Radar’s unsung hero rests here. This blue plaque commemorates Sir Robert Watson-Watt. It stands at 287 Sheen Lane. He lived here from the late 1930s to the late 1940s.
Sir Robert Watson-Watt was the “father of radar”. He was born in Brechin, Scotland in 1892. He developed an interest in radio waves at University College, Dundee.
In 1915, Watson-Watt became a meteorologist. He worked at the Royal Aircraft Factory at Farnborough. Here, he used short-wave radio. He detected thunderstorms with it.
Two decades later, the Air Ministry called. They wanted to explore a “death ray”. The ray would use radio waves. It would heat enemy aircraft and trigger explosives. Watson-Watt and his assistant A. F. Wilkins examined the idea. They quickly found it would not work. Instead, they bounced a radio wave off a Heyford bomber. This happened at Daventry. It showed the potential of radar detection.
In 1936, Watson-Watt started a research station. It was located at Bawdsey Manor in Suffolk. It operated under the Air Ministry. Britain wasn’t the only country developing radio technology. But Watson-Watt’s team were pioneers. Their systems were first known as Radio Detection Finding. Later the American term RADAR was used. RADAR stands for Radio Detection And Ranging. By autumn 1938, radar systems were in place. They could detect enemy aircraft at any time. This worked in all weather conditions. The systems lined the south and east coasts of England.
Radar became the Allied Forces’ secret weapon. It was crucial during the Battle of Britain in 1940. It gave early warnings of Luftwaffe formations over France. The RAF quickly scrambled aircraft. They intercepted surprised pilots over the channel. Without Watson-Watt’s leadership, this system might not have existed.
Watson-Watt moved to this house on Sheen Lane around 1938 or 1939. He lived here until the late 1940s. He continued to develop radar. He convinced politicians to invest in his project. This was essential for Britain’s defense.
Watson-Watt was knighted in 1942. He later lived in Canada and the US. Eventually, he returned to Scotland. While in Canada, he was caught speeding. A police officer used a radar gun. Watson-Watt reportedly said, “Had I known what you were going to do with it, I would never have invented it!”
This ceramic plaque was placed here in September 2017. It’s a surface-mounted model. This type of plaque is used where the building’s structure is unsuitable. A standard roundel is embedded in brickwork. It needs a depth of about two inches.