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Maidstone Amateur Radio Society

History of the club

Recent research shows that the Maidstone Amateur Radio Society was formed on 31 July 1937. Over the following year membership grew from 5 to 48 members. The club met at 244 Upper Fant Road, Maidstone, the address of Mr. D.W. Carr G8UC. Short Wave Magazine of February 1939 reports that by that time the club had accquired it's own callsign - G3WM. The club room was a former stable that had been rewired and re-furbished by members.

Here is a scanned copy of the original 1937 Rule book that I found in the effects of Stan Cook, G5XB (MARS Member no 49), lodged with the RSGB.

One of the surviving members of that original club is Charles Pratt, ex G2BMP, now VK3ACP, still active in Amateur Radio and living in Melbourne, Australia.

Here is the information I've gathered so far.

Folowing the 1938 AGM, the committee was constructed as follows.

Chairman: Mr A.J. Page

Secretary: Mr P.M.S. Hedgeland (G2DBA)

President: Harold Goldsmith

V. Chair: D.W. Carr (G8UC)

Librarian: W.J. Gribben

Treasurer: R.Brooker (G2BFW)

Meetings were held each Tuesday at 7:45 p.m, subscriptions were 6d per annum and 3d per meeting. The club became affiliated to the RSGB in February 1938. 24 members attended the 1938 AGM, when funds were announced as £4.5s.0d.

A sample of the programme of events was:

March 2nd 1938. Mr Parr of Ediswan Co Ltd of London gave a lecture on the Cathode Ray Tube and its applications. There then followed a colour film of Valve making in Mazda factories.

April 5th 1938. Mr. O.P. Lowther demonstrated a Voigt Domestic Corner Reflector Loudspeaker and a high quality 5 watt amplifier.

By March 1939, Stan Cook, G5XB had completed a superhet receiver for the club and G2UJ was giving a lecture on 56 Mc/s operation.

10 May 1939 saw 18 members attend the MATS (Medway) hamfest.

On 8 June 1939 there was a Direction Finding .contest using techniques developed by G8UC and G5XB.

I wonder if Mr Hedgeland - the original secretary - was associated with the town photographers Sweatman and Hedgeland.

We discovered that the club continued for some time into the 2nd World War. In January 1940 we are told "War conditions are not sufficiently bad at the moment to warrant complete suspension of activites which have taken place recently".

However, things seemed to go quiet shortly after this - as far as report posted to Short Wave Magazine or the RSGB are concerned anyway. Things obviously re-started soon after the war and in January 1947, new club secretary Jack (AHJ) Warner G3ABZ was inviting members back to meetings at 244 Upper Fant Road. On 17 June 1951, the Association of Kent Radio Amateurs was formed. This was to be a "club of clubs". Pym Bradley G5BS and Bill Nutton G6NU of Gillingham seem to be the prime motivators of this club. At about the same time, Mid Kent Amateur Radio Society was also in action and meeting at No 79 Union Street, Maidstone every Friday evening. Des Mullen G3ABF was secretary at this time. Mid Kent ARS was affiliated to the RSGB in June 1952. Was there a split and some devious dealings going on in Maidstone at the time?

By June 1952, MARS were entering National Field Day. They used the callsigns G2BMP/P and G3FMK/P whilst operating from the Police Sports Ground in Sutton Road, Maidstone. At about this time (1951 / 1952) the meeting venuue changed from Upper Fant Road to the Elms School in London Road. This is the venue where current members Jack King G4EMC and Bill Walker M0WTW became involved with the club for the first time.

For NFD 1953, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge amateurs entered a joint team and came 51st.

For NFD 1954, another joint team entered, this time with Medway amateurs. G8LZ (Jack Bonner and team) operating from Detling and G2CBA (Wally Allthorpe and team) operating from the Scout site at Buckmore Park.

For 1955 NFD, something went seriously wrong. The A station G8LZ made 258 QSO's (201 on 160m and 57 on 40m), whilst the B station G3HKI reported Nil points

I'll add more detail to this page as and when I do more research. Many thanks to Jack G4EMC and Bill M0WTW for their help with this project.