Sir Neville Barnes Wallis, Scientist
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Neville Barnes Wallis was born in 19xx, and educated at Christ's Hospital. His upbringing was very unconventional - he was dressed in skirts until the age of x because his father beiveed that trousers interfered with the development of the male genitalia. He left school aged 16 to work in the shipyards and rose to be chief designer of Vickers. He designed airships, the last o which was R100. R100 and R101 were designed concurrently - R100 intended to be symbolically the last of the old school of airships and R101 the first of thenew (designed by the RAE at Farnborough, built at Cardington). R100 was in fact the more advanced of the two - revolutionary indeed, employing geodetic construction techniques pioneered by Wallis. R100 was bigger and flew earlier. R101 was a technical nightmare. It had to be shortened, then when it did fly it crashed on its maiden flight. Wallis then designed aeroplanes - the Wellesley, which held the long-distance record for xx years. This later became the Wellington, an aricraft which could take phenomenal punishment and still fly. He thought about the issue of boombing, principally the issue of heavy bombs and key targets. He repeatedly tried ot sel his ideas to Bomber Harris and failed until he came up with the idea of the bouncing or skipping bomb (this was a development and not by any means his first choice, which was an earthqake bomb), and destrong the dams in the Ruhr Valley. HArris saw the potential as a morale booster, and set Wallis to developing the plan. Wallis needed two Wellingtons to test the bombs. The conversation with Procrement was predictable: "Why should we give youtwo precious Wellingtons?" - "Well, I did design them...." Wallis went on to develop his original heavy bomb ideas.> Harris reputedly said that after the dams raid Wallis could sell him a pink elephant. The Tallboy was that pink elephant. A 22,000lb (10T) bomb dropped from over 10,000ft (3km) using a new and experiamntal bom sight, the Tallboy was the most excpensive bomb the RAF had ever used. 617 squadron dropped them against key targets includnig the Bielfeld iaduct, the |Dortmund-Ems canal and the V1 and V2 manufacturing siutes and E-boa pens. After the war he went on to design transonicand supersonic aircraft. Promoted chief enginerer at vickers in 19xx Knighted in 19xx.
Old-school engineer. Built sliding door using pram wheels, sculpted wife using calipers, drill, wooden block. Hon. VP of St ALbans Engineering Soc. at suggestion of GSC. Gave two lectures on matters various, received standing ovation. Modest man. Had prostatectomy in early 70s to avert "inevitable" later trouble.
Old-school engineer. Built sliding door using pram wheels, sculpted wife using calipers, drill, wooden block. Hon. VP of St ALbans Engineering Soc. at suggestion of GSC. Gave two lectures on matters various, received standing ovation. Modest man. Had prostatectomy in early 70s to avert "inevitable" later trouble.
