John Patrick Hawker
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Pat Hawker | |
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| Born | 1922 Minehead, Somerset, England |
| Died | 2013 |
| Occupation | Electronic Engineer |
| Employer | Independent Broadcasting Authority |
John Patrick Hawker, MBE (1922-2013), known as Pat Hawker, was an electronic engineer awarded membership of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in her 2006 Birthday Honours awards “In recognition of his services to radio communications and his wartime contributions”.[1] Recruited at age 19 during World War II to become a secret radio intercept operator, he went on to work with Military intelligence at the Bletchley Park code-breaking centre and undercover with clandestine special forces in occupied Europe.[2]. After the war, Hawker contributed extensively to the amateur radio and broadcast engineering communities, writing hundreds of technical articles and books.[3]
Early Life
Born in Minehead, Somerset, in 1922, Hawker’s fascination with radio began as a schoolboy.[4] In the autumn of 1935, he had the experience of listening to his first amateur station on the shortwave 20 meter band. At the age of 14, he received an “artificial aerial” radio transmitting licence with callsign 2BUH before later gaining his full licence and callsign G3VA in October 1938 when he turned 16, the minimum age requirement at the time.
World War II Intelligence Work
As World War II began, Hawker's keen interest in radio steered him towards the Radio Security Service (RSS). His duties connected him to notable British intelligence agencies, MI5 and MI6. After the Allies invaded Europe, he dedicated his services to British intelligence and also liaised with Holland’s Bureau of National Security.[5] Hawker began his wartime service in 1941 at Bletchley Park as an intercept operator. Within this role, he was assigned to monitor specific signals using two National HRO receivers. In 1943, he transitioned to the Section VIII unit, where he operated as a two-way radio operator under Captain Robert Henry "Harry" Tricker at Weald Station.
In 1944, Hawker was integrated into the SCU9 unit, which operated in war zones where covert communications were vital. Following the D-Day Allied invasion, he was dispatched to Normandy and subsequently relocated to various European cities, such as Paris, Brussels, and Eindhoven, and further into Germany. His assignments primarily involved reporting on German troop movements and facilitating communications among various Allied intelligence entities.[2]
By the close of October 1944, Hawker was positioned in Nijmegen, Netherlands, where he worked with a double transposition poem cipher. This assignment was notable because it merged the tasks of radio operation and ciphering. Later, in Eindhoven, he took on the role of chief operator in a Dutch cipher decoding network at the Abbe Museum, which served as a British Intelligence hub. With the war's end in Europe, Hawker spent an additional six months in Germany with SCU9, focusing on intelligence operations.
Post-War Contributions to Radio Engineering
After World War II, Hawker transitioned to roles in British radio and television.[3] From 1958 to 2008, he authored hundreds of "Technical Topics" articles in RadCom, the official publication of the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB). Additionally, he served as the editor for Electronics Weekly and the journal of the Royal Television Society. Between 1968 and 1987, Hawker was associated with the engineering division of Britain’s Independent Broadcasting Authority. He also authored several books on electronics and radio engineering.
In 2006 Hawker was inducted into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. The RSGB appointed him as a Life Vice President in 2008.
References
- ↑ "Queen's Birthday Honours 2006 Main List" (PDF). Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pidgeon, Geoffrey (2008). The Secret Wireless War. Arundel Books. p. 416. ISBN 9780956051523.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 White, Steve (2008). A Bit of Controversy: Pat Hawker - A Radio Life. Radio Society of Great Britain. p. 144. ISBN 9781905086405.
- ↑ "Pat Hawker, G3VA (SK)". Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ↑ "John Patrick Hawker papers". Retrieved 15 October 2023.
External links
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