Edward George Bowen facts for kids

Edward George "Taffy" Bowen (1911–1991) was a brilliant Welsh scientist. He played a huge part in creating radar, which helps detect objects using radio waves. He also helped start radio astronomy in Australia and the United States. This field is about studying space using radio signals.

Early Life and Studies

Edward George Bowen was born in Cockett, Swansea, Wales. His father worked in a steel factory.

From a young age, Edward loved radio and cricket. He went to Swansea University and studied physics. He earned a top degree in physics in 1930. He continued his studies, getting a master's degree in 1931.

Edward then went on to get his PhD. During his research, he worked with a special radio device. This is where he met Robert Watson-Watt, who was a key figure in radar. In 1935, Watson-Watt asked Edward to join his team. Edward became a Junior Scientific Officer in the new Radar Development Team.

Developing Ground Radar

A special committee was formed to study air defence. They asked Watson-Watt if a "death ray" could shoot down planes. Watson-Watt said no, but suggested radio waves could detect planes.

In February 1935, they successfully showed that radio waves could bounce off an aircraft. This led to the development of radar. Edward was part of a small team of five people. They worked at Orfordness, pretending to do other research.

Edward's job was to build a powerful radio transmitter. He quickly made it very strong. On June 17, 1935, they detected an aircraft 17 miles away. By early 1936, they could detect planes up to 100 miles away.

This success led to building a chain of radar stations. These stations, called Chain Home, protected London. The team moved to a new headquarters at Bawdsey Manor.

Edward wanted to work on putting radar into aircraft. During a demonstration at Bawdsey Manor, the main transmitter failed. Edward quickly showed an experimental radar he had built. It detected aircraft up to 50 miles away. This impressed important leaders and helped the radar project continue.

Radar in Aircraft

Putting radar into an aircraft was a big challenge. The equipment was large and heavy. It also had to work in cold, vibrating conditions. Over the next few years, Edward and his team solved these problems.

For example, they found a way to power the radar in planes. They also encouraged a company to make special radio cables.

In September 1937, Edward showed how useful airborne radar could be. He used it to find the British Fleet in the North Sea during bad weather. He detected three large warships.

Edward's team then worked on two main projects. One was for detecting ships. The other was for intercepting enemy aircraft. Edward also experimented with using radar to see towns and coastlines. This could help planes navigate.

Radar in World War II

When Second World War started, Edward's team moved. One of his first tasks was to try and detect submarines with radar.

A new invention, the cavity magnetron, made airborne radar much more powerful. By December 1940, planes could detect submarines up to 15 miles away. This technology was very important in winning the Battle of the Atlantic. This victory helped the Allies prepare for the invasion of Europe.

By April 1941, about 110 aircraft had radar for anti-submarine patrols. This helped find submarines day and night. Later, a powerful searchlight called the Leigh light was added. This light helped planes attack submarines more effectively. Radar and the Leigh light together greatly reduced Allied shipping losses.

Radar also improved air defence. A new radar with a spinning beam helped the RAF guide fighter planes. Early versions of airborne radar had some limits. But by 1941, skilled crews used them very well. In May 1941, radar-equipped fighters shot down over 100 enemy aircraft at night. Anti-aircraft guns shot down only 30.

Newer radars, like H2S, helped Allied bombers hit targets more accurately. Radar also made anti-aircraft guns more dangerous to enemy planes. These guns, with new fuses, destroyed many German V-1 flying bombs heading for London.

The Tizard Mission

In 1940, Edward went to the United States as part of the Tizard Mission. This mission helped share important scientific information. Edward told US scientists about airborne radar. He even brought an early example of the powerful cavity magnetron.

The US military quickly set up a special lab, the MIT Radiation Laboratory. Edward worked closely with them. He helped write the plans for their first radar system. In March 1941, the first American experimental radar was tested. Edward was on board, and it worked well. This was only seven months after the mission arrived.

The Tizard Mission was a huge success because of Edward's information. It helped build a strong alliance between the US and Britain. This teamwork in radar also opened doors for sharing other technologies. These included jet engines and nuclear physics.

Work in Australia

In late 1943, Edward was invited to Australia. He joined the CSIRO Radiophysics Laboratory. In 1946, he became the Chief of the Division of Radiophysics. Edward gave many talks about radar. He spoke about its military uses and how it could help civil aviation, shipping, and surveying.

Besides radar, Edward also worked on other projects. He developed a method to speed up tiny particles. He also worked on air navigation, which led to the Distance Measuring Equipment (DME). Many civil aircraft use this system today.

Edward also strongly supported the new science of radioastronomy. He helped build the 210-foot radio telescope at Parkes, New South Wales. He convinced two important contacts from the war to fund the telescope. In 1954, they gave $250,000 for the project. Edward also helped American radio astronomy by sending Australian scientists to work there.

Edward played a key role in designing the Parkes radio telescope. At its opening in 1961, he said that searching for truth is a noble goal. He believed it adds to the glory of humanity to understand the Universe.

The Parkes Telescope was very useful for the US space program. It tracked many space probes, including the Apollo missions to the Moon. Later, Edward helped guide the design of the optical Anglo-Australian Telescope. This telescope opened in 1974.

Edward also started rain-making experiments in Australia in 1947. He continued this work even after he retired in 1971. He was also interested in Climatic Singularities. He thought they might be linked to Earth passing through meteor dust. He believed these dust particles could help form ice in clouds, leading to rain.

Awards and Recognition

Edward Bowen received several honors for his work. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1941. He was then promoted to Commander in 1962. He also received the American Medal of Freedom in 1947.

He became a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1957. In 1975, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Personal Life

Edward met his future wife, Enid Vesta Williams, at Swansea University. They married in 1938 and had three sons.

Edward loved cricket and played it often. He also enjoyed sailing.

In December 1987, he had a stroke. He passed away on August 12, 1991, at the age of 80.