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A student in Metallurgy at RSM 1851-1853, and close associate of College throughout his career, even though much of it was spent abroad, Bauerman left a bequest to enable students to travel after graduation.
Tuesday 3 October 2017
Opening of the Boat House at Putney
The new Boathouse at Putney was opened by Lord Desborough, on 21 October 1938, designed and built by Charles Bristow. The commemorative plaque from the occasion reads, "May all who use this boathouse in it find such happiness and make such friendships as may endure throughout their lives.
The outbreak of war
Working at the field station at Slough
Following the declaration of war, it was decided not to take in new students to the College. However this decision was rescinded on 17th October 1939 and College re-opened. Some courses were evacuated - Metallurgy, Metallurgy Department teaching for 3rd and 4th year students transferred to Swansea but the South Kensington Department remained open to provide instruction for students of others departments, conducted by Dr. S. W. Smith. 1st and 2nd year metallurgy students remained in South Kensington.
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The Miners moved to Cambourne and the Biologists to their field station at Slough.
As with the First World War, many buildings were commandeered by the government and military including the Huxley Building, Henry Cole Wing, Beit, RSM and Boathouse.
College life during the war
Undergraduate students guarding Buckingham Palace
As students were unable to train with the University of London Officer Training Corps because of the Second World War, the Rector, Sir Henry Tizard (1885-1959) invited Major W.H. Bevan to address the students with the idea of them forming a Home Guard Platoon. "C" Company, 2 London, Home Guard, Imperial's own company, formed in September 1941, with the addition of some Royal College of Music volunteers later that year.
At first it was a student Home Guard Platoon, but in 1942 was joined by staff members from Imperial College Maintenance Party, the College war emergency group. C Company was responsible for an area including Kensington Gardens, Knightsbridge, Queen's Gate, Fulham Road and Old Brompton Road to Drayton Gardens. In all, 250 Imperial College students passed through the Company.
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An Imperial College Maintenance Party and Air Raid Precaution (ARP) centre was set up and housed in the RSM building with W. R Jones in charge. Many staff volunteered for night watching and weekend duties.
The Imperial College Administration and Maintenance Party was formed to undertake fire watching and other Air Raid Precautions. ARP duties were extremely important for the protection of College buildings and personnel. Dr H.J.T. Ellingham, Chemistry, played a leading part in A.R.P. activities, including the leisure aspects.
Profs. Read and Sweeting volunteered for the permanent squad and for most of the 1940-41 session lived in the basement of the Mines Building, alongside Dr. Davies, W. S. Tweed and Faulkner of the Mining Department. They cooked and cleaned for themselves, sleeping in camp-beds (christened by Read as the "Ghetto"). The Fire Captain was the Head Cleaner of the R.S.M., Bill Guiver.
The City and Guilds Waterhouse building
Special regulations related to enemy air raids were applied during College hours. A loud bell warned of 'approaching raiders', often followed by another denoting 'raiders overhead'. Staff and students were instructed to leave their rooms and make for the basement. Early in the war this descent occurred about once a day but later in 1943/44 it frequently happened three times daily.
There were two direct hits by enemy bombs on College buildings, but no-one was injured. One bomb exploded at the rear of the RSM and one fell on the City and Guilds Waterhouse building, but did not explode.
Parts of the Beit Building were taken over to house military personnel early in the war, and returned to College in 1942. College was able to claim for damage caused during the requisition period, as were all owners of similarly requisitioned buildings.
But besides study and Home Guard/ARP duties, not to mention the problems of rationing and public transport, students carried on with activities such as amateur dramatics and sports. The Radio Society was shut down at the start of the war for fear of a breach of security.
Alumni and the Second World War
Below are just a few of the many alumni who contributed to the war effort:
Sir Frederick Handley-Page (1885-1962) City and Guilds (Finsbury Technical College 1901-03), founded Britain's first aircraft manufacturing company in 1909. During World War II his company produced heavy bombers, including the Halifax.
Alan Dower Blumlein
Alan Dower Blumlein (Electrical Engineering 1903-1942) City and Guilds 1921-23 worked for EMI on a radar system, and adapted some of his previous work on circuit design technology for use in television to a 60 MHz pulsed radar. Accuracy of navigation was very important to the accuracy of bombing and it was to increase navigation accuracy that the H2S ground mapping radar was designed. Blumlein researched one format using the klystron as a transmitter, but development of this was slow, and the Telecommunications Research Establishment with GEC was speedily developing a system using the magnetron. It was during a test flight demonstrating the TRE/GEC model that Blumlein died as faulty maintenance of the Halifax caused it to crash.
Bruce White (Electrical Engineering 1902-05) directed the work on the Mulberry Harbours, the sheltered harbour structures used to land equipment and supplies in readiness for the Allies D-Day landings for the War Office. Advice was taken from staff in the Civil Engineering Department.
A.C. Hartley (Civil and Mechanical 1908-10) worked on implementing the system for Fog Dispersal (FIDO - Fog Investigation and Dispersal) on selected airfields for the Petroleum Warfare Department. His co-workers included E. G. Walker (Civil and Mechanical 1902-04) and D.A. Fox (Civil 1933).
The Chief Engineer for the contractors was W.H.G. Roach (Civil 1919-21).
Colonel Bill Hudson worked for the Special Operations Executive Section D "ungentlemanly" warfare section, and Mrs Yvonne Cormeau, who worked for the College Archives in the 1960s, was a member of the French Resistance, her code name being "Annette".
1953 - Private visit to Imperial by Duke of Edinburgh
Shortly before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II May 10th Prince Philip visited College privately. Prince Philip has a strong interest in Science and Technology and its application to industry.
Jez is donated to the Royal College of Science Motor Club as its mascot
In 1955 the students of the Royal College of Science were looking for a suitable means of transport for their President. On finding that there was a fire engine for sale, the students made an offer of £50 for the vehicle, but the owners, Joseph Crosfield and Son, decided to donate it to the students for its "educational value".
They travelled to Warrington to collect it, with their only introduction being a drive round the block, after which they faced a two hundred mile journey with considerable trepidation. The reliability of the fire engine was in serious doubt, and the problems attached to restarting the engine if it stalled, or indeed was deliberately stopped, appeared to be rather overwhelming. The average range for a man when operating the starting handle had been quoted as 25 feet. The brave four set out, and were soon tearing along, but the driver at the time claimed he was not quite sure whether he, or the fire engine, was in control at the time. The name "Jezebel" was eventually chosen due to the vehicle's temperament, which can be summed up by the following quote from a driver at Crosfield's: "when not trying to turn around in a circle, Jezebel had a pronounced tendency to proceed sideways like a crab".
The Roderic Hill building opened by Queen Elizabeth
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The Queen Mother A new building for Aeronautics and Chemical Engineering, named after Sir Roderic Hill, Rector 1948-1954 was opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1957.
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