money away to charitable causes without fuss or favour, and with only
minimal public recognition. After all, what is the purpose of living if we do
not embrace life? And retirement had hardly begun before an opportunity
arose for Robert to make a benevolent contribution to the history of fixation,
by donating items to the National Science Museum which he had acquired
on 02 July 1909, the day he demonstrated the feasibility of what was to
become the most important technology of the 20th Century.
18.4 The National Science Museum October
1952—The Ramsay Exhibition
October 1952 saw the centenary of William Ramsay’s birth, and the National
Science Museum in London organised a ‘Ramsay Exhibition’ in which
exhibits illustrating Ramsay’s life were contributed by friends, family, eminent colleagues and a range of scientific institutions. There were hundreds of
items in all; photographs, letters, oil paintings, medals and awards, specimens,
books, various pieces of apparatus from Ramsay’s laboratories together with
Travers’ original hydrogen liquefier with coils, glass jar and two vacuum
vessels.
12
Throughout his life Robert always felt ‘indebted’ to UCL, and the exhibition could hardly escape his notice as newspaper articles appeared in the
broadsheet press such as The Times article; William Ramsay, 1852–1916,
Great Discoverer and Leader of Chemical Research., by E. N. da C. Andrade F.
R.S. on 02 October 1952, the centenary of Ramsay’s birth. And another later
in the Illustrated London News on 11 October 1952 (p. 593) describing the
original hydrogen liquefaction plant installed for Sir William in 1899. We
can’t be sure if Robert read these articles of course, but what we do know is
that on Thursday 16 November 1952 this retired senior member of the GEC
Laboratories had arranged to be shown around the exhibition personally by
the Keeper of Chemistry and Photography, Mr. Alexander Barclay,
13 an
Imperial College (Royal College of Science) educated chemist who had joined
the Museum in 1921. In the event, Mr. Barclay was unable to keep the
appointment, but the Assistant Keeper, Mr. Frank Greenaway—himself an
Oxford trained chemist who joined the Museum in 1949—was able to
deputise. During the visit, and in conversation with Mr. Greenaway, Robert
revealed that he had been a student at UCL, but left in 1906 to work with
18 Penn, Buckinghamshire 1949–1976
461
minimal public recognition. After all, what is the purpose of living if we do
not embrace life? And retirement had hardly begun before an opportunity
arose for Robert to make a benevolent contribution to the history of fixation,
by donating items to the National Science Museum which he had acquired
on 02 July 1909, the day he demonstrated the feasibility of what was to
become the most important technology of the 20th Century.
18.4 The National Science Museum October
1952—The Ramsay Exhibition
October 1952 saw the centenary of William Ramsay’s birth, and the National
Science Museum in London organised a ‘Ramsay Exhibition’ in which
exhibits illustrating Ramsay’s life were contributed by friends, family, eminent colleagues and a range of scientific institutions. There were hundreds of
items in all; photographs, letters, oil paintings, medals and awards, specimens,
books, various pieces of apparatus from Ramsay’s laboratories together with
Travers’ original hydrogen liquefier with coils, glass jar and two vacuum
vessels.
12
Throughout his life Robert always felt ‘indebted’ to UCL, and the exhibition could hardly escape his notice as newspaper articles appeared in the
broadsheet press such as The Times article; William Ramsay, 1852–1916,
Great Discoverer and Leader of Chemical Research., by E. N. da C. Andrade F.
R.S. on 02 October 1952, the centenary of Ramsay’s birth. And another later
in the Illustrated London News on 11 October 1952 (p. 593) describing the
original hydrogen liquefaction plant installed for Sir William in 1899. We
can’t be sure if Robert read these articles of course, but what we do know is
that on Thursday 16 November 1952 this retired senior member of the GEC
Laboratories had arranged to be shown around the exhibition personally by
the Keeper of Chemistry and Photography, Mr. Alexander Barclay,
13 an
Imperial College (Royal College of Science) educated chemist who had joined
the Museum in 1921. In the event, Mr. Barclay was unable to keep the
appointment, but the Assistant Keeper, Mr. Frank Greenaway—himself an
Oxford trained chemist who joined the Museum in 1949—was able to
deputise. During the visit, and in conversation with Mr. Greenaway, Robert
revealed that he had been a student at UCL, but left in 1906 to work with
18 Penn, Buckinghamshire 1949–1976
461