furthering their personal agenda or playing corporate politics. For almost
every member of staff the years from 1939–45 were devoted, without
exception, to projects aimed at winning the war. In this respect the major
contribution of the Laboratories was their work on valves and cathode ray
tubes, particularly for navigation and radar.
38 There was a tremendous
expansion of facilities for the pre-production
39 and testing of a variety of
valves developed specifically for wartime. Over 1000 newcomers joined the
staff but the Laboratories relied heavily on their senior staff and Robert Le
Rossignol’s intimate knowledge of the construction, manufacture, operation
and characteristics of thermionic devices naturally made him a key player in
‘Wembley at war’. Like Haber, Robert found himself at the service of his
country. But in the event, like thousands up and down the country, his
dedication was to be cruelly rewarded.
Notes
1. Reported in a single sentence without comment in ‘News in Brief’, The
Times, Friday, 13 November 1931.
2. Professor Palmær’s speech is available at http://nobelprize.org/nobel_
prizes/chemistry/laureates/1931/press.html.
3. CARL BOSCH
The development of the chemical high-pressure method during the establishment
of the new ammonia industry. Nobel Lecture, May 21, 1932.
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1931/boschlecture.html.
‘Partly as a result of the Lecture given by Haber here in Stockholm in 1920 has
been learned that in 1908, he approached the Badische Anilin und Sodafabrik
with the suggestion to attempt the technical synthesis of ammonia from hydrogen
and nitrogen under high pressure. In the course of his studies on the position of the
equilibrium in the system ammonia $ hydrogen + nitrogen he ascertained that
the foreseeable shifts in equilibrium for high pressures actually occur in favour of
the ammonia, but—and this was a particularly encouraging and for us decisive
fact—he also found that osmium and uranium markedly accelerated the
attainment of the equilibrium and brought it about at a far lower temperature
than the catalysts exclusively used hitherto, i.e. manganese, iron, platinum, etc.’
FRIEDRICH BERGIUS
Chemical reactions under high pressure. Nobel Lecture, May 21, 1932.
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1931/bergiuslecture.html.
‘In 1908 and 1909 I was given an opportunity in the laboratories of Nernst and
Haber to witness the use of the high-pressure methods in investigations into the
ammonia equilibrium and ammonia synthesis, and I tried my hand, in these
398
D. Sheppard
every member of staff the years from 1939–45 were devoted, without
exception, to projects aimed at winning the war. In this respect the major
contribution of the Laboratories was their work on valves and cathode ray
tubes, particularly for navigation and radar.
38 There was a tremendous
expansion of facilities for the pre-production
39 and testing of a variety of
valves developed specifically for wartime. Over 1000 newcomers joined the
staff but the Laboratories relied heavily on their senior staff and Robert Le
Rossignol’s intimate knowledge of the construction, manufacture, operation
and characteristics of thermionic devices naturally made him a key player in
‘Wembley at war’. Like Haber, Robert found himself at the service of his
country. But in the event, like thousands up and down the country, his
dedication was to be cruelly rewarded.
Notes
1. Reported in a single sentence without comment in ‘News in Brief’, The
Times, Friday, 13 November 1931.
2. Professor Palmær’s speech is available at http://nobelprize.org/nobel_
prizes/chemistry/laureates/1931/press.html.
3. CARL BOSCH
The development of the chemical high-pressure method during the establishment
of the new ammonia industry. Nobel Lecture, May 21, 1932.
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1931/boschlecture.html.
‘Partly as a result of the Lecture given by Haber here in Stockholm in 1920 has
been learned that in 1908, he approached the Badische Anilin und Sodafabrik
with the suggestion to attempt the technical synthesis of ammonia from hydrogen
and nitrogen under high pressure. In the course of his studies on the position of the
equilibrium in the system ammonia $ hydrogen + nitrogen he ascertained that
the foreseeable shifts in equilibrium for high pressures actually occur in favour of
the ammonia, but—and this was a particularly encouraging and for us decisive
fact—he also found that osmium and uranium markedly accelerated the
attainment of the equilibrium and brought it about at a far lower temperature
than the catalysts exclusively used hitherto, i.e. manganese, iron, platinum, etc.’
FRIEDRICH BERGIUS
Chemical reactions under high pressure. Nobel Lecture, May 21, 1932.
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1931/bergiuslecture.html.
‘In 1908 and 1909 I was given an opportunity in the laboratories of Nernst and
Haber to witness the use of the high-pressure methods in investigations into the
ammonia equilibrium and ammonia synthesis, and I tried my hand, in these
398
D. Sheppard