Rid tells us :- “My grandfather John Banner MBE worked at RAF Defford where radar testing and fitting were designed for the latest model of planes.
He invented a radio locator device for downed airmen.
This is covered in the book Angel visits from biplane to jets a history of radar development and RAF Defford amongst other things.
My grandfather was posted to an abandoned school building and a chap with 2 brushes came in and asked him to help tidy up.
That was sir Bernard Lovell !
My grandfather assumed his radio locator device would rescue airmen from the sea in dinghies which it did but it had massive success in Borneo and Malaya due to the dense jungle.
He went on to be a director of GEC building a tv factory and thousands of early TVs.
`Radar Families' 