4 October 2020
Largely unsung, brilliant work of so many “boffins” in the AIR MINISTRY and TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT Malvern’s veiled Royal RADAR ESTABLISHMENT
4 October 2020
Later WALSALL Mayor, volunteered RAF but, as other non-conscientious objectors, because of the ‘1 in 10’ drafting, as Chairman signs for essential role of the BEVIN BOYS, MINING COAL
4 October 2020
Hawker aircraft 1927-75. Head of mechanical systems. Played a major part in Hurricane design under Camm. Sir SYDNEY CAMM’s brilliant DESIGN TEAM at HAWKER AIRCRAFT and the production of their war winning HURRICANE, TYPHOON and TEMPEST fighters.
4 October 2020
Czech born, German-speaking 14 year old JEWISH BOY in 1939, came to England with his brother Robert as part of Sir Nicholas Hinton’s Kindertransport effort (see famous That’s Life video). His parents, Otto and Martha, probably perished in Belzec. Holocaust victims & other KINDERTRANSPORT children sent to UK by Sir Nicholas HINTON’s efforts
4 October 2020
Women’s land army veteran, 5-6 years often hard 15-18hr FARMWORK days, releasing many men from country to join FIGHTING SERVICES “Where I worked there was a farmer with one tooth, who chewed tobacco and spat it out in his hand. He put ‘bloody’ in front and behind every word he uttered, so there was hardly going to be any canoodling there” (Jean at 91) At its peak, the army was 83,000 strong. BRITISH WOMEN’S LAND ARMY SOCIETY + TIMBER CORPS
1 October 2020
Fireman and, through WW2, at Shadwell in London’s East End. Representing London and British cities blitzed & wartime Fire, Rescue, ARP and voluntary Services.
1 October 2020
‘The father of Scientific and Technical intelligence’, whose brilliant, vital Knickebein work leading to The Battle of the Beams, developed ‘chaff’, and his ‘SCIENTIFIC WAR’ work, when so young, impressed CHURCHILL’s TEAM, involved in many critical WW2 decisions. His book, Most Secret War: British Scientific Intelligence 1939-1945, formed the basis of the TV series The Secret War.
1 October 2020
HIROSHIMA entered in Japanese by Father John Motoki SHOZAWA for the Japanese losses from atomic attacks on Hiroshima & Nagasaki, ending hostilities and indirectly saving the lives of many others on both sides.
1 October 2020
In memory his father. Also remembering Arthur RUBBRA, Sir STANLEY HOOKER and OTHERS’ key CONTRIBUTION to VICTORY of the ubiquitous ROLLS-ROYCE & MERLIN ENGINES.
1 October 2020
Francis George ‘Frank’ GILLARD CBE (1Dec08-20Oct98) the veteran BBC broadcaster, war reporter and BBC executive represents the important roles of both war correspondents and the BBC in WW2.
26 September 2020
For: wartime VICKERS-ARMSTRONG, Aircraft DESIGN and PRODUCTION, and British AVIATION INDUSTRY, later Chairman British Aircraft Corporation
24 September 2020
Aeronautical engineer who worked during war on aerodynamics of aircraft like the SPITFIRE, LANCASTER & MOSQUITO.
23 September 2020
Sir Samuel CURRAN FRS FRSE DSc MA BSc PhD after his first MA BSc & PhD from Glasgow University in 1937, for the outstanding teams at Cambridge's CAVENDISH LABORATORY, the ROYAL AERONAUTICAL ESTABLISHMENT, MINISTRY of AVIATION PRODUCTION & SUPPLY and their contribution to the MANHATTAN PROJECT and the combined British-American ATOMIC BOMB of Oppenheimer’s LOS ALAMOS team.
23 September 2020
Lady CURRAN (née Joan STROTHERS) represents the important achievements of the TRE, the TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT, both before and after the move to MALVERN.
23 September 2020
As Hampshire police constable, took the badly wounded & burned Flight Lieutenant James ‘Nick’ Nicolson VC (see Muriel Nicolson, q.v.) to Southampton Hospital on 23rd August, 1940, in an Albion lorry.
23 September 2020
WOMEN’S WAR WORK; AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS WARDENS, CIVIL DEFENCE & Eric CLAXTON MBE’s RESCUE & CASUALTIES UNION training ST JOHN’s & RED CROSS
23 September 2020
Larry had 51 years with VICKERS ARMSTRONG SHIPBUILDERS at the BARROW on Furness SHIPYARD and represents the massive importance of WARSHIP BUILDING in our national SEA POWER; the father and son worked on many famous WARSHIPS, seeing them grow from skeleton to fitting out, including AIRCRAFT CARRIERS (ILLUSTRIOUS, 1938), CAPITAL SHIPS & LINERS to many SUBMARINES
30 August 2020
Sir Peter MASEFIELD MA CEng Hon.DSc FRAeS: pre-war FAIREY DESIGN, helped form pre-war "HEARKERS". as TECHNICAL EDITOR of "AEROPLANE", stressed necessity of AIRCRAFT RECOGNITION TRAINING
30 August 2020
Professor Robert HANBURY BROWN FRS AK
Born in India, astronomer & physicist. Part of Sir Robert Watson-Watt’s original RADAR team (1937-42), helping develop first airborne radar for night-fighting & detecting ships and submarines. “Without his discovery, the range of detection of a surfaced submarine in a rough sea would have been negligible, with catastrophic consequences for the British merchant fleet in the first years of the war.” (Telegraph). One of the original Bawdsey Boffins. Memoir Boffin: A Personal Story of the Early Days of Radar, Radio Astronomy and Quantum Optics.
30 August 2020
Volunteer for Special Operations Executive, and widow of [No. 31: Leonard CHESHIRE, q.v.]. SOE’s (Gen. GUBBINS) ‘magnificent’ WOMEN’S TRANSPORT SERVICE of the FANY
29 August 2020
Model for the morale-boosting ‘Jane’ cartoon: ‘worth at least two divisions’ “Britain’s Secret Weapon” (Winston Churchill) “CHRISTABEL LEIGHTON-PORTER was the model for the Daily Mirror’s wartime strip cartoon “Jane”; the character’s lightly-clad adventures with the Security […]
29 August 2020
Godfrey, born in Hazelgrove, the third son of a cockney Metro Vickers engineer and his mother, both a Derby WWI Nurse and WW2 Women’s Voluntary Service officer, was still busy in 1995 on Museum heritage at the same A.V.Roe/BAe Woodford site – 55 years after moving in as one of 12 Barlow apprentices (among the first 30 there).
29 August 2020
Mrs Mary JOICE (née BALMER), with a sister in RAF Intelligence & husband a HACKNEY BOROUGH ENGINEER in the BLITZ, was WW2 Personal Secretary to the Bishop George BELL (1883-1958) of Chichester, whose continuing secret pre-war links with his German counterparts via meetings in neutral Sweden were reported back to Foreign Secretary, Sir Anthony Eden.
29 August 2020
Mrs Margaret HANCOCK née Williams for all BRITISH NURSING STAFF particularly in LONDON during and beyond the BLITZ.