. P. Bailey gave a lecture in the Derby Guildhall,
entitled "Scientific Progress in Our Time" and demonstrated the ringing
of bells and lighting of lamps with wireless waves. This prompted the
local experimenters to form a group and with the guidance of Mr. S.
Grimwood-Taylor and Mr. Alan Trevelyan Lee the Derby Wireless Club was
founded. Original founder-members included Messrs. Carl L. Drury; L. W.
Bemrose, S. W. Thompstone, G. E. Mart, F. Jolley, R. A....1 Briggs, H~
Latham, A. B. Hulme, G. M. Bowles, J. Lowe, J. W. Downes, F. Nuttall,
K. and G. Haslam, W. Harris, E. S. and R. Huson, H. Canham, T. G. C.
Hill and J. Parsons, who acted as the first Secretary. A room in Old
Bank Chambers, Iron Gate, Derby, was used as an experimental station.
The Station Call Letters were QIX.
1912
Having established the
station, books were purchased and a lending library started. During the
year, through the pages of a periodical, "English Mechanic and. World
of Science," the Club gave valuable advice to other amateurs in various
parts and subscriptions for membership were arriving daily. On August
12th of this year, the Amateur Radio Movement was officially recognised
in the USA. Our local newspaper, the "Derby Daily Express," carried
several reports of the activity in Derby and even reported the weather
as received from Paris.
1913
On Saturday, January
18th, the Club Rooms were vacated. An Exhibition was presented at the
Club's new rooms at 47 full Street, Derby. This received a full-page
coverage in the February 6th issue of the "Daily Sketch." On May 7th
there was a column in the "Daily News & Leader" devoted to the;
Derby Wireless Men's Club. In the July 9th issue of this same paper,
under the heading "Aerial Music," reference was made to the Club and
Mr. Lee's cigar box receiver. The February issue of the "Model
Engineer" carried a letter with a plea for other towns to start
Wireless Clubs. Correspondence ensued with several notable people of
the day, resulting in the formation of numerous Clubs, among them, the
Birmingham Wireless Association, the Croydon Wireless and Physical
Society, Northampton and Bristol Wireless Clubs. The London Wireless
Club was formed on July 5th and re-formed as the Wireless Society of
London on October 10th.
1914
Up till now the Office of
President had remained vacant. However, Sir Henry Norman, MP agreed to
become the first President. An invitation from the Royal Cornwall
Polytechnic Society to participate in their Exhibition during August
was cancelled due to the outbreak of hostilities. It was during this
year that Nottingham formed a Wireless Club and that Hiram Percy Maxim
founded the American Radio Relay League. During the war years, members
put their knowledge to good use in one' or other of the Services, but
tenancy of the Club Room was terminated in favour of a smaller room at
the Mechanics' Institute in the Wardwick. This helped to conserve the
finances.
1919
With the return of
members from active service, interest again started and the total
fully-paid membership as shown on the 31st December was twenty-two.
1920
The ninth Annual General
Meeting, held at 95 Canal Street, Derby, on January 2nd, was attended
by thirty-six when the Principal of the Derby Technical College, F. W.
Shurlock, Esq.-, B.A., B.Sc., was elected to the office of President,
the Secretary being Capt. W. L. Bemrose. Affiliation to the Wireless
Society of London was approved and meetings were transferred to Room 24
at the Technical College.
1921
This was the year of the
transatlantic tests on the short waves, in which several members
co-operated. Meetings were now being held alternately at the Technical
College and Mr. A. T. Lee's residence at The Court, Alvaston, Derby.
Meetings took the form of informal discussions, lectures and
demonstrations of small spark transmitters, crystal receivers, simple
valve transmitters and receivers and radio telephone apparatus,
1922
On May 12th, the "Derby
Daily Express," under "A Derbeian Diary," featured a paragraph on the
Club's activities with a photograph of Mr. A. T. Lee's sister
broadcasting to members the result of the Carpentier-Lewis fight the
previous night. During this year a Miss Austin was elected to
membership. The Dutch concerts from The Hague were a popular Sunday
afternoon attraction and at the annual general meeting when thirty four
members were in attendance the sum of£1 is. was voted to the Dutch
Concerts Fund. On 11th November, the Wireless Society of London was
changed to the Radio Society of Great Britain.
1923
Membership now totalled
91 and Club premises were changed twice, meetings being held first at
the Shaftesbury Restaurant, and then above the "Derby Daily Express"
offices in St. Peter's Street, Derby.
1924
During the past two
years, experiments had been carried out by Mr. A. T. Lee and Club
members, with telephony transmission from below ground to surface in
the mines. The apparatus used was exhibited during this year at the
Club Wireless Exhibition.
1925
Club finances were
suffering due to the increased cost of room rent and to save further
expense the Club moved to a room in St. James's Street, Derby.
