You may reach me by e-mail at the following address:
louis 'at' wftw ‘dot’ nl
About this Site.
Greetings from Ottersum in the Netherlands, and welcome to the homepage of Louis
Meulstee, PA0PCR, the author and editor of the WIRELESS FOR THE WARRIOR (commonly
referred to as WftW) range of books devoted to the technical history and development
of British Army wireless (radio) communication. On this website, you will find basic
technical descriptions, photographs, and drawings of radio sets once used in the
British Army. Additionally, various other topics are posted, such as line telegraph
equipment (the Fullerphone), Air-Sea rescue sets ('Gibson Girl'), H.A.C. Short-Wave
Products kits, a gallery mainly featuring British WW2 radios, and more. The background
colour of the pages on this site is not chosen at random but matches the colour of
British Army radio equipment in the early World War 2 period.
Research at the Royal Signals Museum
Over the years from 1980 to 2014, I spent a week each year conducting research on
the topic of British Army (wireless) signalling at the Royal Signals Museum and the
REME museum, in addition to visiting The National Archives. This involved initially
taking handwritten notes, and in the following years, I started taking photographs
and using a rented portable photocopier. In later years, I used a scanner with a
laptop and a digital camera. This wealth of information led to the publication of
articles in magazines and periodicals.
In 1989, I came into contact with Geoff Arnold, who had just launched his magazine
'Radio Bygones.' He welcomed my offer to contribute a few technical articles on WW2
British Army wireless sets. This marked the beginning of a long cooperation with
Geoff (who lived not far from the Royal Signals Museum in Blandford Forum) and with
the later proprietor of the magazine, Mike Kenward.
It was Geoff who supported my aspiration to write a comprehensive book on British
Army wireless sets, which later became known as the WftW Volume series. At that time,
it was a very large undertaking that required much perseverance, considering that
digital cameras, scanners, graphic editors, DTP programs, the Internet, and other
now indispensable tools were still in their infancy or not affordable.
I have never felt the need to be paid for what I still consider, to this day, a fascinating
hobby. That being said, I would like to point out that I have never had any commercial
interest in writing articles or putting together the WftW series of books for profit.
I simply enjoy sharing knowledge explained in an easy-to-digest way, enriched with
illustrations that often convey more than words.
In conclusion, I must express my deep gratitude to all who assisted me over the years,
particularly the late John Taylor G0AKN, directors and staff of the Royal Signals
Museum at Blandford Forum, and the late Geoff Arnold of Radio Bygones. Without their
help, the Wireless for the Warrior range of books and website would never have materialized.
Changes and simplification of the Home Page.
The WftW website was first launched in 1998 with the HTML resources of that period,
built and maintained using the now obsolete and discontinued 'HomeSite-5' HTML editor.
Several major changes were made to the layout of the site over the years to reduce
the loading time of the Home Page. These changes also addressed the previous heavy
focus on the WftW books, which are now consolidated under the WftW Books tab. As
much as possible the original site's general layout and simplicity of navigating
through the pages was retained, avoiding gadgets and irritating pop-ups.
Site Updated: 29-11-2023
Photographs on this Web Site.
A significant portion of the photos on this site were taken by myself, mostly from
borrowed equipment. Since these photos were captured in the late 1990s, their resolution
and quality are relatively low. I might retake these photos when time allows. Any
updates will be announced on the 'What's New' page.
Full permission was obtained for the use of the other photos on this site. However,
for some photos, the original source could not be traced. I am therefore grateful
to receive information about possible copyright material that was not previously
acknowledged.
I would be pleased to add the name or organization of the original owner of these
photos. In my opinion, it is impractical to prevent copying or spoil photos with unsightly
watermarks, let alone explicitly forbid the use of my photos elsewhere. As a general
rule, I have no objections to the use of my photos, but I would greatly appreciate
it if the source is mentioned, e.g. 'photo by www.wftw.nl'
After contacting me, in most cases, I can provide higher resolution versions of the
photos
