A Bygone Radio Manufacturer in Leeds

[AussieLad]

(John) Cyril Ratcliffe, 1896-1971, of Leeds, Yorks, was involved in early wireless use and demonstration -in late 1922, he demonstrated wireless reception at City Square, Leeds, to several hundreds of onlookers/listeners. Later, he built and sold wireless sets from his electrical shop in Dewsbury Road, Hunslet, Leeds. Does anyone know more about Cyril and his pioneering work?

I've attached a photo of Cyril and his wireless equipment used in Leeds City Square in 1922.

Moved from this thread: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=93489

[short wave]

Hi Aussilad
the only bit of info I can find on “Mr Ratcliff” is in some”Kelly Directories” in the years of 1917 and 1947 as I only have copies of these. They list streets and names of people in a particular city , vaguely like ”yellow pages”

(1917 P127) No 68 I presume this is his father since he is an artificial teeth maker
(1917 P 688) @ line 11 Cyril is listed and line 25/6 John is listed ..confusing brothers?
Now also has a place In Chapletown Road (line 27)
(1917 P 856) Listed under “Engineer-electrical” on previous page.
(1947 P 14) Listed on “Alpha Street” presumed this is on the corner of “Dewsbury road “(corner shop)
(1947 P 178) can confirm this
(1947 P 1040) and again

I have PDF ed the pages for ease of transfer / printing
Leeds has an old archive site pictures photos etc ,see link below but I have not found anything.

http://www.leodis.net/

Just out of curiosity are you related in any way?. Hope this helps on further research.
Regards S-W Andrew

[short wave]

last one!

[Nicklyons2]

Don't know if this is any connection but there was an Alpha Radio in Leeds in the 1950s &60s - it may be tenuous but if they had been on "Alpha Street" and moved to bigger/better premises they may have kept the "Alpha" name?

[Bazz4CQJ]

I think Alpha Radio in the 60-70's was on North Street. Don't recall them making things, just selling components.

[Nicklyons2]

It was by the 'end' in North St. but it had also had more central premises in the 1950s; I did only posit it as a possible - companies do move and take a name with them - Bristol Street Motors was on the corner of Water Lane/Globe Road for example.

[AussieLad]

Many thanks indeed Andrew for your research and attachments. Yes, there is a family connection - (John) Cyril Ratcliffe was my wife's uncle. As the 22 Nov 1922 City Square wireless 'demonstration' was a significant event, we believe the photos we have were most likely to have been taken by a Press photographer, to accompany a newspaper report. Likely the Yorkshire Post and/or the Yorkshire Evening Post would be my guess but I can't get online access to either, unfortunately.

[short wave]

Thank you for your reply.

Some doubt has entered my mind about your photo "taken" in Leeds City Square...

The base of your statue seems round and of large size. The Black Prince statue (still in place at present)has a rectangular base, this is the only "of size" in City Square installed in 1903, see link below.

I notice also "AVSTRA??A" is this an old spelling of Australia? I've seen "V" used as"U" in old spellings.

http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?r...03314_85407657

Nothing in YEP site
Regards Andrew

[AussieLad]

Thanks for your latest reply and observation. The photos of Cyril Ratcliffe (see no.2 sent with this post) were owned by my mother-in-law who died age 97 three years ago - she was Cyril's sister and some 17 years his junior. Unfortunately, neither of the photos is dated nor the location noted.

However, the onlookers in the 2nd photo include a policeman wearing his helmet, the badge on which identified as that of the Leeds City Police by comparison with a 1970 helmet badge of the same Force - see http://www.britishpolicehelmet.co.uk/id10.html

Would welcome your further comments.

[paulsherwin]

Originally Posted by short wave

I notice also "AVSTRA??A" is this an old spelling of Australia ,i`ve seen "V" used as"U" in old spellings

This is 'Roman' spelling - there was no 'u' in the classical Latin alphabet. There was a fad for spelling words like this on public and ceremonial buildings in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods.

Could the plinth or statue have suffered wartime bomb damage and been removed or rebuilt?

[Nickthedentist]

Definitely Leeds City Square: look at the windows in the GPO building behind - they're identical:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...ity_Square.jpg

I agree with Paul's observations re. bomb damage, or even more likely, post-war "improvements" whereby statues were moved to allow roads and roundabouts to be built, buildings demolished to allow multistorey office developments and so on.

