Transatlantic links are being forged in a new project which is poised to tell the story of Angus pioneer of Radar Sir Robert Watson-Watt in print and on screen.
The discovery of a fascinating treasure trove of personal items – from his Dux-medal winning schooldays in his home town of Brechin to a friendship with Sir Winston Churchill – have helped bring a Canadian historian to Angus in his quest to create the first full-life biography of the enigmatic figure.
Bryan Davies from southern Ontario has written a number of military history books, but it was the chance discovery of the Watson-Watt items which sparked his interest in the Angus man credited with developing the technology which detected incoming German aircraft during the Second World War.
He has now met with Angus Watson-Watt authority Steve Nicoll at the Brechin statue unveiled in 2014 in honour of the son of the town following a successful public funding campaign, and said he was “absolutely thrilled” to be pursuing the idea of the first full-life Watson-Watt biography.
“We have a team that have embraced this story for all the right reasons – because it is a great story,” said Bryan.
“In 2017, one of our members, Blake Parnham, inherited a remarkable Watson-Watt treasure trove of personal memorabilia from his grandfather, who was Sir Robert’s stepson from his marriage to his Canadian second wife, Jean, who died in 1964.
The expansive material includes medals and prizes from Watson-Watt’s schooling in Brechin – he won the Smart Medal as high school Dux – research papers from the mid-1920s onwards, and private correspondence with figures including Sir Winston Churchill and Lord Beaverbrook, as well as an insight into the social circles he moved in ‘across the pond’, mixing with high level politicians and film stars of the day.
“He was a great hoarder and that is amazing for us – we are so excited about what we are uncovering, peeling back the layers of his life.
“Watson-Watt was so much more than just the story of Radar and the Battle of Britain and it’s become apparent that perhaps the reason no-one has attempted such a biography befitting his importance to military technology innovation is that they didn’t have access to his Canadian life or materials like these.”
He added: “Our team hope to produce a worthy biography and we also hope to become involved in a collaboration which could lead to a television mini-series.”
The national records collection is also set to benefit from the generosity of the Canadian descendant, who has already said he would like to see the material come home to Scotland.
Mr Nicoll is set to provide the Scottish connection to the project and said he was delighted to be involved.
“Watson-Watt was a fascinating character and this material reveals that he liked the status – the lad from Brechin was knighted, acquired a hyphen in his name and had the details of the first XI from both sides of the pond in his notebook.”