Membership in 1925 dropped to forty-four, possibly due to the increase
of subscription which was enforced to offset the increasing financial
liability.
1926
Activity increased in
spite of the reduced membership. Members co-operated with the Derby
Branch of the Wireless League, Derby Rotary Club, Derby Railway
Institute Radio Society, Bemrose Radio Society, Ripley and District
Radio Society and members of the Post Office Engineering Staff to
provide wireless for the patients in Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. The
Chairman of the Technical Committee was E. V. R. Martin, G2TL, a very
early member of the Club, and the installation -was officially
presented to the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary on Monday, November 15th.
The "Derby Daily Express" for November 15th and 16th carried full-page
articles with photographs of the presentation.
1928
October of this year saw
some changes in the transmitting licence conditions, to take effect
from the 1st January, 1929. Finances were such that the Club did not
renew its affiliation to the R.S.G.B. E. V. R. Martin, 2TL, was busy
experimenting with Television.
1929
With effect from 1st
January, existing licences to transmit were terminated, the prefix G
was essential, as was the need to measure the sending frequency to a
greater degree of accuracy. This led to the non-renewal of some of the
Old-Timers' calls. It was estimated that of the previous total of 1,500
licences, only 900 had been renewed. On January 15th, E. V. R. Martin
gave a demonstration of Television with his home-constructed
transmitter and receiver in the Mechanics' Institute. The 18th annual
general meeting of the Club was held at Messrs. Richardson's, Eagle
Street, Derby on January 17th, when E. V. R. Martin was added to the
list of vice-presidents.
1930
The straight receiver was
in popular vogue and as a matter of passing interest, the BBC reported
that they had received some 7,023 complaints of interference caused by
oscillating detectors. An interest in direction finding had started
among local enthusiasts, possibly due to the dearth of radiating
oscillators.
1931
The Amateur was still
only permitted to broadcast for two hours out of every twenty-four, a
reason for the Club's visit to Bass's Brewery on July 1st. The winter
session commenced with meetings of the Derby Wireless Club in the
Lecture Room at the Pear Tree Branch Public Library.
1932
The coming-of age of the
Derby Wireless Club was celebrated with a dinner at the Irongates Hotel
on February 8th. Among those present were many of the founder and early
members of the Club.
1933
Membership remained
constant, activity being centred around demonstrations and visits, but
to cater for the short-wave enthusiast the Derby Short-wave Club was
formed, the Secretary being Gil White, G2BOW. It was on
January 27th of this year that W. A. Mead G5YY (first Chairman of D.
& D.A.R.S.) was elected Secretary of the Burton-on Trent Radio
Society.
1934
A visit to the Rugby
Radio Station was organised.
1935
The G.P.O. incorporated a
new clause in the Amateur Licence forbidding social or political
propaganda. The Derby Short-wave Experimental society was busy
organising lectures.
1936
The Silver Jubilee of the
Derby Wireless Club was celebrated with a dinner at the Irongates on
the 28th October when a presentation was made to the founder-members,
Messrs. S. G. Taylor and A. T. Lee. In November, Mr. E. V. R. Martin,
as Chairman of the Derby Wireless Club accepted the office of President
of the Derby Short-wave Experimental Society.
1937
The writer joined the
Derby Wireless Club. Membership had risen to seventy-one and an evening
to remember was the demonstration of the Voigt loudspeaker at the
residence of Mr. W.Bemrose. Visits during the summer months were most
popular and included the Ford Works at Dagenham, G.E.C. Coventry, Mr.
Lee's model railway at, Etwall, the Bemrose Printing Works and the
Derby and Notts. Generating Station at Spondon. The first lecture of
the winter session was by Mr. J. D. Price on September 30th, his
subject being "Early Experiments in Wireless." April 10th saw the
erection of an aerial on the Police Headquarters in Derwent Street, the
feeders being attached on the 13th. This was for experiments on the
five-metre band between a car and headquarters, the tests being carried
out by A. K Hazlehurst, G5HT and Reg Street, G2SD.
1939
During the early months
of this year, field events were being discussed. R.S.G.B. members were
interested in the National Field Day stations being operated in
District 4. On Sunday, June 25th, tests were carried out to provide
five-metre telephony around the outskirts of the town and across.
District 4 R.S.G.B. members won the N.F.D. Trophy with a score of 655
points. With the outbreak of the second world war transmitting activity
ceased, all apparatus being confiscated by the authorities. The number
of local stations at this time amounted to seventeen fully-licensed
amateurs and eighteen artificial aerial licences. Mr. S. G. Taylor
formulated a listening group.
1941
H. C. Murfitt, B.R.S.,
4071, appealed for R.S.G.B. members to form a local group.
1942
Gil White, G2OU, agreed
to accept the office of scribe for Derby R.S.G.B. members. Pre-war
R.S.G.B. meetings were usually held at the Trent Bridge Hotel in
Nottingham, there being insufficient support for meetings in Derby.
1943
Casual meetings were
arranged by Gil White, G2OU, these being held at 43 Kenilworth Avenue,
or at Les Jackson's residence at Franklin Drive, Alvaston.
1944
District 4 R.S.G.B.
members attended the first Provincial District Meeting to be held in
Leicester. During this year, Mr. S. G. Taylor passed away, the town
losing a very keen supporter for the amateur radio movement.
1945
R.S.G.B. meetings
continued in February: Bill James, G6XM demonstrated his 22-valve
receiver.
1947
Came the return to civvy
Street - and due to the extensive use of radio in the Services, the bug
had bitten quite a number of the younger generation. Meetings of the
Derby Wireless Club were recommenced at the Technical College, under
the secretaryship of Mr. A. W. Elliott, the theme of the lectures being
Radar. Derby Short-wave Experimental Society started their informal
meetings at Nunsfield House, Boulton Lane, Alvaston. There was now
quite a large number of local R.S.G.B. members. A group was formed by
Alan Grindrod, B.R.S. 9577, and meetings were held in a room at St.
Thomas's Road, Derby. Alan Bryan, G8BN, started a Basic Radio Course
pending the re-issue of transmitting licences. A combined effort to
enter a Station for the first post-war R.S.G.B. National Field Day was
a flop and the R.S.G.B. Group being short of funds. Discussion took
place in November regarding the formation of the Derby &
District Amateur Radio Society. Membership was to be open to all on
payment of a five-shilling subscription, the Society to cater for all
aspects of radio and electronics, both technically and socially. The
Secretary during the first few months was Mr. Steadman and the Hon.
Treasurer, Mr. H. Clamp, G2CRL.
1948
The constitution of the
new Society had not yet been confirmed and at an extraordinary general
meeting on - the 30th -June, a new Committee was proposed and Mr. Alan
Alsbury, B.R.S. 12789, agreed to assist the writer in sorting out the
paper work, whilst Mr. W. R. Chaffe, G2DLJ, agreed to work on the rules
to be adopted. On July 7th the Chair was taken by Mr. W. A. Mead, G5YY
and a draft set of rules perused. The first technical lecture
demonstration was on August 4th, when R. Bonner Williamson, G5RW, spoke
on Crystal Grinding for the Amateur. Membership at this time was
thirty-eight, being composed mainly of R.S.G.B. members who were also
members of the other local organisations. The services of an early
Derby Wireless Club member, John Goodwin, 2NC, were co-opted and a
series of lectures and demonstrations on Practical Television for the
Amateur were commenced. Attendance at meetings rose rapidly, such that
the room at 67b London Road was incapable of holding the audience. The
Society co-operated with the Local Model Engineering Society and put on
a display at the local exhibition. Gil White, G2OU, built the Society a
transmitter for participation in contests. At the close of the
financial year the Society's membership stood at seventy.
1949
The Society's first
annual dinner was held at the Grandstand Hotel on February 9th. Shortly
afterwards, A. G. G. Melville, F.R.C.S., consultant at the Derbyshire
Royal Infirmary, accepted office as the Society's President. The Call
Sign G3ERD was obtained for the Society. Member J. A. Headworth started
the magazine for the Local Hams, G 3 Experimental Radio Derby. In the
National Field Day, the Society scored 758 points and came sixth out of
the entries in Great Britain. Social evenings were organised on the
last Thursday in each month at the Post Office Social Club. The
premises, 67b London Road, were vacated and the Society's headquarters
became the subbasement in the College of Art, Green Lane, Derby. On
June 22nd, an invitation was received from the Derby Wireless club for
members to join them on their visit to the Whitely Electrical Works at
Mansfield and on November 19th the Wireless Club members heard Mr. A.
B. Vaughn speak on Electron Optics.
1950
On June 14th, Derby
Wireless Club founder-member A. T. Lee spoke to Society members on the
history of the Club. The first Direction Finding contest was arranged
for June 25th. On July 5th an extraordinary general meeting approved
the increase in subscriptions from five shillings to seven shillings
and sixpence, to cover the rent of additional premises at Swarkestone.
The first annual outing to the Hobbies Exhibition at London was
arranged. The magazine editor, Ron Naylor, left for Canada.
1951
Renewals were slow in
forthcoming although a very full and attractive programme for this year
had been arranged which included an elementary series of lectures for
the juniors by E. Shimmin. In September, Jock Smith, G3EMJ, gave the
first lecture on single sideband transmission. Later that year the
Society's historic section created Quite an attraction at the
Exhibition in the Becket Sale Rooms. October 17th saw a large gathering
at the Grandstand Hotel for the R.S.G.B. official regional meeting-the
first to be held in Derby. The organisation for this event was in the
capable hands of Charles Drink-water, G3FNK. Towards the end of this
year, correspondence was entered into with the secretary of the Derby
Wireless Club, Tom W. Brown, and the Hon. Treasurer, Les. Corbett, with
a view to amalgamation. Members assisted in the Festival of Britain's
Land Travelling Exhibition at Nottingham. To increase funds, the
Society was now participating in public address ventures at various
functions.