Googling finds this:

City Square was officially opened on 16th September 1903. It has been altered several times but in 2000 work was under taken to restore the square to its original layout.

N.B. If you look closely, the statue and its rectangular plinth are just visible in the background "at 11 o'clock" to Mr Ratcliffe's hat. He's not sat on the plinth of the statue, rather, on some other landscaping feature which may well have been obliterated, or even an elaborate wooden stage. The statue & plinth look the same now as they've always done.

Nick.

[AussieLad]

Further research confirms that in 1945, (John) Cyril Ratcliffe, age 48/49, was living at 68A Dewsbury Road, Hunslet, but by 1948, had moved out to Barwick in Elmet. The following link
http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?r...03430_11114138 takes one to a 1964 photo of 68A Dewsbury Road, a shop & house on the corner of Alpha Street.

Further to earlier comments by forum members, by June 1955, the Alpha Radio Supply Co was trading from 5/6 Vinces Chambers, Victoria Square, Leeds 1, as the webpage via the following link illustrates: http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Alpha_Radio_Supply_Co

Regards, Barry

[AussieLad]

I believe now that Andrew was 'on the money' when he wrote:

Originally Posted by short wave

Some doubt has entered my mind about your photo "taken" in Leeds City Square...
The base of your statue seems round and of large size. The Black Prince statue (still in place at present)has a rectangular base, this is the only "of size" in City Square installed in 1903, see link below.
I notice also "AVSTRA??A" is this an old spelling of Australia? I've seen "V" used as"U" in old spellings.

Further research identifies the event as King George V's wireless broadcast on 23 April 1924, from the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, Middx, which was received in a number of major UK cities. At Leeds, radio receivers were set up in Victoria Square and Roundhay Park.

Without that knowledge and given the heavy smog/fog shown in the photos of the event makes the location very difficult to identify and I assumed incorrectly that it was City Square.

With the King George V broadcast information and via Leodis looking at photos of the Queen Victoria monument (which was located in Victoria Square from 1905-1937, then relocated to Woodhouse Moor), I am convinced that Cyril set up his equipment at Victoria Square on 23 April 1924, with his back to Leeds Town Hall and the statue of Sir Robert Peel to his right side.

Barry

[Station X]

Pictures of the statue at Woodhouse Moor.

http://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/frampton/53.html

http://www.leedscivictrust.org.uk/up...20Victoria.pdf

[telstar]

Hi. I remember my (now late) father buying components from Alpha in North Street in the late 50's & early 1960's when he was an engineer at Marshall H.Haywood's at Headingley. I don't remember Alpha making items, though.
Mike

[short wave]

Hi AussieLad and others!,
I think a trip to Woodhouse Moor is required!
It did cross my mind if anywhere else radio signals could be demonstrated in Leeds. Headingley/Woodhouse came to mind as they are high up compared to Leeds "city", also given his shop/home location Huddersfield (Castle Hill)/Dewsbury area was in mind. In photo No.1 there is a "shed" type of building, a bit drab for Leeds City Square, more doubt. Photo 2 looks like City Square at base of the Black Prince statue I may be able to confirm this by lining up the corner of the building /statue /base of the prince...print out and another trip!

Regards, Andrew.

[camallison]

Originally Posted by AussieLad

With the King George V broadcast information and via Leodis looking at photos of the Queen Victoria monument (which was located in Victoria Square from 1905-1937, then relocated to Woodhouse Moor), I am convinced that Cyril set up his equipment at Victoria Square on 23 April 1924, with his back to Leeds Town Hall and the statue of Sir Robert Peel to his right side.

Reading one of the links to the description of the Queen Victoria statue, the following information is given, " .... The plinth has mouldings on front and rear, a continuous frieze has the words 'INDIA', 'AUSTRALIA', 'CANADA' and 'AFRICA' on scrolled plaques .... "

Colin

[Station X]

Indeed and in one of the pictures you can see the word "CANADA" in similar type face to "AUSTRALIA" as seen in the original pictures.

[AussieLad]

Absolutely Colin & Graham. QED?
Barry

[brunel]

Alpha Radio, owned and run by a Mr. Carvis.