Murphy Radio

Murphy Radio was a British manufacturer of radios and televisions based in Welwyn Garden City, England.

Murphy B41 and B40 radios
A 1951 Murphy television set held by the Science Museum, London
Model U102 (c.1947)

Murphy Radio was founded in 1929 by Frank Murphy and E.J. Power[1] as a volume manufacturer of home radio sets. Its factories were in the Hertfordshire town of Welwyn Garden City, England, starting with fewer than 100 employees. Murphy also had a manufacturing facility in Islandbridge, Dublin, Ireland.

Datasheet for Wireless Set No. 38 (1944)

The company played an important role during World War II, designing and manufacturing radio sets for British Armed Forces use, chiefly the Wireless Set No. 38. After the war, Murphy used its military experience to design and build sets for Naval use, principally the 'B40' series[2] for the British Commonwealth Navies. The company also produced the Larkspur era A41 VHF manpack transceiver for the British Army during the 1950s.[3]

Murphy himself left the company during 1937 and went on to found another company called, perhaps unwisely, 'FM Radio'. He died aged 65, in 1955.[4]

Although the company became well known for the manufacture of television sets, it was eventually amalgamated with Bush Radio in 1962. The brand 'Murphy' has survived, but as a licensee for Far Eastern electronics.

In 2012, the brand gained wide attention in India due to the movie Barfi!. A vintage Murphy radio also appears in the opening of the 2012 film Life of Pi.

References
  1. Tate. "E.J. Power: A Pioneering Collector of American Art – Essay". Tate. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  2. "Murphy B40 Naval Receiver". www.portabletubes.co.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  3. "Wireless for the Warrior. Larkspur". remlr.com. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  4. The Setmakers by Keith Geddes and Gordon Bussey (ISBN 0951704206)
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