Draft:Norman Frederick Astbury
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Comment: Seems like a notable subject but the draft puts way too much emphasis on promoting the subject; this needs fixing. Also have a look at the infobox – it is a jpeg file! Please fix. --Johannes (Talk) (Contribs) (Articles) 16:01, 31 October 2024 (UTC)
Norman Frederick Astbury CBE, MA, ScD, CEng, FIEE, CPhys, FInstP, HonFICeram, FRSA (December 1, 1908 – October 28, 1987) was a distinguished British physicist whose career spanned roles in industry, academia, and scientific research, including significant contributions during World War II. He earned a Double First in Natural Sciences from St John's College, Cambridge[1][2] in 1929, which led to an initial position at the National Physical Laboratory[3] in Teddington. Astbury's professional trajectory included numerous prominent roles within the United Kingdom and internationally. His career culminated in his tenure as Director of the British Ceramic Research Association (later Lucideon) from 1960 to 1973.
| Born | Norman Frederick Astbury
December 1, 1908 Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, England |
| Died | October 28, 1987 (aged 78)
Bideford, Devon, England |
| Spouse | Nora Enid Astbury née Wilkinson |
| Children | Four: Norman Eric, Chairman, Julian and Nigel |
| Overseas Appointments | Australia 1948-1951 and the Sudan 1951-1955 |
| Professional Interests | Ceramics, electricity, engineering, magnetism, and mathematics. |
| Recreational Interests | Astronomy, model railways, music, reading, and travel. |
Early life and education
[edit] |
Astbury was the youngest of seven children, born in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. His father, William Edwin Astbury, was employed as a potter, while his mother was Clara Astbury, née Dean. He met his future wife, Nora Wilkinson, when, aged five she took his hand at infant school. Astbury commenced his education at Normacot Church of England School[4] (1913-1919) and subsequently attended Longton High School[5] (1919-1926). He later pursued studies in Natural Sciences at St John’s College Cambridge, where he was both a Scholar and a Prizeman[2][6]. He achieved First Class Honours in both parts of the Natural Sciences Tripos.[2]
Career
[edit]National Physical Laboratory 1929-1939
[edit]Astbury began his career at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL)[7] as a member of the staff following his university education. Collaborating with his senior colleague, Leslie Hartshorn, he contributed significantly to work on primary and secondary electrical standards. His responsibilities included tasks such as re-establishing the primary inductance standard and conducting a redetermination of the ohm.[8]
Royal Naval Scientific Service 1939-1945
[edit]During World War II, Astbury served in the Royal Naval Scientific Service, focusing on issues related to harbour defence and electro-acoustics. His work involved contributions to the HM Anti-Submarine Experimentation Establishment and Ship Degaussing initiatives[9].
For his service during the war, Astbury received the 1939-45 Star (second from the left), the Defence Medal (third from the left), and the War Medal 1939-45 (fourth from the left). These medals recognize various aspects of his contributions, with the 1939–45 Star signifying general wartime service, the Defence Medal acknowledging non-combat roles in the defense of the United Kingdom, and the War Medal commemorating service in World War II. His full set of medals, as shown in this photograph, also includes the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), first left, awarded to him in 1968 for services to industry as mentioned below[10][11].
Joseph Sankey & Guest Keen & Nettlefold 1945-1949
[edit]In 1945 Astbury joined Joseph Sankey and Sons, where he was tasked with establishing a research laboratory. This facility later became the central laboratory for the Guest, Keen and Nettlefold (GKN) group of companies. His work primarily focused on the processing and properties of electrical sheet steel. Under his direction, the laboratory expanded its scope to address a broad range of issues in applied physics.[12]
University of New South Wales 1949-1951
[edit]In 1949, Astbury was appointed Professor of Applied Physics at the newly established New South Wales University of Technology. He held this position until 1951, when he accepted an appointment at the Gordon Memorial College in Khartoum, Sudan.
Gordon Memorial College, Khartoum (now University of Khartoum) 1951–1956
[edit]In 1951, Astbury was appointed Professor of Physics and Dean of the Faculty of Science at the Gordon Memorial College in Khartoum. During his tenure, he designed and conducted an experiment at the “Kilo Five” Khartoum Airport to measure changes in the Earth’s magnetic field during the total solar eclipse on February 25, 1952. His findings contributed to ongoing global research on the topic and were published in Nature on July 12, 1952, under the title “Micro-Magnetic Variations During the Solar Eclipse of February 25, 1952.”[13]
Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough 1956-1957
[edit]The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research institution that operated under various names throughout its history and ultimately became part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). Following its dissolution, its functions were distributed among various government departments, and its records are now housed in The National Archives (United Kingdom).
During his two years at the RAE, Astbury conducted early development work on Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) and investigated the effects of atmospheric precipitation on the nose cones of supersonic aircraft. His research in this area was connected to the ceramic materials used in manufacturing processes, linkin to his subsequent work at the British Ceramic Research Association, an organization that later became Lucideon (1957–1973).[14].
British Ceramic Research Association (BCRA) 1957-1973, later Lucideon
Astbury served as Deputy Director of the British Ceramic Research Association (BCRA) from 1957 to 1960 and as Director from 1960 to 1973.
Historically, Stoke-on-Trent has been a centre of the British ceramics industry, with manufacturers of various ceramic products, including clay pipes and fine china, relying on BCRA for research and technical guidance. In addition to supporting the ceramics industry, BCRA conducted studies on structural stresses in masonry, including research into the effects of gas explosions in high-rise buildings, such as the one that caused the collapse of the Ronan Point apartment block in Canning Town, London, in 1968.
