John Scott-Taggart

John Scott-Taggart (1897 – 1979) was one of the fathers of wireless and transitor radios and the originator of some of the most famous articles, books and early kits on making them.

Born 1897 educated at Bolton School, Technological Institutions, King's College London and University College London he joined Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's), 1914 and served in World War One during which he was:

- Commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers in 1917

- Instructor in Wireless, 1 Army, Western Front

- Awarded MC, Battle of the Lys, 1918

After the war he became Head of Valve Manufacturing at the Ediswan and Radio Communication Company (1919-1920) and then the Head of the Patent Department at the Radio Communication Company Limited in 1920. In 1922 he founded the Radio Press, which printed many articles and books by Scott-Taggart. During this time, he published "Wireless Weekly" and wrote a weekly column for the Daily Express.

During World War Two (1939-1945), John:

- Served with RAF in France, 1939-1940

- Staff Officer, Air Ministry, responsible for radar training in RAF, 1940-1941

- Senior Technical Officer, No 73 Wing, responsible for radar stations in most of England and Wales, 1943-1945

He was demobilised from RAF in 1945 and was with the Admiralty Signal and Radar Establishment until he retired in 1959. A Fellow of the Institute of Radio Engineers and a Fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers he was awarded OBE in 1975 and died 1979. He never married nor had any children.

Source: Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College London