Peebles author's fascinating history of Scotland’s wartime radar stations

Radar in Scotland: 1938-46 has been a passion project for Ian who has painstakingly researched the country’s radar sites for 35 years through official records and first-hand accounts to bring together this unique and important new record of Scotland’s ground radar network.

Featuring a unique blend of technical and social history, the book describes how Scotland’s radar chain operated, how radar information was processed and used for the country’s air defence and what life was like for those who lived and worked in these mostly remote sites.

The history of each of Scotland’s 93 sites is explained and accompanied by a series of first-hand accounts from servicemen and women who were stationed there.

Ian Brown

As the war progressed and men were needed for overseas service, servicewomen from the WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force) were stationed at a number of radar stations and they played a significant role in the filter rooms, where high levels of skill were required to estimate the true position of enemy aircraft.

He said: “We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the servicemen and women and scientists who developed and operated Britain’s radar-based warning and control systems. They were able to identify the potential of the technology and to apply it in a way that created a complete air defence system – the first to be used in wartime operations.

“Scotland played a vital part in this but until now, there hasn’t been an accurate account of the country’s significant contribution. I’ve long been fascinated by the technical and social aspects of Scotland’s ground radar network and hope that this book will help to explain the important role that the stations and the people who worked in them played in the outcome of the war.”

Radar in Scotland: 1938-46 is published by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and is available at Waterstones, The Shetland Times Bookshop or through the Society’s online shop. Price £30