In late 1944 a plan for an atomic energy research establishment in England began to emerge, as the home of our scientists on their return from the wartime Anglo-French-Canadian atomic laboratory in Montreal. In bomb-damaged Britain the only means of getting a flying start for such an establishment was to take over a major airfield with its engineering workshops, roads, water supply and above all large hangars for large nuclear machines. It was judged at the time that the airfield had to be near the universities of either Oxford or Cambridge. Cambridgeshire sites were ruled out for one reason or another and the final choice lay between Benson and Harwell. The Station Commander at Benson argued convincingly that his site was too near a considerable number of houses; so the Downs above Harwell were chosen. The Air Ministry handed over on 1st January 1946.
The first Director of A.E.R.E. or Harwell, as it has come to be known, was Sir John Cockcroft, formerly director at Montreal. At the outset the establishment had no terms of reference other than the blueprint in his mind. This was to cover the whole nuclear fuel cycle from prospecting instruments for uranium through the production of uranium hexafluoride and metal to the handling of spent reactor fuel, and to isotopes for industry and medicine. Fifty per cent of the effort was to be basic research, and fifty per cent was to support power production research. The Government struggled to organise an overall nuclear programme which covered the research at Harwell, the work at the engineering establishments in the north and the weapons organisation which was about to be sited at Aldermaston. The whole complex was put under the control of the Atomic Energy Authority in 1954.
With the adoption of the first nuclear power programme in 1955, boosted in 1956-57 by the Suez crisis, A.E.R.E. grew to a total strength of over 6,000 workers spread over nearly 100 buildings. The site was becoming unwieldy and in quick succession, the National Institute for Research in Nuclear Sciences (now Science & Engineering Research Council) on the adjacent site in Chilton, a new reactor site at Winfrith in Dorset and a fusion establishment at Culham were formed.
By 1959 the United Kingdom nuclear power programme was slowed down, as it did not have the lead over coal and oil which had been expected. For the remaining programme, engineering effort was wanted, rather than more basic science. An act of Parliament allowed A.E.R.E. to diversify into some non-nuclear research, but further Government cuts in 1970 made A.E.R.E. attempt to get more work from commercial firms. The then Director, Walter Marshall (later Chairman of the C.E.G.B.) set about this and by 1974 achieved what had seemed to be impossible goals in selling science for hard cash. Manpower on the site was stabilised at over 4,000 and rose back to 4,500 by 1980. Major contracts secured have ranged from robot inspection of the country’s natural gas pipelines to the radiographic inspection of jet engines, and from the automatic sensing of defects on railway track to desalination in Hong Kong.
The Atomic Energy Research Establishment has had an enormous effect on its surrounding area. From 1931 to 1951 the population in nearby villages nearly doubled, while those further afield in Berkshire and Oxfordshire fell. There was almost the same rate of growth in Wantage and Abingdon. By 1985 A.E.R.E. was drawing its work force from towns up to twenty miles away; the whole of this area was covered by its own bus service that brought in one third of the workers. Total annual expenditure on the site was more than £90 million, of which £50 million comes from sales, mostly of research and development. It was one of the largest, if not the largest, research establishment in Europe.
Professor Skinner, one of the first senior scientists at A.E.R.E. commented upon the prefabs in verse (with apologies to Goldsmith):
Foul Harwell, ugliest village of the downs,
Where labs and aluminium prefabs sprout
And houses camouflaged in green and brown
Their military architecture shout.
Bruce Whitehead says
December 3, 2014 at 10:24Would like to share my memories of Harwell 1957-1960. Contact me at brucewhitehead008@gmail.com
richard connock says
February 9, 2015 at 10:10My dad Jim Connock worked at Harwell up until 1958 before emigrating to Adelaide South Australia. How could I learn more about what he worked on ? Rick Connock email r.connock@hotmail.com
Webmaster says
February 9, 2015 at 11:04Richard. Try finding a copy of Harwell: The Enigma Revealed by Nicholas Hance MBE.
“The history of Harwell, told for the first time, has been published in a Coffee-Table style book, glossily produced on high quality paper, containing over 300 rarely seen and historic photographs covering the war years of RAF Harwell and the ensuing nuclear research phase. It is told over 350 pages, in an A4 format publication containing Harwell’s history and eye-witness information supplied by hundreds of identifiable sources. It is a book with popular appeal and has already sold over 1500 copies in the UK and overseas.”
It’s out of print at the moment, and I can’t see any copies available online second hand, but a library may have a copy.
