MEMBERS of a Malvern history group were given the chance to photograph the soon-to-be demolished former Radar Establishment “south site” at QinetiQ, where pioneering radar research was carried out.

Malvern is losing the remaining buildings of the old HMS Duke where Radar and much of modern electronics was pioneered.

Malvern Radar And Technology History Society (MRATHS) was given special permission to access the old site to scan, image, and video the buildings.

In 1942, at the height of the Second World War, the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) came to Malvern College to continue its secret work on Radar that was crucial in defending UK from air attack.

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In 1946, TRE moved to “South Site” which had been HMS Duke.

Subsequent amalgamations led to renaming as RRE, RSRE, DRA, DERA and QinetiQ.

QinetiQ continues in more modern buildings, but these historic buildings are now being demolished making way for Science Park, housing and a care home.

MRATHS will now process the collected data to provide dynamic walkthroughs that enable virtual navigation of the site and buildings as well as proposing to the site developer that a commemorative 3D model of the buildings be placed in the centre of the new housing estate.

The society has ambitions for a permanent display of this material in Malvern.