SILENT KEY
Gordon (George) Gunnill G3AVV - ex G4DLE and RAFCWR
760713.
It is with the deepest regret that we have to report that 'George' died peacefully at Dorset County Hospital on March 28th 2000 in his 78th year. Never has the term 'Silent Key' been more appropriate.
In 1942, 'George', as a result of his interest in Amateur Radio
and ability at just 18 years old to send and receive at 25 words per minute
was teaching Morse Code at Number 1 Signal School RAF Cranwell. Trained in
Navel Architecture he responded to a notice posted on the Order Board appealing
for Airman with Mechanical or Electrical/Electronic Engineering experience
and was promptly transferred out of uniform and sent to work in the drawing
and design office at the government Telecommunications Research Establishment
(TRE) at Worth Matravers. It was while working at Leeson House, Langton Matravers
that Gordon was re-christened 'George' by his then boss who thought that
the name Gordon was "far too bloody refined" ! TRE soon moved away from the
very exposed coastal location to Great Malvern where George spent the war
years working with scientists developing 3cm Radar.
After the war George worked for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Establishment
(UKAEE), first at Harwell and then at Winfrith Heath in Dorset.
Originally from Goole in Yorkshire he finally settled in Weymouth and once
again found himself teaching Morse Code, this time to budding Amateur Radio
enthusiasts! Countless local 'Hams' , including myself have benefited from
his first class teaching methods and his 'fist' was a joy to hear. When the
Radio Society of Great Britain took over the Morse Testing Service George
became a Morse Examiner and up until shortly before his death continued to
both train and test people in the art of sending and receiving 'the code'.
His boundless enthusiasm for the mode was obvious to all and the world of
Amateur Radio has lost a fine pragmatist for the art.
See also The Morse the Memories A personal story of Morse Code Training in the Royal Air Force 1939 - 1942
George was also an accomplished artist and his drawing of a cat is used in the background of the CatsWhisker Web Pages.