Richard Connock Adelaide Australia says
March 23, 2015 at 09:23Thankyou. I found a copy in Waterstone’s. it arrived last week, read cover to cover twice. Have emailed archives but no help yet. Any suggestions on who else might be happy to help me with finding out more, dads work included the manufacture of various types of vacuum plant & equipment, a wide variety of mechanisms & experimental rigs, required by various divisions at Harwell, such as high pressure vessels, remote control & recording mechanisms, components & assemblies, which are required for experimental rigs & modification etc, to projects such as Spectrometers, Wave Guide, tubes systems, Linear Accelerator, Cyclotrons. This entailed the working, prefabrication, machining, welding soft & hard soldering a wide variety of metals, plastics and working from drawings & hand sketches.
Richard Connoxk says
March 29, 2015 at 01:59My dad Jim Connock worked at Harwell between 1952 and 1958 and I have just been told he worked in Hangar 9 as an experimental research mechanic, what type of things did they work on in Hangar 9, any pictures available of that era in Hangar 9
Allen Walker says
April 19, 2015 at 14:36I worked in Hanger 10 annex 10.5, Pile Radiation Chemistry Group, 1959-1964. We used the services of the H.9 guys, and they were superb engineers and machinists. At that time much of our work was completely experimental; we would design experiments to go into the BEPO reactor and put together something that seemed to work OK, but was obviously unsuitable to be inserted into a reactor. The H.9 guys turned our lash-ups into real engineering, even though they despaired over our so-called drawings! As a chemist I had the greatest admiration for their work, and I learned a great deal about engineering and machining from some of the men there. It was my first exposure to it, and stood me in good stead for the rest of my career. I also played rugby with some of them in AERE RUFC.
John Henry Woodhouse (Chummy) says
August 4, 2015 at 03:37I was at Harwell from 1955 to 1963 and worked in Hanger 8. I also played rugby for Harwell. My nick name was “CHUMMY”. Do you remember me at all?
Eileen Gallagher says
January 23, 2016 at 23:06My husband, John Gallagher, worked in Hangar 8 from 1946 until we left Harwell (prefabs) in 1956. Did you know him?
Bob Turner says
October 13, 2017 at 09:47Bob Turner here now living in Australia. I worked in Hanger 9 until 1961 best job I ever worked at great experience
in machining and materials , I will never forget those days , long time ago now, have you heard from any of the other men from there.
Bob Turner
Brian Thomas says
March 29, 2015 at 16:43Worked in the drawing office at Harwell, and also Culham, from 1971 to 1974. I remember Pat Lane, Jock Brownlee, someone called ‘Bunny’ Langton, Colin Freemantle. I was the Welsh chap! If anyone remembers, drop me a line! Brian Thomas.
Anthony Guglielmino says
June 19, 2015 at 16:32Hi, I’m trying to find out about what my Grandad did at Harwell, His name was Horace Arnold Weston, if anyone can help, or could tell me where i might be able to find some information that would great, thanks.
Breda Kennedy says
August 29, 2015 at 00:26Does anyone know anything about Sean Kennedy, an Irishman who worked at Harwell as Chief Scientific Officer until 1965?
John Dorins says
September 9, 2017 at 19:13Hi Breda, is there any chance that Sean Kennedy was the one who donated the Irish language science book to the library at Harwell? Did he speak any Irish?
emma says
November 5, 2015 at 16:37hello i am looking for a lady called Sandra Ann Bartlett, she would have worked here in the early 60s, can anyone help ??
Alec Inns says
January 18, 2016 at 14:33Hi Emma, I know of a Sandra Ann Bartlett but she worked there in the early 70s. Are you sure about the date or can you provide me with more details about her please.
Emma says
January 20, 2016 at 10:23Alec did you get my email that I sent last night ? Thanks
Thijs van der Velden/Drs says
December 30, 2015 at 11:30II like to correspond with my very old friend Brian Sammons,, professor, to remember Oakamoor and Zoutelande/Walcheren ca 1946.
Emma says
January 18, 2016 at 16:04Yea it was prob the 70s do you have contact details for her or do you know her married name at least , many thanks
Alec Inns says
January 19, 2016 at 16:17Hi Emma, It is best if you send me your contact details to alec@ajisi.demon.co.uk and I will forward them to Sandie.
Miss Sally Carr says
August 15, 2016 at 11:18My father, John S. Carr, originally from South Island in New Zealand, worked at Harwell in 1951 and 1952.. I am his daughter, Sally Carr, and I was born in Henley-on-Thames in September 1951.
My father started working at Harwell, approx. early 1951, after studying/working at MIT, Boston. We arrived, by ship to Melbourne, Australia, in March 1953., for my father ‘s new position at Melbourne University in the Mining and Metallurgy Department.
My father signed The Officials Secrets Act, when he started working at Harwell. So he never talked about his work there.
