Sir Clifford Paterson, OBE FRS, was Director of the GEC Research
Laboratories at Wembley from their foundation in 1919 until his death in
1948. This book contains the daily diary which he kept from the
beginning of September 1939 until May 1945.
These were the years of the Second World War, and Paterson records work
in the Laboratories and his own wider role in the planning and
organisation of the scientific war effort, against the background of the
progress of the war, on one hand, and on the other, the personal
problems of members of his staff. There are also references to the
administration and housekeeping which were necessary for the smooth
running of the Laboratories.
There are accounts of visits from, and discussions with Ministers,
senior Service officers, and officials in government departments and
research establishments. There are comments on the contributions that
such people were making and, on occasion, references to the delaying
effects of some rivalries and bureaucracy. Paterson expresses opinions
on the proper roles of government, the universities, and industry in
both war and peace.
The diary outlines the progress and frustrations on the wide variety of
projects undertaken by the Laboratories, including the development of
the cavity magnetron, airborne radar, radio countermeasures, centimetre
wave propagation, visibility of and from aircraft, and many others, as
well as support for the industrial war effort through, for example,
development of diamond dies and a statistical approach to quality
control. A recurring theme is the development and production in the
Laboratories of more than 300,000 thermionic valves of 45 new types.
The diary is supplemented by an introduction, a chronology of world
events, a number of appendices, and explanatory footnotes to many
entries. The diary is an important historical document and will be of
great interest to political and social historians, as well as those
interested in the history of science.
