by Michael Kirwan
In March 1913 the Northern Wireless Schools Ltd., of Dublin and Manchester opened a school at 11 Lower Sackville Street, [now O’Connell Street], Dublin.
At this time, 31 year old, J. J. Hobbins and his wife Mary had a school, at 2 Catherine Place, Limerick, teaching Morse code to men and women who wished to become Post Office clerks. Morse code was used in most of the larger towns in Ireland for sending and receiving telegrams between post offices. J. J.’s sons Joe and Frank also taught Morse code in the school. J.J. Hobbins saw the opportunity to expand his school to cater for sea-going wireless operators and on 7 November 1913 the following advertisement appeared in the Irish Independent newspaper.
While the school provided Morse code training students had to attend other wireless schools to complete their training in the maintenance and repair of radio equipment kept on board ship.
When World War 1 broke out in 1914, the Admiralty required all ships over 1,600 tons to be fitted with wireless telegraphy and this required an increase of over 3,000 radio officers. The school went from strength to strength and on 30 November 1915 John Hobbins received the following letter from Marconi Marine in London.
Dear Sir,
In reply to your letter, I beg to say that Mr Alexander Weir, your pupil, has passed our test and entered our training School.-
Yours very truly,
S Cross,
Traffic Manager.
Eighty-seven year old John O’ Sullivan from Galway remembers attending the school.
In mid-summer 1942, I arrived at the radio school in Limerick, a large old Georgian house of three stories and a basement. It was owned by a Mr. Hobbins and his wife. They boarded 5 boys and also 2 girls who were training in telegraphy for the Post Office. In the first three months we were given a good knowledge of wireless theory and Morse code to 12-14 words per minute sending and receiving level and then we were transferred to Belfast Wireless College situated at North Street Arcade where we spent a further three months of intense training. We were now prepared to sit an exam at 16 words per minute code and 20 words per minute plain language. We were also tested on direction finding to help defeat the German U-boats. Then I was called up to Marconi’s.
Limerick Marine Radio School (1957-2004)
J.J. Hobbin’s school did not have the complete course for marine wireless operators/radio officers and the setting up of a marine radio officers’ course was discussed at a meeting of the City Vocational Educational Committee in September 1956. The committee was told that the Marconi International Marine Company was anxious to assist in setting up a course. The successful students would be guaranteed employment at £30 per month, rising to £70 per month. The course cost £7 per term and lasted 15 months. Meanwhile Hobbin’s school continued to teach typewriting skills and sadly the third floor of the building in Catherine Place caught fire during lunchtime in April 1959 and the school equipment and furniture were completely destroyed.
Marconi Marine maintained a world-wide organisation for supplying, operating and servicing of ships’ radio equipment. It also supplied radio officers to many shipping companies. In addition to an attractive salary, the radio officer had officer status with his own private accommodation, steward service, food and the chance to travel all over the world.
The first school in Limerick, catering exclusively for the training of marine radio officers, opened on 11 March 1957 at 2 The Crescent. It was under the auspices of the City of Limerick Vocational Educational Committee, in conjunction with the Marconi Marine Company in England. The four storey building was re-constructed into a modern fully furnished radio school. The classrooms comprised of two rooms with Morse equipment, a radio room with transmitters and receivers and a general lecture room. Forty-six students enrolled. The teachers appointed were Larry McDonald and Jim Stack, both of the Marconi Company which had played a vital part in sponsoring the school. John Spencer was appointed headmaster and he also taught the principles of electricity and magnetism. The student fee was £10 and at the end of the course students were guaranteed employment by Marconi Marine Company. The students attending the school came from all parts of the country, even as far north as Donegal. In conjunction with the course, lectures on sociology were given by Rev. Fr. Athanasius, O.F.M. Limerick. At the first examination 18 of 21 students passed Part I of the Post Master General Certificate (PMG).
In January 1960 heavy rain came though several broken slates in the roof of the building and water seeped down from the top storey to the basement. Examinations were taking place at the time and had to be moved to the hall in Limerick Clothing Factory Social Club. Limerick Clothing Factory was situated in Edward Street and the social club was on the ground floor on the right hand side as one entered the gate.
When St Munchin’s College moved to Corbally in 1962 the Henry Street premises was left vacant and the radio school moved there. The City of Limerick Vocational Educational Committee rented the building and it was known as the Municipal Technical College. The radio section occupied the upstairs rooms of the building. In 1969 the site was required for a new Garda station to replace two stations – the old one in William Street and one in John Street, Limerick. This time the school moved to the School Of Electrical Engineering, O’Connell Avenue for radar and practical work and the marine radio communications course was held in the Municipal Technical Institute, O’Connell Avenue. The radio department was at the top of the building in the roof section. It consisted of two lecture rooms, practical room with transmitters and receivers for fault finding, Morse code room, and a radar room.
In 1988 the radio school made its last move to Moylish and joined other Limerick Vocational Educational colleges. In 1993 the Colleges of Art, Commerce and Technology became a Regional Technical College and was finally upgraded to the Institute of Technology status in 1997.
Radio officers in the British Merchant Navy and Irish Shipping were required to hold a certificate of competence issued by the Postmaster-General. P.M.G certificates were issued in three grades – Special Class, Second Class and First Class. The Special Class certificate entitled the holder to operate apparatus in small ships, such as fishing vessels and private yachts which were not by law compulsorily fitted with radio. In the early 1970’s the First and Second Class Certificates were combined into one certificate called the Marine Radio General Certificate. This qualified one to serve in the Merchant Navy as a radio officer proficient in
- Knowledge of the principles of electronics and the theory of radio.
- Theoretical knowledge of transmitters, receivers, DF equipment, auto alarms and motors, generators, inverters rectifiers etc.
- Practical knowledge of the operation of the equipment.
- Practical knowledge of fault finding.
- Ability to send and receive Morse code at a speed of twenty words per minute.
- Knowledge of rules and regulations and Q codes.
- A good knowledge of the world geography and shipping routes.
On successfully completing the examination and obtaining the certificate it was a matter of applying to Marconi Marine for a job. Merchant Navy uniforms were sourced at J. J O’ Callaghan’s, Dame Street, Dublin and then Marconi Marine placed a new officer on a ship as a junior radio officer for six months.
Once the officer joined Marconi Marine he was assigned to a particular shipping company. There was no such thing as a typical voyage. A voyage could consist of serving with Bank Line on a round-the-world service, T & J Harrison going to the Caribbean for six weeks, Kuwait Shipping to the Far East or Europe. An officer could be four months away at sea followed by two months at home. In the 1970’s, while on board ship, an officer worked in the radio room from 8 a.m. working two hours on, two hours off until 10 p.m.
In the late 1980’s Morse code was phased out and replaced by satellite communications thereby removing the requirement to carry a radio officer on board ship. From midnight on 31 January 1999 international regulations no longer required ships at sea to carry a radio officer. The automated Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) using satellites and new state of the art communication techniques became the adopted system. The work of the radio officer could now be done by the master or navigating officer and the position of marine radio officer on board became redundant. Many of the radio officers changed over to the engineering side or navigational side on the ship or simply retired and took up other careers.
School Principals over the years
John Spencer 1957-62, Larry McDonald 1962-1988, Bill O’Herlihy 1988, John Meskell 1988-2004.
Lecturers
Larry McDonald, Jim Stack, (Morse code), Liam Meade, Joe Morton, John Keane, (Radar), Jack Marnell, Mick O’Connell, (Radar), Jim Thompson (Technician) Jim Wallace, Oliver Gleeson, Martin Gleeson, Denis Riordan, Joe Lynham, Bill O’Herlihy.