HISTORICAL SNIPPETS
RADAR’S EARLY DAY S AT WITS
T
he first radar set in South of the Central Block. And above, on Africa was born on the Wits its roof, was the transmitting antenna. campus within the three The communication between them months of the outbreak of went via the university’s telephone World War II under the direction exchange. Since radar antennas are of Professor Basil Schonland designed to be directional so as to be (DSc honoris causa 1957), who able to determine the direction of a was the director of the Bernard reflecting object — the target in the Price Institute of Geophysical ultimate application — they agreed Research (BPI). over the telephone in which direction Schonland assembled his to point their respective antennas. design team from engineers who This involved a fair amount of were specialists in radio engistair-climbing and physical exertion. neering: Guerino ”Boz“ Bozzoli As they rotated their antennas in (BSc Eng 1934, DSc Eng honoris rough synchronism from north to causa 1948, LLD honoris causa west Schonland suddenly observed PROFESSOR BASIL SCHONLAND 1978) at Wits, Noel Roberts at the a signal on the display. He shouted University of Cape Town and Eric to Bozzoli and so they carefully rePhillips in Natal. They were joined versed the headings of the antennas by the BPI’s physicist Dr Philip and slowly brought them back to that Gane. previous position. Sure enough there On 16 December 1939 was the echo. Both men now met on Schonland and Bozzoli went to the roof of the BPI and peered in a Wits to make some last-minute north-westerly direction from where adjustments to the equipment and the reflected signal appeared to have while there they carried out a trial come. And there, about 10km away, THE BPI BUILDING, WITH A run of the elementary apparatus. was Northcliff Hill and on top of it RADAR ANTENNA ON THE ROOF Two previous tests of the radar was its concrete and steel water-towhad failed to produce the telltale er. Further careful variations of the “blips” on the cathode ray tube of the display. In the first antennas’ headings confirmed, without a doubt, that they they had used a helium-filled balloon to suspend a mesh were indeed seeing a signal that had been reflected from of copper wires as it floated skywards from a point a few what was initially thought to have been the water-tower kilometres from the campus. But no radar echoes were but which, given the wavelength of the radar, was more seen. likely Northcliff Hill itself. Then Schonland arranged for a flight by a South It was a remarkable day, considering the total lack of African Air Force aircraft whose pilot had been instructed familiarity about radar that any of Schonland’s team had as to the course he had to fly. However, on the appointed had a mere few months before. They had proved by way of day, he deviated from this carefully planned route and, a convincing experiment that their equipment did indeed instead, chose to fly over the house of his girlfriend in work and it had taken them just three months to get there. Roodepoort. Unsurprisingly no blips were seen. Source: Brian Austin Bozzoli had erected the transmitter in a top-floor office (SA Military History Society Journal and the Heritage Portal) 78 W I T S R E V I E W
