Broad Oak site history - help required
Heritage for Airbus are now proud custodians of half the Broad Oak site (BAES being the other half). We have this enormous space heritage which, sadly, very few people seem to know about, and I am trying to put together a timeline with some basic facts, figures and photos of the site.
There are certain things we have been able to track down, but even my colleagues in the BAE archives (who seem to hold a considerable amount of GEC and Marconi heritage information) dont have much. In particular, I want to know what led to the site being created, how it evolved in the early years, when the clean rooms were constructed and also a bit more about the Zircon affair { https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zircon_(satellite) } and how it impacted Portsmouth. You may not know, but the cleanrooms are now the UK's biggest and the Project Zircon building now houses the UK's only space certified microprocessor factory capable of producing radiation hardened processors for Space.
I am keen to preserve the incredible industrial heritage we have in the UK and I recognise that we all, today, stand on the shoulder of past giants. I therefore want that debt of gratitude and legacy to be more widely recognised.
If you are able to help by providing information please contact:-
Jeremy Greaves
Airbus UK Head of Heritage
+44 788 750 6338
Newsletter for 2026
The Marconi Veterans' Association Newsletter for 2026 is now published.
The web version which is ideal for viewing on your PC, Smartphone or Tablet is here:
The pdf version is here, which can be viewed (ideally on a large screen) or printed. It is 14 A4 pages long:
Paper copies will be posted to members along with an invitation to the 2026 MVA Reunion which is on April 18th 2026.
We are now collecting articles for the 2027 Newsletter if you have any
2025 Reunion
We had a very successful 88th MVA Reunion on April 12th 2025 at The County Hotel, Chelmsford
106 veterans attended
Our President is Chris Axcell (Leonardo)
The Guest Speaker was Adam Wood (e2v)
The list of attendees is here
The messages received are here
The MVA accounts are here
Graham Chorley took some photographs which are here
If you were not able to come but would like to support the Marconi Veterans Association you can do so using this subscription section here (please select Not Coming when filling in the form)
In Memoriam
It is with great sadness that we report the death of
- Mr Alan Matthews who joined in 1952,died on April 18th 2026.
- A tribute page is here
- Mr Keith Pritchard who joined in 1964, died in January 2026.
- Mr Neville J. Ager who joined in 1961, died in January 2026 at the age of 95
- Mr James M Mitchell died on 5th February 2026 at the age of 84.
- After leaving the RAF, he originally joined Marconi Radar at Leicester before transferring to Marconi Radar, Chelmsford. In the mid 1990s, he joined Selex at Basildon but had to take early medical retirement in 2002 following a heart attack in September 2001.
- Mr Steve Perry who joined in 1970, died on February 1st 2026. He was 72.
- He worked in Test and Engineering.
Click here for a list of recent (last 12 months) deaths of veterans which have been notified to us.
Click here for a list of recent (last 12 months) deaths of friends which have been notified to us.
Click here for the full list of In Memoriam Veterans
The Marconi Benevolent Fund
Marconi has a Benevolent Fund which was established as a charity in 1967. A detailed description is here,
If you are an ex-Marconi employee, experiencing poverty, and may qualify for this:-
Contact for more information:
Ian Muir
Company appointed Trustee Chair
M: +44(0) 7801 714959 | E: