Ieuan Maddock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ieuan Maddock
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At the control desk on Hermite Island for Operation Mosaic
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| Born |
Ieuan Maddock
29 March 1917 Gorseinon, Glamorganshire, Wales
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| Died | 29 December 1988 (aged 71) |
| Alma mater | University of Wales, Swansea |
| Awards | Knight Bachelor (1975) Companion of the Order of the Bath (1968) Officer of the Order of the British Empire (1953) Fellow of the Royal Society (1967) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physicist |
| Institutions | Armament Research Department, Fort Halstead Atomic Weapons Research Establishment |
Sir Ieuan Maddock (born March 29, 1917 – died December 29, 1988) was a smart Welsh scientist. He was a physicist and nuclear researcher. He helped with important nuclear weapons tests in Australia in the 1950s. He also played a big part in the 1973 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. This treaty aimed to stop nuclear weapons tests in certain places.
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Early Life and First Discoveries
Ieuan Maddock was born in Gorseinon, Wales. His father was a miner and his mother was a teacher. He went to Gowerton Grammar School. Then, he studied physics at the University of Wales, Swansea. He graduated with top honors in 1937. He even earned a special scholarship for more study.
His plans for a PhD were put on hold in 1940. This was because of Second World War. He started working for a government department. This department researched explosives.
Maddock worked there until 1944. Then he moved to the Armament Research Department. He first studied regular explosions. By 1947, he focused on tools for nuclear explosions. He used new electronic tools to measure things very accurately. This helped him measure how fast explosions happened.
A scientist named William Penney chose Maddock for a special team. Maddock was to lead the team that collected data. This data was from atomic bomb tests. He was very important to the success of these tests. He helped with the Operation Hurricane atomic bomb test in 1952. He also took part in other tests. These included Operation Totem, Operation Mosaic, and British nuclear tests at Maralinga.
Working for the Government
In 1960, Maddock became a leader at the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment. He continued to be involved in British bomb tests. He also led research for a Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. This treaty aimed to limit nuclear weapons tests.
Maddock worked on improving instruments. These tools could detect nuclear explosions. It was easy to detect explosions in the air or space. But underground explosions were tricky. They could be mistaken for earthquakes. Maddock made instruments that could find these hidden explosions. They could even detect them thousands of kilometers away.
His work helped lead to the 1973 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. More than 150 countries signed this important agreement.
In 1965, Maddock moved to the Ministry of Technology. He became a top leader there. He worked on making engineering better. He also helped develop technical skills in design. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1967. This is a very respected group of scientists. He also received another award in 1968.
Later, he became Chief Scientist for the government. This was at the Department of Trade and Industry. He also became Director of the National Physical Laboratory. He retired from government work in 1977.
After Government Work
After leaving government, Maddock continued to be busy. He advised many universities. These included Cranfield, Surrey, and Swansea. He also became the Principal of St Edmund Hall, Oxford for three years.
He was involved with many scientific groups. He was a chairman or president for some of them. He received many honorary doctorates. These are special degrees given for achievements. He was also a visiting professor at Imperial College London. He wrote many articles for science journals. In 1975, he was made a knight. This means he was given the title "Sir."
Personal Life
Ieuan Maddock married Eurfron May Davies in 1943. They had one son named Robert. Sir Ieuan Maddock lived in Caversham, Reading, England. He passed away on December 29, 1988, at the age of 71.