1952
Bill Mead, G5YY, who had
served as Chairman since 1948 had to relinquish office in view of his
move to Leicester and Maurice Swift, G3IUK, was welcomed to the chair.
Tom Darn, G3FGY, took over Editorship of the Club Magazine. On 19th
February the committee of the Derby Wireless Club decided that no more
meetings were to be held for the present. At the annual dinner on the
29th February, Mr. W. A. Mead was presented with a clock by the
Society. The Society won an R.S.G.B. miniature, having attained the
highest score in the first two-metre field event held in May and
contested from Harborough Rocks, Brassington. The Chairman organised
the first annual Christmas party.
1953
One item of note during
this year was the visit to the Sutton Coldfield Television Station. The
Society assisted at the Hobbies Exhibitions at Matlock and Ripley. A
special Coronation issue of the Society's Magazine was edited by Tom
Darn, G3FGY, which included pictures by Jack Hibberd, G3MXI. This was
the last issue, due to the expense involved.
1954
The Society was presented with a
Trophy by G5YY, to be contested for annually. The first to receive this
trophy was Tom Darn, G3FGY. On March 3rd a meeting was convened between
Committee members of our Society and the Committee and founder-members
of the Derby Wireless Club, when agreement was reached that our Society
incorporate the name of the Derby Wireless Club 1911 within the
Society's title.
1955
June 15th saw an
introduction to Radio Astronomy when member Ken Stevens described the
construction of the Radio Telescope he was building at his residence in
Oaklands Avenue, Littleover. The founder-members of the Derby Wireless
Club were elected to honorary membership of the Society.
1956
The Society's second
trophy was presented by the President, Mr. A. G. G. Melville and
contested for on July 1st, the winner being Fred Clay, G3IBL.
"Isotopes" was the subject of the President's lecture on March 14th,
held at the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary.
1957
Under the organising hand
of the Chairman, Maurice Swift, -G3IUK, the two-metre station was again
operated from Harborough Rocks, the points scored gaining the Society
its second miniature.
1958
Ken Stevens' radio
telescope now being operational, members heard of the latest
achievements at Oaklands Amateur Observatory on June 25th. This was
supported by a cine' film covering the past five years' work. On August
17th, the Society, in collaboration with the Derby Short-wave
Experimental Society and the 21 NM Corps (NM) Radio Club, held its
first Mobile Rally at Rykneld Schools, an event which is one of the
most popular annual social gatherings. During October, the Society had
a stand at the S.S.A.F.A. Exhibition in the Drill Hall, Derby when
numerous copies of the "Do you belong to a Radio Society?" (a re-write
of E. V. R. Martin's pamphlet) were distributed. Interest in Direction
Finding was at last catching on.
1959
Norman Birkett, G3EKX,
won the President's trophy for direction-finding for the second year in
succession. The Society organised the R.S.G.B. National
Direction-finding Final event on October 6th, when only one team found
the two hidden stations. On February 18th, at the invitation of Victor
Buckland, over one hundred members and friends visited "Studio B" for
an excellent demonstration of stereo and hi-fl sound. In April the
Chemical Plant at British Celanese was toured, our guide being member
Fred Clay, G3IBL. June 10th was the occasion of members visiting the
first Amateur Radio Telescope at Ken Stevens' house, when the abilities
of the twenty-five-foot dish was demonstrated. The second Mobile Rally
was held on August 16th when over 1,000 visitors were signed in.
1961
The Golden Jubilee Year,
when the foundation of the Derby Wireless Club was celebrated with a
dinner and dance at the Derbyshire Yeoman on April 23rd. Guests of
honour included Major General Eric Cole, C.B., C.B.E., G2EC, President
of the Radio Society of Great Britain, the Director of Education for
the County Borough of Derby, C. Middleton, Esq., M.A., the Chief
Constable of Derbyshire, W. E. Pitts, Esq., and Derby Wireless Club
founder-members, Alan Trevelyan Lee, Esq., Carl L. Drury, Esq., G. Eric
Mart, Esq., together with Derby Wireless Club members, Arthur K.
Hazlehurst and E. Vivian R. Martin.
The foregoing is a brief history of activity throughout the first fifty years, extracted from records held in the Society's archives. It is not possible in the space provided to include every detail, nor include by name all those persons who have worked so hard for the Amateur Radio movement in Derby and District. Apologies are tendered to those who have received no mention. FRED C. WARD, G2CVV.