The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Story of Angus radar pioneer in pipeline
Treasure trove of memorabilia sparks idea for biography
Transatlantic links are being forged in a new project which is poised to tell the story of Angus pioneer of radar Sir Robert Watson-Watt in print and on screen.
The discovery of a fascinating treasure trove of personal items – from his duxmedal winning schooldays in his home town of Brechin to a friendship with Sir Winston Churchill – have helped bring a Canadian historian to Angus in his quest to create the first full-life biography of the enigmatic figure.
Bryan Davies from southern Ontario has written a number of military history books, but it was the chance discovery of the Watson-Watt items which sparked his interest in the Angus man credited with developing the technology which detected incoming German aircraft during the Second World War. BRYAN DAVIES
He has now met with Angus WatsonWatt authority Steve Nicoll at the Brechin statue unveiled in 2014 in honour of the son of the town following a successful public funding campaign, and said he was “absolutely thrilled” to be pursuing the idea of the first full-life Watson-Watt biography.
Bryan said: “In 2017, one of our members, Blake Parnham, inherited a remarkable Watson-Watt treasure trove of personal memorabilia from his grandfather, who was Sir Robert’s stepson from his marriage to his Canadian second wife, Jean.”
The expansive material includes medals and prizes from Watson-Watt’s schooling in Brechin, research papers from the mid-1920s onwards, and private correspondence with figures including Sir Winston Churchill and Lord Beaverbrook, as well as an insight into the social circles he moved in ‘across the pond’, mixing with high level politicians and film stars of the day.
He added: “Our team hope to produce a worthy biography and we also hope to become involved in a collaboration which could lead to a television miniseries.”
Our team hope to produce a worthy biography.