RAF Ventnor
CH Masts  1939-1957                                              Type 80  1955-1961. See 'Acknowledgements ' page for attribution


This green part of the site is dedicated to all those who served at RAF Ventnor. Use the following link for accounts of the author's service at
West Kirby, Locking, Leeming and El Adem.

Fame!

FAQ : Ventnor? Where on earth might that be?

The ensuing pages provide an account of the author's service at RAF Ventnor, descriptions of the radar equipment and additional information received from site visitors. It also serves as a tribute to the remarkable Type 80 radar which guarded the country throughout the early part of the Cold War.

At Ventnor for just one glorious summer in 1957 as a nineteen year old newly trained Ground Radar Fitter working on the above ground equipment, the author met his wife-to-be. Her father had been a war-time Operator at Ventnor and it was his service which provided the inspiration for the Chain Home page.

Please feel free to make contact, especially if you also served at Ventnor.
Address

Complete index to the Ventnor pages

- Outline of Content -

     Click on picture.
    "Take Leave" returns
Paddle steamer Ryde Arrival at RAF Ventnor and first impressions of both domestic site and technical 'topsite'
Type 80 watercolourAbout girls, booze and work, but mostly about the latter as that balmy summer drifted by
The BalmoralSundry excitements and further and final events before being posted away
Type 80 pictureThe mighty Decca Type 80 : an unparalleled and remarkable state-of-the-art search radar of the fifties
Operator at Fixed Coil ConsolesWhat was to be found within an underground R1 'Hole'
PDUThe PDU : an ingenious projection radar PPI display which formed a dynamic plotting table
Type 13The nodding Type 13 centimetric heightfinder and its close relative the Type 14 search radar
Ventnor Chain Home siteChain Home at Ventnor- the top-secret wartime equipment: how it was invented, worked and evolved. Links to RAF St. Lawrence & RAF Blackgang pages.
The MagnetronThe cavity magnetron: the invention of which has a little known tenuous Ventnor connection
On ParadeOn Parade : a page devoted to those ex RAF Ventnor and other RAF personnel who have made contact, with links to several individual's own contributions.
Civil siteA Postscript which gives some idea of the site as it is today
Thanks & Links
Acknowledgements & Links

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. Entire site text (except where marked otherwise) © 2007 D.C.Adams
Rotating Logo Type 80 & Type 7© 2006 N.J.Adams

Rev 240109