Ventnor Radar
CH Masts  at Ventnor 1939 - 1957  but this photo taken after 1942 from 1939 Chain Home- - >- - >- - > to Type 80 Type 80  similar to the one at Ventnor 1955 -1961. See 'Acknowledgements ' page for attribution

This green part of the site is dedicated to RAF Ventnor and to all those who served there. The following link provides an account of the remainder of the author's three years RAF service at
RAF Cardington, West Kirby, Locking, Leeming and El Adem.

Fame!

FAQ : Ventnor? Where on earth might that be?

An account of service at RAF Ventnor with descriptions of the radar and additional information received from site visitors. Together these serve as a tribute to the remarkable Type 80 radar which guarded our country throughout the early part of the Cold War. At Ventnor for just one happy summer in 1957 as a nineteen year old newly trained Ground Radar Fitter, the author met his wife-to-be. Her father's RAF service as a wartime radar operator at Ventnor inspired the Chain Home page.

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

Complete index to the Ventnor pages

- Outline of Content -

Click on thumb nails on the left.
Subsequent 'Take Leave' returns here
Paddle steamer Ryde Arrival at RAF Ventnor and first impressions of both domestic site and technical 'topsite'
Type 80 watercolourAbout girls, beer 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 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 an uncelebrated tenuous Ventnor connection
On ParadeOn Parade : a page devoted to those ex RAF Ventnor and other ex RAF personnel who have made contact, with links to several individuals' own contributions.
Civil siteA Postscript which gives some idea of the site as it is today
Thanks & Links
Acknowledgements & Links

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