My question, does anyone remember my father and we lived in Streatley , a small village on the Thames in Berkshire.
My father played cricket in Streatley. My mother is still alive and her name is Kathleen Carr. She is 94.
Charlotte Notcutt says
September 7, 2016 at 10:48Hello, My Great Grandfather William James Burke worked for AERE most of his life, firstly in Winscale, then Harwell and finally Winfrith Heath. I would be very interested to find out what he did for the AERE if anyone could point me in the right direction. Thank you.
Guy Waller says
November 5, 2016 at 12:32I stayed at AERE Harwell for a sixth form course over a long week-end in February 1967. I think the course was called ‘An Introduction to Technology’. Do you have any records about the course and also about the names of those on the course? It would be really good to be able to find a few of those who shared those days with me nearly 50 years ago!
John Dorins says
December 19, 2016 at 14:09Hi, I have just bought a book online called Eoluigheacht don Sgolaire Óg by Bean Riaghalta (A Nun). This is an Irish-language science book from the 1930s. It has a stamp AERE Harwell on the inside. At first, I assumed this was probably some kind of religious order until I Googled it and found out what it stands for! I am intrigued. Why would an institution like Harwell have an Irish-language school text in its library? Was there someone at Harwell in the early years who spoke Irish and donated it to the library? I would love to find out.
DR Colin R Lloyd says
December 29, 2016 at 12:22Hi, my first full job after leaving school was at Harwell between 1965-1970. I was employed as a Scientific Assistant in the Chemical Engineering Division in Building 351 and 353. I left because fieldwork was more a passion than laboratory work. I joined the Institute of Hydrology and during the next 37 years until my retirement in 2007 – not only did I travel the world from the Arctic to the Amazon to the Sahara desert to Siberia but also gained both BA and a PhD. I’d really like to find out what happened to my colleagues and bosses from those 1965-1970 years. People such as Bernard Partridge, Edward “Ted” Lyall, Bob Dawson, John Gibbons, John Stevens, Ivan Newton, John Klashka (spelling probably wrong). These were all involved in the Fluidisation, Dragon and Fingal Projects.
Tony Jenkin says
March 1, 2018 at 12:20I joined the INGAL project as an SA under John Grover and Malcolm Elliot in building 353 January 1962 and remember Ted Lyall who worked in the next door fluidisation lab. Would welcome hearing from anyone involved in the 353 and 351 FINGAL project. Dave Auty? I moved in 1967 to the new computer group in building 8.12 as an operator and moved to shift leader in 1969 so would like to hear from anyone who worked there as well. Bob McClatchie, Dave Phillips (Manager), Derek Thomas, John Birmingham.
Paul Salway says
December 30, 2016 at 11:02I am a cricket researcher and writer and I am currently working on a history of women’s cricket in Oxfordshire. In 1950 a cricket club was formed by women who worked at AERE. It was known as Ridgeway Women’s Cricket Club and it ran until 1956. It was organised by a Miss A. Mummery. Two of its players played for the joint Oxfordshire-Berkshire county team at the time, Miss E. Bowey and Miss K. Little. If anyone has any knowledge or records of this team, or knows anything about any of the ladies mentioned, I would be grateful if you would contact me. I can be reached by phone at most times on 07748 800635. Thank you.
Paul Salway.
Anthony Jeffries Waldron says
July 16, 2018 at 15:26Paul
Miss Eleanor Bowey was on the Scientific Staff at A.E.R.E and she lived together with another woman whose name I did not know ( it may well have been the Miss K.Little referred to above, although my wife does not recognise the name.) They lived in a lovely little cottage at the following address:-
Enard Cottage,
Moor Lane,
West Hagbourne,
Didcot,
Oxon.
From 1959 to 1966 I lived in a small bungalow in West Hagbourne named ‘Springfields’ facing onto the main road, but my back garden faced onto Moor lane directly across from Eleanor’s cottage.I used to see them going to and from work on a regular basis. I seem to recall she drove a Morris Minor Traveller. I have no further info and my wife cannot expand on what has been stated either. ( In 1966 we moved to Malvern in Worcestershire.)
Tony Waldron
Dr Colin Lloyd says
January 4, 2017 at 11:22Just like to mention that Oxfordshire Libraries have 4 copies of “Harwell: The Enigma Revealed by Nicholas Hance MBE” available for loan from local libraries. And having perused the copy I’ve just borrowed – I’d like to correct an error in my first entry above. John Gibson is wrongly named as John Gibbon – he is featured in the book as being involved with vacuum restoration of books and tapes. He was also highly involved with the IPCS (the Institution of Professional Civil Servants) – our union at the time that is now the Prospect union.
