Chain Home
Chain Home was the codename for the ring of coastal radar stations built by the British during World War II. The system comprised two types of radar: the metre-wave Chain Home stations which provided long-range early warning, and the centimetre-wave Chain Home Low stations, which were shorter-ranged but could detect aircraft flying at low level.The Chain Home stations were arranged along the British coast -- initially in the south and east of England, but later to cover the entire coastline, including the Shetland Islands. They were first tested in the Battle of Britain in 1940 where they were able to provide adequate early warning of incoming Luftwaffe raids.
The Chain Home system was very primitive, and in order to be ready for battle it has been rushed into production by Sir Robert Watson-Watt's Air Ministry reserach station near Bawdsey. Watson-Watt, a pragmatic engineer, believed that 'third-best' would do if 'second-best' would not be available in time and 'best' never available at all. Chain Home was certainly a 'third-best' system and suffered from glitches and errors in reporting. However, it was still the best in the world then available and provided critical information without which the Battle of Britain would have been lost.
The Chain Home system was dismantled following the war, but some of the tall steel radar towers remain, converted into new uses for the 21st Century.
One 360 foot high transmitter tower can now be found near Great Baddow in Essex (2003).
