Newcastle Local Section. Inaugural address by the Chairman

From theory to engineering practice: shared telecommunications knowledge between Oliver Heaviside and his brother and GPO engineer Arthur West Heaviside

“….' [1]. AWH's work and experimental practice was built upon earlier collaborations in duplex telegraphy and the 'bridge system' of telephony and possibly guided by OH's researches into electrical theory and electromagnetism.…”

“…12 AWH used his brother as a kind of technical and scientific adviser and sounding board-in one letter promising in his next letter to write about 'what we are doing electrically in the post office and some facts about insulation which will make you stare'. 13 AWH's experiments and technical developments at this time included experiments with ABC telegraph exchange for mercantile communication in Newcastle, in particular collieries and shipping offices in 1880 and in 1882 devised a metallic circuit system of telephones known as the 'North East (Northern)' system, moving away from rented telegraphy lines [1]. The latter made AWH a pioneer of underground wires for telephones and resulted in very few open telephone wires in Newcastle from the early days of telephony.…”

“…Meanwhile, in May 1877 and inspired by Graham Bell's recent telephone system, two of AWH's staff, Frank Reid and W.R. Smith, made the first telephones in the northeast using parts from a ABC telegraph [1]. In September 1877 and a month after Preece's first British demonstration of his telephone system, Graham Bell visited Britain including Newcastle in September to introduce his telephone system [38].…”

“…A joint paper by the brothers, to be published in the Journal of the Society of Telegraph Engineers, was blocked by Preece; instead, the theoretical aspect of the 'bridge system' of telephony was eventually published in OH's 1893 publication Electromagnetic theory, volume 1, in which OH discussed self-inductance with leaks as it related to AWH's 'bridge system' as well as an additional proposal on how to achieve a distortionless circuit [39]. AWH did not publish the details of his contribution to the 'bridge system' of telephony until his 1900 paper before the Newcastle section of the IEE with which this paper opened [1]. Ultimately, however, AWH supported Preece against his own brother when it came to improving signal transmission through the use of cable loading; this may have been as much to do with ensuring his career prospects and status within the GPO and wider electrical engineering community as it was about siding with Preece in the 'Practice versus Theory' debate (as mentioned above).…”

“…These experiments were part of a systematic experimental programme overseen by Preece to develop systems of telegraphy without connecting wires that could be used in challenging locations such as lighthouses and islands while still connecting into the existing inland telegraphy network, then managed by the GPO [4]. 1 Throughout his 34 year career at the GPO from 1870 and 1904, AWH and OH exchanged frequent correspondence including discussions of theoretical and technical matters, and AWH regularly consulted his brother about his published papers, incorporating the ideas, suggestions and corrections of his brother. 2 Such was the closeness of their work that authorship was often collaborative and joint, and in 1880 the two brothers applied for a joint patent 'Electrical conductors' but AWH's role in the GPO meant that the patent was granted solely to OH.…”