Thursday, 19 June 2025

Gwyn William George Court

Gwyn William George Court was born on 17 December 1917 in Penarth, Wales. His parents were John Court and Jane Goddard. In 1939 Gwyn was studying science and engineering at Cardiff University.

In 1935 the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) was established to develop a radar based defence system for the RAF. Over the years the organisation had had a number of names and locations. Gwyn joined TRE at Swanage in Dorset in January 1941. When it became obvious that TRE was located too close to the coast, the organisation was once again on the move to Malvern in May 1942. TRE was then located at Malvern College.

On 6 September 1941 Gwyn married Beryl Audrey Grace Gale in Cardiff. In Swanage they lived in a furnished room in a nearby house until TRE transferred to Malvern College in Malvern in May. Initially Gwyn was billeted at a house in Malvern but in August 1942 he was able to rent a furnished house in West Malvern where his wife joined him.

View of part of Malvern College in 2011
In 2011 we visited Malvern College where the (TRE) had relocated in May 1942. Gwyn Court was one of 2,000 staff who worked at TRE.

We had a photograph of some of the staff lined up in front of a college building and, as it was school holidays, we were given permission to explore the school grounds and locate where the photo had been taken. Gwyn is second from the right in the top row.
The work of TRE was to create and improve radar systems to assist Allied pilots when flying planes and provide early warning systems when the German bombardment of England began. This included systems for radio navigation and for jamming enemy radio navigation. Radar could also locate enemy aircraft at night. It was recognised that the understanding and use of radar was essential to gaining victory in the war. 

From 1941-1944 Gwyn worked in the Radio Counter-Measure Division of TRE where staff were involved with the interpretation and analysis of enemy signals, development of VHF receivers, aerials and recording equipment for ground and airborne use. 
H2S ground scanner

A major part of their work was H2S (previously called Blind Navigation) which was the first airborne ground scanning radar system developed. The radar helped identify targets on the ground during night-time and all weather bombing. It became the first ground mapping radar system used in combat. 

A magnetron
The development of cavity magnetrons reduced the radar wave length to 10 centimetres and eventually to 1.5 centimetres. The targeting radar was designed to fit in an aerodynamic blister on the undercarriage of a bomber. The antenna rotated to scan the terrain and eventually produced a map of the land below the bomber.
A Spitfire
H2S ground scanners greatly assisted plane crews during bombing raids.

H2S and other developments in radar were essential to pilots during the Second World War. The protection of the British coastline was also enhanced with improvements to radar warning systems alerting cities and towns of the approach of enemy aircraft.

At the end of the European War, Gwyn joined the Ground Radar Division at TRE who were concerned with the development of radar aids for civil aviation.

On 14 February 1945 Gwyn William George Court was among twenty-three people who were listed in the UK London Gazettes World War Military Notices as Flight Lieutenant (honorary), an award from the RAF for their contribution to engineering research during the war.

After the war Gwyn Court continued to work at TRE's new offices in Malvern until 1950. He and his family then moved to Wellington, New Zealand, where Gwyn worked initially for the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research then as as Superintending Engineer for Radar, Civil Aviation Administration.  

In 1960 the family moved to Melbourne, Australia,  where Gwyn initially worked at Pye Pty Ltd and later as Chief Radar Engineer at the Department of Civil Aviation.

H2S - Wikipedia

H2S Radar - Military Wiki 

 The Story of Pye - Pye Museum

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