There is no evidence to suggest that Paterson kept a diary prior to the war,
but he was moved to do so from the day Germany invaded Poland on 01
September 1939, until victory in Europe was celebrated on the 08–09 May
1945. The diary is a remarkable historical document. It reflects the progress
of the war, the work undertaken by the Laboratories, the planning and
organization of the British scientific war effort, the administration and
housekeeping of the Laboratories and most importantly, the roles and
sometimes the personal problems of many of the staff. The diary demonstrates the thorough integration of the British operational war effort with her
scientific community; it records visits to Wembley from senior military,
government Ministers, officials of the various Government departments,
together with visits by Laboratory staff to Company departments, factories
and abroad—usually to the USA. It is clear from Paterson’s diary that
Robert’s contribution was largely one of organization; of meetings, of travelling, recording, production monitoring, quality control, accounting, and of
advice as a senior member of staff. His contribution during this period
however, seems far less in terms of technical innovation. Just the one patent
(Appendix D) during the war years, applied for on 20 October 1943, viz.,
‘Improvements in gas-tight joints between metals and ceramics’, probably in
relation to difficulties KLG were having in rendering their aircraft spark plugs
‘airtight’.
26 But it is equally clear the he was a very close colleague of
Paterson’s, involved at the highest levels of decision-making within the
Laboratories, ‘privy’ to the most sensitive information and liaising with many
of the principal scientific, military and governmental characters involved in
the British war effort.
17.3.1 Paterson’s Diary Sept 1939–May 1941
Plate 17.4 shows the very first page of Paterson’s war diary; and so at the very
beginning of the war, through experience built up over two decades in the
valve group at Wembley, Robert, (‘RLeR’), was placed in charge of the
pre-production of the ‘micropup’, probably one of the most important of the
Laboratories’ valves considering the urgent need for AI and ASV. By October
1940, under Robert’s guidance, the Laboratory was producing around 300 of
these valves a week. His role here was not just technical but also one of
recording every detail of the production process; costs, waste, supply and so
on. Pre-production of valves and developments for the Services were to
complicate the Laboratories’ previously simple accounting system.
412
D. Sheppard
but he was moved to do so from the day Germany invaded Poland on 01
September 1939, until victory in Europe was celebrated on the 08–09 May
1945. The diary is a remarkable historical document. It reflects the progress
of the war, the work undertaken by the Laboratories, the planning and
organization of the British scientific war effort, the administration and
housekeeping of the Laboratories and most importantly, the roles and
sometimes the personal problems of many of the staff. The diary demonstrates the thorough integration of the British operational war effort with her
scientific community; it records visits to Wembley from senior military,
government Ministers, officials of the various Government departments,
together with visits by Laboratory staff to Company departments, factories
and abroad—usually to the USA. It is clear from Paterson’s diary that
Robert’s contribution was largely one of organization; of meetings, of travelling, recording, production monitoring, quality control, accounting, and of
advice as a senior member of staff. His contribution during this period
however, seems far less in terms of technical innovation. Just the one patent
(Appendix D) during the war years, applied for on 20 October 1943, viz.,
‘Improvements in gas-tight joints between metals and ceramics’, probably in
relation to difficulties KLG were having in rendering their aircraft spark plugs
‘airtight’.
26 But it is equally clear the he was a very close colleague of
Paterson’s, involved at the highest levels of decision-making within the
Laboratories, ‘privy’ to the most sensitive information and liaising with many
of the principal scientific, military and governmental characters involved in
the British war effort.
17.3.1 Paterson’s Diary Sept 1939–May 1941
Plate 17.4 shows the very first page of Paterson’s war diary; and so at the very
beginning of the war, through experience built up over two decades in the
valve group at Wembley, Robert, (‘RLeR’), was placed in charge of the
pre-production of the ‘micropup’, probably one of the most important of the
Laboratories’ valves considering the urgent need for AI and ASV. By October
1940, under Robert’s guidance, the Laboratory was producing around 300 of
these valves a week. His role here was not just technical but also one of
recording every detail of the production process; costs, waste, supply and so
on. Pre-production of valves and developments for the Services were to
complicate the Laboratories’ previously simple accounting system.
412
D. Sheppard