Witt, Sidney Herbert (1892 - 1973)

Summary

Sidney Witt joined the Postmaster-General's Department in 1910 as a junior instrument fitter. Early in his career he was recognised as an expert in telecommunications, both in Australia and overseas. He was selected to establish the Australian Post Office's Research Laboratories in 1923 and remained its "head" until 1945, overseeing its development into a mature and well respected research body. From 1945, as Australia's representative on the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), he helped formulate an international plan of radio frequency allocations for radio communications, and the establishment of the International Frequency Registration Board (IFRB) in 1947. Nominated by the Australian government, he was elected as a board member of IFRB in Geneva in 1948, where he remained until his retirement in 1957.

Details

Born Windsor, Victoria, 12 March 1892. Junior Instrument Fitter, Postmaster-General's Department 1910-12, Professional Engineer 1913-19, Divisional Engineer, Headquarters Administration 1919-24, Supervising Engineer in charge of Research 1923-45. Sometime Chairman, Victorian Division, Institute of Radio Engineers, Australia.

Chronology

1912

Career event - Graduate Member (Grad.IEE), Institution of Electrical Engineers, London

1919

Career event - Foundation Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1923

Career event - Associate Member (AMIEE), Institution of Electrical Engineers, London

1940

Award - Fellow, Institution of Radio Engineers, Australia

1945 - 1946

Career position - Chairman, Melbourne Division, Institution of Engineers, Australia.

Published resources

Book Sections

• Moyal, Ann, 'Witt, Sidney Herbert (1892-1973), Electrical Engineer' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 16: 1940 - 1980 Pik-Z, John Ritchie and Diane Langmore, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2002), pp. 574-575. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A160684b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• Witt, Sidney Herbert, 'Broadcasting of the Canberra ceremonies', Transactions of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 8 (1927), 347-362, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.264788449974166. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21537837. Details
• 'Witt, Sidney Herbert (1892-1973)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1464882. Details

See also

• Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_w.html. Details