Marconiphone, Sterling, and Plessey

[David Church]

I am looking to arrange another exhibition at the local museum, but this time to concentrate on Marconi’s subsidiary Marconiphone, Sterling, and Plessey. I want to cover the relationship between them, their products and ultimately their position at the end of the 20’s early 30’s.

I am looking for anything I can find on this. Obviously, I can google as well as the next man but don’t assume I have seen something, I would rather lots of overlap than miss something.

I am particularly keen on anything about sterling, as I was born in Dagenham (yes, I am that Dagenham Dave)

Thanks for any help
Dave

[Cobaltblue]

I have an old Plessey Centernary History publication somewhere.

As I understand it when broadcasting started "officially" in 1922 Marconi didn't have the ability to manufacture Domestic Radio.

Plessey won the contract so sets Like the V2 were built by Plessey. Prior to this Plessey was a small general engineering company.

However in 1925 Marconi aquired Sterling so were able use Sterlings manufacturing facilities leaving plessey out in the cold.

Plessey then produced a portable set called "The National" and then became odd job manufacturers of components and sets for anyone.

ISTR all or part of this is in the Setmakers.

Cheers

Mike T

[David Church]

Hi Mike - cheers

Marconiphone used Sterling as well as Plessey before they bought them - they also considered buying Plessey.

Plessey actually bought a factory to build the V2 and crystal sets after they got the contract from Marconiphone!

Sterling made telephones, coils and even sub machine guns! Also during WW1 they made trench receivers and spark gap transmitters - I have got a bit of one I think... I will stick a pick up later

[David Church]

Right - I'm telling!!!!!!

Seriously though, I'd like to know what happened to sterling after Marconi sold Marconiphone to HMV. Did sterling wireless cease to exist, was sterling armaments a totally separate company.

Here's hoping for more input .....

[Cobaltblue]

Originally Posted by unrealdave

Plessey actually bought a factory to build the V2 and crystal sets after they got the contract from Marconiphone!

Yes I was aware of that it was in the Plessey history.

I didn't know that Marconi considered buying Plessey they were a pretty small outfit at that time and most of their work was not Radio related.

There was a typo in my original post Marconi bought Sterling in 1926 rather than 25.

Cheers

Mike T

[AC/HL]

One off topic post deleted

[David Church]

The sub machine gun Sterling made did show they existed after Marconi sold the radio factory to HMV, its all good?

I think (or hope) the gun showed in the deleted post was a replica and also I would like to know if the armaments part of sterling was linked in anyway to the wireless company. Did Sterling have a umbrella company covering a range of interests?

All interesting stuff

[David Church]

Originally Posted by Cobaltblue

I didn't know that Marconi considered buying Plessey they were a pretty small outfit at that time and most of their work was not Radio related.

I thought they had most of their work through Marconiphone and when the Marconiphone purchase of Sterling went through Plessey nearly went under as Marconiphone cancelled all orders with them - they had to look around and started making bits for all and sundry.

[ex seismic]

Apologies if off topic but to answer a question the deleted gun is a deactivated Sterling so in the words of the certificate "not a firearm". Part of the CES for my Ferret. The gun was made I think in December 1965.

Gordon

[Cobaltblue]

Originally Posted by unrealdave

I thought they had most of their work through Marconiphone and when the Marconiphone purchase of Sterling went through Plessey nearly went under as Marconiphone cancelled all orders with them - they had to look around and started making bits for all and sundry.

Yes they expanded and bought new premises (Ilford I think) on the strength of the Marconi contract so they had to find new work to fill the void. I understand that it was work for the GPO that stopped them going under.

Cheers

Mike T

[emeritus]

Somewhere in my shed (or possibly the loft) I have a copy of "Into the Sunset", a book about the history of Plessey that was published by them in the late 1980's shortly before they got taken over. I'll see if I can dig it out.

[Cobaltblue]

Snap!

I just found one of my copys.

Happy to Lend it to you Dave

Please PM me your details if you want to take a look.

Cheers

Mike T

[David Church]

Thanks guys - that's great

I have searched for the book but is it called "into the sunset"?

So yes please to a loan of the book.

Mike, as you have two copies do you wanna sell one?

[Cobaltblue]

Hi Dave

Just a quote from the book. Sorry about the poor formatting I just scanned a couple of pages using OCR.
PM me an address and I will send you a copy. I couldn't take money for it since they were given to Plessey employees I have an extra copy since one of my work colleagues had no interest and I recovered his copy from the paper bin

Not that meeting the orders didn't put Plessey under considerable stress. Within weeks the old laundry in Cottenham Road, Holloway, was overflowing.
The labour force climbed rapidly to over 200 and working conditions became so bad that the London County Council began issuing increasingly menacing threats of closure. The inadequacy of the lavatories particularly concerned it.
Finding new accommodation was not easy, however, not least because Plessey still had no money. Under-capitalisation has always been a bane of fast expanding new companies and Plessey was no exception. But in December Heyne heard of a freehold factory for sale in Ilford. He and Byron Clark rushed off to view it.
Compared to the Holloway works, the Ilford site looked wonderful. It was virtually in the country, but backed on to the main line to Chelmsford to the south and had open land between it and the new Eastern Avenue, then with only one carriageway. The only problem was the asking price — £20,000.
Plessey hadn't got twenty thousand pence, Heyne observed ruefully.

Cheers

Mike T

[emeritus]

Please excuse my poor recollection of the title. In view of the subsequent fate of the company, my version turned out to be more appropriate!

[Cobaltblue]

Down the plug hole might have been even more appropriate.

It is sort of Poetic Justice that GEC who were the prime movers in Plessey's demise, within a few years almost totally disappeared themselves

I have a Video on VHS explaining why the GEC bid should be resisted, very professionally done I was planning to digitise it and make it available to anyone interested.

Chjeers

Mike T

[emeritus]

Yes please!

I love local museums, where is this one/what is it called?

[David Church]

Its Havering Museum, in the high street, Romford

http://www.haveringmuseum.org.uk/

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=138388

Should also point out the exhibition is over - next year there is one on the Titanic