THE DECCA LEGACY - Wootton Bridge Historical

CHAPTER 24
PROBLEMS WITH THE TYPE 80
(Alan Styles)
The first cabinet was manufactured in the Model Shop at Fox & Nichols (Tolworth). It was to be sent by
Decca Transport to Malden Way. I completed the paper work entering the destination as “The White
City”. A few hours later I had a phone call from the driver who had arrived at the White City Dog Track,
telling me that reception there had refused to accept it. (White City was the jocular name given to part of
the factory at Malden Way).
On another occasion, I was told that the rotating joint at Bard Hill (the prototype Type 80 test site in
Norfolk) was giving trouble and I was asked to go and investigate the cause of the failure. The unit was
completely burnt out inside and it was impossible to tell what had caused the problem. I asked the airman
on duty why he had not stopped the destruction before it failed completely so that some evidence of the
cause could be observed and asked “Did he not see some signs of overheating”. His reply was “Yes, but
my sergeant told me to wipe it off”
One cold and foggy November day I was asked to go to the Ventnor site to sort out a problem in
company with two others. Arriving at about 4 pm we checked in at a cold and miserable hotel, went to
the site on Boniface Down, introduced ourselves to the guards and were given access to the radar.
Having determined the cause of the problem, we decided go to the hotel for dinner and come back to the
site to work until the job was done. We informed the guards that we would be back later. On our return
we drove through the gates, waved to the guards and drove to the radar. On getting out of the car we
were confronted by three armed guards with dogs who chased us at the double and lined us up with our
backs to the wall demanding to know who we were and what we thought we were doing. Unknown to us,
during our absence the guards had been changed and the new guards had not been told of our intended
return.
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