Radar Men: A. P. Rowe and John Strath in War and Peace

Don Sinnott

2016年8月 · Xlibris Corporation

關於本電子書

World War II defined its heroes and villains. There are many books on national leaders like Churchill and Hitler, generals like Montgomery and Rommel. Less has been written about the civilian scientists, engineers, and technicians whose work produced military innovations that drove the direction and outcome of that terrible conflict. This book is a connected and interlaced narrative of two men who were World War II civilian scientists. It is a non-technical portrait of two twentieth-century life stories against a backdrop of war and peace, which are important in both historical context and as illustrations of the human condition lived in extraordinary circumstances. The lives of A. P. Rowe and John Strath intersected in the British development of radar in the 1930s and 1940s and then diverged into critical roles in Britain and Australia after the war. Rowe and Strath worked in Britains epic development of radar defences, without which the 1940 aerial Battle of Britain would have been lost. Rowe led what has been termed as one of the most successful research establishments of all time, focussed on the development and deployment of radar; Strath was a junior member of that establishment. After the war, both men moved to Australia where Rowe, after a short and unhappy involvement as lead scientific adviser on the development of Australia's Woomera rocket range and Australian defence, was for a decade a highly contentious vice chancellor of the University of Adelaide. Strath became involved in development of the British atomic weapon and monitoring of nuclear test effects in Australia and then became the prime mover for development of what is now Australias Jindalee Operational Radar Network, a major component of the countrys long-range defence surveillance.

關於作者

Donald (Don) Sinnott has published many professional papers, articles, and book chapters in an extended career as a scientist and engineer. He now turns his hand to writing interlaced biographies of two scientists, one known to him personally, who played significant yet underappreciated roles in World War II and the uneasy peace that followed. As a researcher in radio and radar technologies, Don worked for many years in the science and technology agency, supporting and advising Australia’s Department of Defence. He played a major role in Australia’s development of over-the-horizon radar, embodied in Australia’s world-leading project Jindalee, before moving to senior defence management positions. In 2000 he became CEO of a university-based centre driving collaborative research across academic, business, and government sectors and subsequently became an independent consultant, serving these sectors. He has been and remains as an adjunct professor with the University of Adelaide, Australia, where he has taught and supervised higher-degree students. Don holds degrees in electronic engineering (including a PhD from Syracuse University, New York, USA), is a fellow of both the Australian Institution of Engineers and of the US-based Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. In 2014 he was awarded the Engineers Australia M. A. Sargent Medal, for which the citation refers to his ‘eminence and leadership’ in his field. Don’s previously published work aimed at a general readership includes collaborating in a biography of a Sudanese refugee and contributions to local history.