The Man Who Saved Britain in 1940 by John Wilkinson

Margaret Jean Wilkinson "Jean" was born in Ontario, Canada in 1902. She was the daughter of Richard Brigham Wilkinson and granddaughter of Brigham Wilkinson who had emigrated to Canada in the 1850s from Skirpenbeck Nr. Stamford Bridge, York.

Robert Alexander Watson-Watt inventor of Radar	His wife Lady Jean Watson-Watt whose grandfather was born in Skirpenbeck

Brigham's father Richard and his brother William Wilkinson 1795-1842 (my three times great grandfather) were born in the nearby village of Scrayingham. Jean married her second husband Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt In Ontario in 1952 and became Lady Watson-Watt. Her husband, known as Bob to his friends was born in Brechin, Scotland in 1892. He held a number of British government appointments beginning as a meteorologist working on devices for locating thunderstorms.

In 1935 whilst heading the radio department at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington he wrote a memorandum and demonstrated to the government how radio waves could be used to detect aircraft. His system grew into a series of radars set at non-optimal frequency called Chain Home which he often quoted as "cult of the imperfect" followed with "Give them the third best to go on with; the second best comes too late, the best never comes".

In 1938 this chain of radars began 24 hour duty and grew from 18 to 53. These radars were credited with turning the tide of the German Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain in 1940 and for this Robert Alexander Watson-Watt was knighted in 1942.

Watson-Watt's other contributions to science included a cathode-ray tube direction finder used to study atmospheric phenomena and also research in electromagnetic radiation. His wife Jean died in 1964 and two years later Robert married Kathryn Jane Trefusis Forbes: a retired Air Chief Commandant in the W.A.A.F. Robert died in 1973 and is buried with his wife Katherine in Pitlochry, Scotland.

Right: Memorial to Watson-Watt at Brechin in Angus, Scotland

John Wilkinson
Pudsey, Leeds
5th May 2020