Awards and Honours
[edit]
In 1954 Astbury was conferred the degree of Doctor of Science by Cambridge University Faculty of Engineering for contributions to applied physics, in which context he submitted 36 published papers on engineering subjects.[6] In this photograph he is shown wearing his doctoral robes on a sunlit day in the garden of his home in Devon.
Astbury was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1968 New Year’s Honours List under Harold Wilson’s Labour Government.[10][11]
Authored books and papers
[edit]Balance Detectors for A C Bridges (1940)[15]
Some theoretical considerations on the dynamic properties of plastics (1949)[16]
Industrial Magnetic Testing (1952) Published by The Institute of Physics, London [link is to digitised version by Google Books]
Introduction to Electrical Applied Physics (1956) Published by Chapman & Hall Ltd, London [link is to digitised version by Google Books]
The Alternating Current Properties of a Copper Conductor (1957)[17]
Brickwork and Gas Explosions (1969)[17]
A New Method for the Study of Pore Size Distribution (1969)[17]
A precision method for the measurement of the mutual conductance of thermionic valves (2002)[17]
The Absolute Measurement of Resistance by the Method of Albert Campbell (1937)[18]
Leslie Hartshorn, N F Astbury
A note on the calibration of decade condensers (1938) [15]
L H Ford, N F Astbury
The A T Green Book: Dedicated to Arnold Trevor Green (1959)[17]
British Ceramic Research Association, N F Astbury
Gas Explosions in Load-bearing Brickwork Structures Special Publication No. 68 (British Ceramic Research Association, Stoke -on-Trent, 1970)[17]
N F Astbury, Herbert William Harcourt West, H R Hodgkinson, P A Cubbage and R Clare
Experimental Gas Explosions (1972)[17]
N F Astbury, Herbert William Harcourt West, H R Hodgkinson
Appointments
[edit]Member, National Council for Technological Awards 1958-1964
Vice Chairman, Institute of Clay Technology 1959 -1976
President, British Ceramic Society 1960
Member, Inter-Services Metallurgical Research Council 1962-1964
Council Member, Institute of Physics and Physical Society 1963-1966
Member, Council for National Academic Awards 1964-1966
Committee Chairman, Directors of Research Associations 1964-1966
Member, Joint Services Non-Metallic Materials Research Board 1964-1969
Vice President, Parliamentary and Scientific Committee 1965-1968
Member, Construction Research Advisory Council 1968-1971
Personal life
[edit]Astbury purchased one of the few refracting telescopes available in Khartoum in the 1950s from a previous amateur owner. Located just 15 degrees north of the equator in a dry climate, amateur viewing of the solar system and nearby star clusters was exceptional.
Model railways were a hobby. Having initiated his model building interest with an ‘O’ gauge steam engine in the UK in 1940s, he then went on to build one of a limited number of three rail Hornby Dublo layouts in the Sudan in the 1950s. On returning to the UK, he then built new and highly expanded versions at home in Hastings and Stoke-on-Trent. On retirement he transformed and rebuilt the railway in its final resting place in Devon.
Astbury was an accomplished pianist. He also both played and, using his engineering skills, maintained the organ in the first cathedral in Khartoum, now the National Republican Palace Museum. His favourite composer was Mozart, although he frequently played Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata for the enjoyment of visitors to his home in Khartoum. On his retirement from BCRA[14] his leaving present was an early reel-to-reel tape recorder. With this gift he then spent many happy hours recording one half of a duet and then playing it back, so that he could provide the other half from the piano itself. This resulted in a substantial audio-library of duet piano music which he enjoyed well into retirement.
References
[edit]- ^ Nature Publishing Group 184 December 1959
- ^ a b c Cambridge University UA Graduati 12/9
- ^ NPL Annual Report and Accounts 1929 - 1939
- ^ Normacot Church of England School is no longer operational. It was part of the broader network of National Schools established in the 19th century across Staffordshire, aimed at providing elementary education under the auspices of the Church of England.
- ^ Astbury is listed as a notable alumni of Longton High School on their website.
- ^ a b Cambridge University Archives UA BOGS 1 1953-4/HD1
- ^ NPL Annual Reports and Accounts 1929 - 1939
- ^ Nature 164, 560 (1949). https://doi.org/10.1038/164560a0
- ^ Obituary in The Times of November 2, 1987, and Journals of the Royal Naval Scientific Service
- ^ a b "Editing 1968 New Year Honours - Wikipedia". en.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ a b Wikipedia 1968 New Years Honours List Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) Civil Division Entry #7
- ^ Obituary from The Times of November 2, 1987
- ^ Astbury, N. F. (1952). "Micro-Magnetic Variations During the Solar Eclipse of February 25, 1952". Nature. 170 (4315): 68–69. Bibcode:1952Natur.170...68A. doi:10.1038/170068a0.
- ^ a b Royal Society of Arts Journal 1987 Page 65
- ^ a b ResearchGate: Journal of Scientific Instruments
- ^ Astbury, N. F. (1949-02-22). "Some theoretical considerations on the dynamic properties of plastics". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences. 196 (1044): 92–105. Bibcode:1949RSPSA.196...92A. doi:10.1098/rspa.1949.0016. ISSN 0080-4630.
- ^ a b c d e f g h books.google.com>books
- ^ Hartshorn, L.; Astbury, N. F. (1937). "The Absolute Measurement of Resistance by the Method of Albert Campbell". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences. 236 (769): 423–471. Bibcode:1937RSPTA.236..423H. doi:10.1098/rsta.1937.0007. ISSN 0080-4614. JSTOR 91304.