The authenticity of the 'Newman' notebook and its reference to the 'Yagi antenna'

摘要

The paper is an account of research into the authenticity of an old notebook said to have been written by a British Army corporal named Newman who was stationed in Singapore in 1942. The notebook was found in Singapore and contained information on a searchlight control radar (SLC) produced in England. A Japanese officer found the notebook in a wastebasket in an abandoned British military camp. There had been radars in position in Singapore, but they were destroyed by the British forces before surrender; all that was left were five metal poles. The officers investigating were unable to understand what the poles were for. However, after finding the notebook they concluded that the poles were broken antennas for the radar system. They also located the owner of the notebook who was then a prisoner of war. The corporal had written down all the details of what he had learned as a radar operator in England. Upon reading what he had written, they discovered the word "Yagi" and were puzzled as to its reference. Upon questioning some of the prisoners they learned that it referred to the "Yagi-Uda antenna" which was invented by Dr. Hidetsugu Yagi and Shintarou Uda, researchers in electronics at the Tohoku Imperial University in Sendai City in 1926. The paper reports on related documentation which has been located.