Page 15 - Lambert Wackers

The new company is named Radio Holland, whose purpose is to gradually replace the
entire radio-telegraphy equipment on board of Dutch ships, which until now were
managed by a Belgian Company. The new company has a founding capital of 1 million.
Mr. L.H.F Wackers is appointed founding director of Radio Holland.
On the Board of the new company are representatives of the above-mentioned Dutch
steamship companies and Professor C.L. van der Bilt of the Delft Technical College (now
University of Delft)."

Incentives for founding NTM Radio Holland
The disaster of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 demonstrated the importance of wireless
radiocommunication at sea. Without the SOS -call sent out by the Titanic radio operator, no
passenger nor crew would have survived. Since then, many shipping companies installed radio
equipment on board, and hired operators to improve safety on the high seas.

The Dutch ships that had wireless equipment and operators on board, were before the war
supported by the British Marconi Company. However, when World War I started, British
and Belgian Marconi companies could no longer support radio equipment on neutral
(Dutch) ships. This created unacceptable risks for seagoing vessels. Facing this problem,
the above-mentioned Dutch Shipping Companies joined forces and founded Radio Holland.

Quote:
“Tomorrow we’ll found the new company, Old Chap.” Which is apparently what Lambert
Wackers said to his secretary, G. Fritsche on December 5th, 1916. The company was the
Nederlandse Telegraaf Mij Radio-Holland (NTM RH). Wackers would be its first director.

1916-1930
With Lambert Wackers as the first Executive Director, Radio Holland was a great commercial
success, showing spectacular growth. In the first 10 years, 170,000 telegram messages
were sent, 416 ships were equipped with new wireless equipment, and 300 new wireless
operators were trained. During these same years, there was rapid innovation of technology
and applications and significant commercial expansion.
After the war, the demand for more radio equipment and operators continued to increase,
despite economic recession. Not only passenger and cargo ships, but fishing fleets and
airplanes were also interested in joining the trend.
In 1918 Lambert Wackers also founded the Nederlandsche Seintoestellen Fabriek (NSF, The
Dutch Factory of Signal Devices), another very successful technical business that Lambert
started. Until 1960 the NSF in Hilversum was the largest radio and transmitter factory in
the Netherlands. The company produced transmitters and receivers for the merchant fleet
and radio sets for the public. In 1923 the NSF broadcasted the first experimental wireless
radio concert of a jazz music and other popular music. This experimental broadcast led to
the later national broadcasting associations in Hilversum.

When I read about this, I got very excited.
My grand-uncle, Lambert, is the founder of RADIO HOLLAND!
Did the company still exist?

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