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In January 1922, a muffled alarm clock, secreted under your pillow, wakes you in the early hours. Carefully avoiding waking the other boys in your dorm, you slip on your dressing gown and slippers as you sneak out and climb a narrow, rickety stairway in School House, leading to the attic. After tiptoeing across the uncarpeted attic floor and avoiding icicles, you clamber out onto the roof to check your aerials. Something your Housemaster, Mr Elliot, deeply disapproves of.
Your name is Cecil William Goyder (Scrutton 1920-1924), a Mill Hill boarder and amateur radio enthusiast. In a few years, you’ll become the youngest in Mill Hill’s history to achieve international fame with the first successful international two-way radio call.
When one thinks about radio, Guglielmo Marconi, the creator of the radio, is often the first name on everyone’s lips. Cecil is often forgotten about, even though newspapers around the world would later dub him “England’s Marconi.” This is something I would see rectified, but to truly appreciate the magnitude of Cecil Goyder’s achievement, I will have to give you a crash course in all things radio.
During the 1880s, scientists discovered a previously unknown form of radiation, they called ’radio waves.’ Sharing the same nature as light but with a greater wavelength, these waves intrigued physicists and technicians who explored their potential for transmitting signals. It would take 15 years after that till Marconi first managed to work out how use radio waves to successfully transmit signals over several kilometres.
He sent his first message, in 1897, whilst staying in Somerset. The message was transmitted over around 6 kilometres/3.7 miles, and it read: “Are you ready?”
Marconi continued to refine the technology, achieving greater ranges in subsequent years, though he couldn’t make the leap to international communication. It would take another 30 years before that could happen.
As the 20th Century dawned, radio was still in its early stages, mainly used for local communication. The new ‘Marconi’ system used the existing cable networks. On ships, signals reached only nearby vessels or ports when close to land; the equipment only transmitted messages for about 300 miles in daylight, although that figure doubled or tripled after dark thanks to the refraction of long-wave radiation in the ionosphere.
Wavelengths under 200 meters (frequencies above 1.5 MHz) were initially deemed of limited value. Radio amateurs were permitted to experiment with them, and they quickly realised these shorter wavelengths were key for effective low-power long-distance communication.
Cecil Goyder , an enthusiastic amateur, began his radio experiments in 1915 in America. Returning to England in 1920, he continued his work, as a pupil at Mill Hill School, with a makeshift setup – including a spring mattress as an aerial and surplus Army equipment.
Despite Housemaster Mr Elliot’s disapproval, Cecil’s work was supported by Science Director Walter ‘Buster’ Brown. Their setup was moved to the new Science Block (now the Crick Building), where they worked in an unheated basement. Photos show Cecil working in slippers – not to keep warm, but to avoid electric shocks amidst a tangle of cables!
Although the building was not yet completed, the School chose to unveil it during the visit of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) on February 221924, with the Prince himself presiding over the opening ceremony.
Before arriving at Mill Hill, newspapers reported that the Prince was “very interested” in meeting the young man “who had got America by wireless.” Cecil’s radio had reached the States but hadn’t produced a viable two-way connection – his goal was tantalisingly close! Shaking hands with Cecil, the Prince congratulated him on his success; little did they know just how close that triumph was.
Just eight months later, on October 18 1924, at precisely 7.10am GMT, Cecil, was using his radio, with the call sign G2SZ, to conduct a test call. Call signs are used to denote specific users and stations. Originally Cecil’s sign was just 2SZ but following his success and the explosion of international radio, letters were assigned to differentiate countries and stations with similar names (G stands for Great Britain).
During these tests, Cecil unexpectedly received a weak response. What followed was 90 minutes conversation, between himself and siblings, Frank and Brenda Bell, radio amateurs in New Zealand, 19,000km away. This was the first successful international, two-way radio connection! Here’s a transcript of that call, as scribed by Frank:
6.10pm Heard G2SZ call and say “But can’t hear him … am listening about 80 as heard. No Dice . . . this morning.
G2SZ: “Terribly sorry old man, can’t hear you. Something is wrong this end, so I am listening about 80.
Try once again on 80.
6.30pm 4AAZ G2SZ. Received your message. If you are really Z4AA, cable. (I said sure would cable and sent congratulations also.) Another one to Radio Society of Great Britain. “Greetings from New Zealand, signed Bell Z4AA.”
6.35pm 4AAZ G2SZ. Received you. Here is another one to New Zealand. “Greetings from us”. Can’t realise you are in New Zealand. Daylight now. Call tomorrow at 6.30 GMT. for me. Amateurs G2SZ. Are you troubled by static? Or fading? Will you cable address?
6.40pm I sent my address “Bell, Waihemo” and he said daylight still here. Call him tomorrow. Nil fading. Very little static.
6.45pm 4AAZ G2SZ. (Greetings call) Address Goyder, Mill Hill School London. Input 200(?) watts and gave radiation etc. No Dice from him in reply.
It might not have been the dramatic climax you’d expect after nearly 10 years of work, but for a first call, it was incredible. As fate would have it, the Bell siblings knew a Mill Hill alumnus and immediately recognized the name. After years of setbacks, Cecil was initially sceptical, wondering if it was a prank. But three hours later, a telegram confirmed his success: “Congratulations on first transworld message – Bell.” Frank later sent a letter, writing, “We made history that night and started a new era of world wireless. You are one of the best radio operators I have ever worked with.”
Following his success, Cecil had an incredible career in radio. He worked in Paris for Standard Telephones and Cables before returning to the UK to join the BBC’s Technical Research Division. When the Indian Government asked the BBC for an expert to help establish their broadcasting system, they chose Cecil.
Over the next decade, Goyder built around 15 highly successful radio stations. He was appointed CBE upon his return to the UK in 1946. Eventually, he moved to the US, becoming an adviser to the United Nations before his untimely passing in 1980.
Cecil Goyder made an incredible mark on the world of radio. Without his invaluable contributions and pioneering work, the industry wouldn’t be where it is today.
We look forward to honouring his amazing legacy later this year, as we celebrate 100 years since he first made that famous call, where pupils at Mill Hill will be recreating that first contact with New Zealand.
