The image above shows Hobart's Cambridge
Aerodrome seen in 1942, during the Second World War, from the top of the 33 Mc 'Lorenz'
radio range antenna tower. From left to right at rear can be seen the aerodrome rotating beacon, a garage and equipment shed and the aero club hangar.
Inside the compound in the foreground is, at left, the garrison quarters,
two 70 ft (21 m) HF receiver masts, and the Control Building, containing Aeradio and Met offices, with signal square
adjacent. Roll your cursor over the image to get a labelled version.
Out of shot to the right is the ANA hangar.
The image above shows the Aeradio office inside the Control Building during this era. The early Aeradio Stations were all built to a standard pattern. On the operator's immediate left are three HF radio receivers - one for air/ground, one for ground/ground (no long distance phones or intercoms in those days) and one spare.
Adjacent is the Strowger Relay, an early form of electro-mechanical remote control system by which the operator could control various aerodrome functions such as changing transmitter frequency, turning on and off the aerodrome lights and so on. The relay worked by dialling certain sequences on the telephone handset. It was a high tech system for the day.
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The image above is another shot
of Hobart/Cambridge in 1942 looking back from a rather muddy movement
area. At left is the ANA hangar and 'Lorenz'
mast, then the Control Building with HF receiver masts, the aero club
hangar with aerodrome beacon
behind, and finally the garage and equipment shed.
Cambridge was originally slated to receive an art-deco Control Building and passenger terminal similar to those erected at Mascot, Parafield and Archerfield, however this never materialised due to the start of the Second World War.
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The photo
above shows the view further around to the right from that in the upper photo,
looking approximately north over Barilla Bay. Click here to see a 1950s diagram of the runway layout.
Click here to see some photos of Cambridge as it was in 1934
Click to see inside the Hobart/Cambridge Control Building at is was in 2011
(Photos: 1,3 & 4-CAHS/Rod Torrington collection; 2-CAHS collection)
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