Lord William Penney
THE LORD PENNEY Of EAST HENDRED, O.M., K.B.E, Ph.D., D.Sc. F.R.S. Sir William Penney was the first Director of British nuclear weapon research. He was born in 1909 in Gibraltar where his father served as a Sergeant in the Army Ordnance Corps. His academic studies began in Colchester continued at the Sheerness Technical School and continued as a student at Imperial College, London. He then went to the University of Wisconsin for his Masters (1931-33) and Trinity College Cambridge for his PhD (1933-36) He returned to Imperial College as Assistant Professor of Mathematics in 1936.
Sir William became well known for his research work on atomic physics and as author of several articles on the theory of molecular structure. He was one of about 20 British scientists who went to work on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos in 1944. A mathematician and explosives expert, he made measurements of the first nuclear test explosion on July 16, 1945.
He also served on the Target Committee, which met during April and May 1945 to select the Japanese cities upon which to drop the atomic bombs, and flew in the accompanying B-29 bomber that photographed the explosion of the Fat Man bomb on Nagasaki. Afterwards he went to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to survey the damage.
In January 1947, Clement Attlee appointed him Chief Superintendent of Armament Research at the Ministry of Supply and placed him in charge of designing, producing, and testing the British atomic bomb. The first atomic weapon test occurred on October 3, 1952, in the Monte Bello Islands off the northwest coast of Australia. From 1953 to 1959, he directed the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston, where British weapons are designed. He also supervised development of Britain's hydrogen bomb. He personally led the scientific team for the first British A-bomb drops at Maralinga.
In the period 1959 to 1961, he was the Atomic Energy Authority's Member for Research and it was in that role that he had the task of defining a strategy for computation within the Authority. He was Deputy Chairman of the Authority in the period 1961 to 1964, and became its Chairman in 1964 at which stage he gave up his role as Chairman of the Atlas Computer Committee
William George Penney was a British physicist who was responsible for the development of British nuclear technology .A mathematician by training , he became an expert on wave dynamics.He was one of the worlds leading authorities on the effects of nuclear weapons .
During the early years of World War 2, he was loaned out to the Home Office and the Admiralty. He designed and supervised the development of the Mulberry harbours that would be placed off the Normandy Beaches during the D-Day Invasion. In 1943 he was released from his duties at Imperial College to work on the Tube Alloys Project. And shortly before D-Day he returned to America to work at Los Alamos as part of the British delegation to the Manhattan Project. On the Manhattan Project Bill Penney worked on the use of the Atomic Bomb , its effect and in particular the height at which it should be detonated. He quickly gained recognition for his varied talents , his leadership qualities and his ability to work in harmony with others.
In July of 1946 he was invited to be present at the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands and wrote the after action reports on the effects of the two A-Bomb detonations His reputation was further advanced when , after the sophisticated test apparatus of the Americans failed, he was able to determine the blast power using observations from his specially placed piles of discarded oil drums.The first British nuclear bomb test ,Operation Hurricane , conducted 3rd October 1952 off the west coast of Australia in the Monte Bell Islands was organised and directed by William Penney.
And was 10 times greater than the first U.S. nuclear fission weapon.
W.G.Penney also served on the Target Committee which met in April and May 1945 to select the Japanese cities upon which to drop the Atomic Bombs and he was an observer at the 16th July bomb test at Trinity site in New Mexico and on 9th August 1945 he witnessed the bombing of Nagasaki from one of the observation planes that accompanied the Nagasaki mission bomber ENOLA GAY. He was a member of the U.S. team of military and scientific analysts who entered the rubble of Hiroshima to assess the effects of the Atomic Bomb of August 6th 1945 .After completion of the Bikini tests Dr. Penney returned to England to undertake development of the first Atomic Bomb
In January 1947 Clement Attlee appointed him Chief Superintendent of Armament Research and placed him in charge of designing , producing , and testing the British A-Bomb
Imperial College built and named the William Penney Laboratory after him.
He was created a Baron in 1967 when he became Rector of Imperial College, a post he held until his retirement in 1973.
He died on March 3, 1991 at the age of 81.
When the Prime Minister Macmillan visited the Atomic Center it was suggested that when asked a question by the P.M it should be answered by another member of the team as perhaps the P.M would not understand the Sheppey Accent .Bill’s father William Alfred was the Master of the Sheerness De Shurland Lodge Of Freemasons and on his death Bill gave his fathers Masonic Jewels back to the Lodge to be passed on to another Master. This was appreciated by the members of the Lodge
