Administrative History
The earlier radar research organization B.R.S. (Bawdsey Research Station) was on the east coast of England, about 10 miles north east of Felixstowe. It moved to Dundee in Scotland, at the outbreak of World War II, and changed its name to Air Ministry Research Establishment (A.M.R.E.). In May, 1940, the organization moved to Worth Matravers, near Swanage in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The organization was renamed again, as Air Ministry Telecommunications Research Establishment. In May 1942, TRE moved to Malvern. The Radar Research and Development Establishment (RRDE) had split off earlier, and was moved to Malvern at about the same time. TRE and the history of radar are discussed in separate articles.
TRE was part of the Ministry of Supply and, when it was formed, so was RRE. In 1959, control passed to the Ministry of Aviation. When this was abolished in 1967, control passed to the Ministry of Technology, then to the Ministry of Aviation Supply, in 1970, and to the Ministry of Defence in 1971. In 1976 RRE merged with the Signals Research and Development Establishment to form the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE), which became part of the Defence Research Agency (DRA) in 1991. Later (1995), DRA was absorbed into, the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. DERA split on 2 June 2001 into two parts, a government body called Dstl (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) and a company destined for privatisation, which became QinetiQ.
The technical departments of RRE were grouped, initially, into six Divisions: airborne radar, ground radar, guided weapons, basic techniques, physics, and engineering. The organization and personnel are described further, in a collection of linked web sites.
W. J. Richards, CBE, was Director of TRE at the time of the merger and continued as Director of RRE. W.H. Penley, Head of Guided Missiles, took over for a year in 1961. Then George Macfarlane (after postings outside RRE) became Director in 1962.
Read more about this topic: Royal Radar Establishment
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