Linda Taylor says
April 23, 2017 at 19:46Hi
My late father Bob Hedge worked at AERE Harwell, from the late 50s I believe, until he retired in 1978. He wasn’t a scientist, but rather a lowly GPO telephone engineer. I remember being taken there occasionally as a child to see the exchange – what seemed to be a huge room full valves from floor to ceiling. Rather like 1960s tvs, now and again they blew, and my dad always had burns on his bald head from replacing them. I remember the excitement of queuing to see the first moon dust, which could easily have come out of any domestic vacuum cleaner. I no longer live in the area, but may try and get a copy of this book . Anyone any idea which building the telephone exchange was in? I remember a military looking redbrick place.
Sue Bradbury says
October 4, 2017 at 20:50Hi Lynda, I believe the Harwell telephone exchange was in Building 77 (which was the front half of B329 the main Admin Building). If you are on Facebook there is a Group called Old Aere Harwell/UKAEA which you might find interesting. Best wishes Sue
Linda Taylor says
March 1, 2018 at 16:06Thanks Sue, found the page, and a theres a photo of B77.
Teresa Jarvis says
June 23, 2017 at 20:55Hi I’m looking for a lady who worked at AERE name of Georgina Kirby
Clare Hollings says
July 7, 2017 at 07:01I’m wondering if anyone remembers my dad Aylmer Hollings (Taff) who worked at Harwell between approx 1955 to 1990. He worked in river flow measurements and also designing Geiger counters. Love to know more about his work there.
Andy Gilham says
March 9, 2018 at 11:01I work for Megger Instruments in Dover (Formerley Avo), a manufacturer of Electrical Test Equipment and formerly the Avometer. I have been heavily involved in the companies history, having been employed for the company over 24 years now.
During the late 1950’s and early 60’s Avo worked with AERE Harwell on the design of a number of products. I have recently had 28,000 microfilms scanned into PDF (Avo, Megger, Evershed, Foster…..etc) and show some interesting work. I imagine 1000-1500 of the drawings are from the Harwell facility.
For those who may remember colleagues, the names on the drawings are N.A.Ives, L.E. Scroggins, F.S. Oakes, C Warth, GT, DH
I’d be interrested infinding further information on AERE Harwells involvement with Avo during that time and maybe full names of those designers/Draughtsman listed
Feel free to contact me andyrivets@gmail.com
Regards
Andy Gilham
Angie says
May 1, 2018 at 19:00I volunteer for the National Trust at Basildon Park. There is a suggestion that some of the workers constructing the AERE at Harrell were billeted at Basildon, but we cannot find any evidence of this. Does anyone know if that is true? Thanks for any help.
bob hammind says
May 13, 2018 at 23:14I lived in bmess in the. 60s.
Worked in h7, and then at culham lab. Best job ever, ,.and met love of my life.
WAYNE BICKERDIKE says
August 18, 2018 at 04:05I was in C mess but we regularly wandered over to B mess because you had a snooker table (and girls!). C mess was for the younger SAs, we had a YMCA warden keeping guard over us. Was a great time in my youth, from 1969-1969.
Michael Holdaway says
October 14, 2018 at 18:39Hi, I am trying to locate a Len Sammons, late 50’s early 60’s. Actually it’s his sister Beryl I am trying to find. She has no connection with Harwell apart from her brother, There family lived in Chadwell Heath, Romford, Essex. Any information would be most helpful, Thank you.
philip Lane says
October 29, 2018 at 17:15As a student in 1964/5 of photography in London, I had an 8 week placement in the photographic dept at Harwell during the summer. I was involved with helping record areas of the Establishment including the reactor building and could see the rods deep down in the water tank. I was set a challenge to make a device to record on a Fastax High Speed camera a fast shut off valve working to see if their was “valve bounce”. I still have my handwritten report and methodology. Despite using 600 feet of film in a few seconds my relay delay only captured the start of the valve dropping. We had to watch about 10 minutes of inactivity. A bit deflating! I enjoyed the social side and the Naafi and the very cheap local cider which I used to take home in great containers to Kent each weekend, with pretty strange effects on the girls at our many parties! I ended up as an industrial,estate and aerial photographer and am only just retiring now.
juliet rhodes says
February 14, 2019 at 09:05i have a strange request …… but it is serious. I am a teacher in Spain and have a student who needs a nuclear – worker contact because he needs a Cambridge high level exam diploma. However, he has twice failed the speaking part. So, is there anyone who would be willing to talk by skype / telephone twice a month to give him practice and therefore more confidence…..at his expense. He is 36, a systems engineer in a nuclear plant in Extremadura, Spain, and a most likeable chap but shy.
I would be really grateful if someone could help.
Juliet