Courtesy of The Marconi Archives, Chelmsford

In 1919, Mr. S. T. Dockray went to China to install three 25KW Telegraphy Transmitters.

The first, to be installed at Urga, was shipped to Shanghai. From there Dockray organized its transport by rail to Kalgan, and then by camel and bullock cart, eight hundred miles across the Gobi Desert. The load,. which included three one hundred foot steel towers, exceeded three hundred tons. The job completed, Dockray journeyed to Peking, only to find that the Station had mysteriously gone silent. He re-tracked, to find the Station right in the middle of a local war.

Dockray got the station back on the air and told the authorities what was happening. The station was then hit by artillery fire. He was uninjured, but captured and charged with being an English spy. Later, in the company of two others, he escaped, but it was no consolation to know that of a party of thirteen who had escaped earlier, only one had survived.

After many hardships and adventures, the party reached Manchuli, where they were promptly quarantined in a cattle truck because of raging Bubonic Plague, Eventually they reached Peking, where Dockray was awarded the Chinese Order of Chao Ho for meritorious conduct. Later in 1920, the territory having been regained by the Central Government, Dockray returned to Urga and repaired the Station.

Two more stations had yet to be installed. After experiencing many Governmental delays, the equipment for these had been sent by mail to Fengchen. Here Dockray arranged an enormous caravan of twelve hundred camels, four hundred and sixty eight ponies and one hundred and seventeen bullock carts. After a long and arduous trek, they arrived at Urumchi, the site for the second Station to find that the local General was definitely not in favour. However, all obstacles were eventually overcome and the Station went on the air in August 1922.

The route onwards from Urumchi to Kashgar for the last Station, was over some of the toughest country imaginable-rugged mountain ranges and swift rivers, some of which had to be crossed by makeshift rafts. Twenty animals were lost in the two months journey, but once they arrived, all went well and the station was completed in May, 1923.

After a short rest, Dockray decided to return via India, incredibly, the quickest route, Setting off with two Chinese Servants, he crossed the Mintaka Pass on ponyback at fifteen thousand feet, and in August reached Kashmir, thence to Calcutta and by sea to Shanghai. There followed a spell in hospital to recover from scurvy and he reached Peking with all three stations on the air.