letter went on to say that the gifts were ‘proving absolutely invaluable …
particularly now … that there is such a heavy demand on geriatric beds in the
National Health wards and the conditions in the hospitals are so far from
re-assuring.’ Clement was to eventually sell St Helier, but not before he had
‘cleared’ the house and attended to a number of communications immediately after Robert’s death. In a letter dated 09 August1976, Clement wrote to
Dr. Chirnside returning a copy of the transcript of Robert’s conversation with
him that he had found in the house—but retaining a copy for himself.
Responding to an enquiry from the Societé Jersiaise appealing for information
regarding Robert, Clement later wrote to the Coordinator of the Biographical
Dictionary of Jersey in a letter dated 26 August 1976 explaining the existence
of the transcript and later sending a copy of the Obituary upon which it was
based. Clement was careful to preserve anything of importance regarding
Robert’s life; papers, letters and the like. In the event however, Robert seemed
to retain very little. An old leather brief case contained a pre-print of Robert’s
1936 paper on large transmitting valves (Chap. 16), there was the single page
with notes on the ice machines (Chap. 15), Robert’s ‘filofax’ with notes
covering the 1930–40s, and the odd letter.
As the years passed by, the family were careful to attend to Robert’s
memory as they had long felt he had not been given the credit he deserved
regarding the discovery of ‘fixation’. Sometime after 1983—probably in 1984
—Clement acquired an A3 poster produced by the RIC entitled;
Achievements in Chemistry. Haber, Le Rossignol and Ammonia. Probably produced for schools, the poster had photographs of both Haber and Robert (the
passport photo in Plate 1.1) and described the Haber process, the nitrogen
cycle, world food shortage, Agrochemicals and the RIC. As late as 1994
Clement wrote once more to the Societé Jersiaise responding to a request
from them for information on Robert for their newsletter, being at the time
the 110th anniversary of Robert’s birth. He sent them Chirnside’s Obituary,
and he also recommended they acquire a copy of Clayton and Algar’s history
of the GEC Laboratories (Chap. 15). But the years were to take their toll on
Clement. In later life he became unwell, somewhat reclusive, frequently
hospitalised and latterly unable to deal with any communication. The ‘baton’
however was taken up by others. Around the time when the first biographies
of Haber appeared, Clement’s cousin Richard was contacted by a German
lady on behalf of the BBC Science unit who were planning a co-production
documentary on great scientists of the 20th Century—which was to include
Haber. There were requests for photographs of Robert showing that from a
German perspective at least he was not entirely forgotten, but in the event
nothing materialised. And even after Jaenicke and Chirnside’s best efforts, the
492
D. Sheppard
particularly now … that there is such a heavy demand on geriatric beds in the
National Health wards and the conditions in the hospitals are so far from
re-assuring.’ Clement was to eventually sell St Helier, but not before he had
‘cleared’ the house and attended to a number of communications immediately after Robert’s death. In a letter dated 09 August1976, Clement wrote to
Dr. Chirnside returning a copy of the transcript of Robert’s conversation with
him that he had found in the house—but retaining a copy for himself.
Responding to an enquiry from the Societé Jersiaise appealing for information
regarding Robert, Clement later wrote to the Coordinator of the Biographical
Dictionary of Jersey in a letter dated 26 August 1976 explaining the existence
of the transcript and later sending a copy of the Obituary upon which it was
based. Clement was careful to preserve anything of importance regarding
Robert’s life; papers, letters and the like. In the event however, Robert seemed
to retain very little. An old leather brief case contained a pre-print of Robert’s
1936 paper on large transmitting valves (Chap. 16), there was the single page
with notes on the ice machines (Chap. 15), Robert’s ‘filofax’ with notes
covering the 1930–40s, and the odd letter.
As the years passed by, the family were careful to attend to Robert’s
memory as they had long felt he had not been given the credit he deserved
regarding the discovery of ‘fixation’. Sometime after 1983—probably in 1984
—Clement acquired an A3 poster produced by the RIC entitled;
Achievements in Chemistry. Haber, Le Rossignol and Ammonia. Probably produced for schools, the poster had photographs of both Haber and Robert (the
passport photo in Plate 1.1) and described the Haber process, the nitrogen
cycle, world food shortage, Agrochemicals and the RIC. As late as 1994
Clement wrote once more to the Societé Jersiaise responding to a request
from them for information on Robert for their newsletter, being at the time
the 110th anniversary of Robert’s birth. He sent them Chirnside’s Obituary,
and he also recommended they acquire a copy of Clayton and Algar’s history
of the GEC Laboratories (Chap. 15). But the years were to take their toll on
Clement. In later life he became unwell, somewhat reclusive, frequently
hospitalised and latterly unable to deal with any communication. The ‘baton’
however was taken up by others. Around the time when the first biographies
of Haber appeared, Clement’s cousin Richard was contacted by a German
lady on behalf of the BBC Science unit who were planning a co-production
documentary on great scientists of the 20th Century—which was to include
Haber. There were requests for photographs of Robert showing that from a
German perspective at least he was not entirely forgotten, but in the event
nothing materialised. And even after Jaenicke and Chirnside’s best efforts, the
492
D. Sheppard