Roy Dommett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roy Dommett
CBE |
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Roy Dommett, pictured with his wife, after their retirement.
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| Born |
Roy Leonard Dommett
25 June 1933 Southampton, England
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| Died | 2 November 2015 (aged 82) Carshalton
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| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Itchen Grammar School University of Bristol |
| Known for | Black Knight (rocket) Blue Streak (missile) Black Arrow Polaris Trident (missile) UK Chief Missile Scientist |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire Royal Aeronautical Society Silver Medal English Folk Dance and Song Society Gold Badge |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Rocket science |
| Institutions | Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough Space Department, MOD Defence Evaluation and Research Agency |
Roy Leonard Dommett CBE (25 June 1933 – 2 November 2015) was a brilliant British engineer and rocket scientist. He was known as the UK's Chief Missile Scientist. For many years, he led the UK's work on rockets that could launch satellites into space or carry missiles. In retirement, he lived in Hampshire.
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Roy Dommett's Early Life
Roy Leonard Dommett was born on June 25, 1933, in Southampton, England. His father, Leonard Frank Dommett, was a painter. His mother, Rose Eveline Diaper, worked as a cook.
He went to Itchen Grammar School and then to University of Bristol. In 1954, he earned a top degree in aeronautical engineering. This is the study of how aircraft and rockets fly.
Roy started working at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in 1953. This was a government research center. He stayed there until 2000, even as the center changed names.
In November 1955, he married Marguerite Patricia Dawson. They had seven sons and one daughter. Roy's first memory of rockets was seeing a V-2 rocket land near his home.
His family had ties to aviation. His father was in the Royal Air Force. His uncle worked on the famous Spitfire plane. Roy Dommett passed away on November 2, 2015.
Pioneering Rocket Work
Roy Dommett first focused on how heat affects objects moving very fast through the air. He worked on the design for the Blue Streak missile. He also helped design the Black Knight rocket.
While working in the Space Department, he helped design the EUROPA rocket. He also contributed to the design of the Black Arrow rocket. These projects were important steps in space exploration.
In 1967, he moved to the weapons department. He worked on improving the Polaris missile system. This led to the Chevaline project in 1970. He was in charge of the new delivery system for these missiles.
He also worked on the Trident II missile. Roy Dommett contributed to 32 different projects in his career. He was a member of a special council that advised the Chief Scientific Officer for ten years.
Becoming Chief Missile Scientist
Roy Dommett worked at the RAE and a rocket testing site on the Isle of Wight. This is where the UK's first rocket system, Black Knight, was developed. Roy was named 'Chief Missile Scientist' for key projects.
These projects included Black Knight (a nuclear rocket) and Blue Streak (a nuclear missile). He also worked on Black Arrow, which was designed to launch satellites.
Even though these projects were very successful, they were stopped because they were too expensive. The UK is the only country to have developed a way to launch satellites and then stopped using it. Other countries kept their space programs.
The UK decided to buy the American Polaris missile system instead. Roy Dommett was the Chief Missile Scientist for the project to adapt Polaris for British use. This was known as the Chevaline project.
Later Career in Defence
Later in his life, Roy Dommett shared his sadness about the UK government stopping funding for rocket research. After the UK's independent space program ended, he continued in a senior role.
From 1982, he was the Chief Scientist for the Special Weapons Department. Even after he formally retired, he worked as a Principal Consultant on Ballistic Missiles. This was for the UK Ministry of Defence's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency.
Roy Dommett was one of the few people in the UK who worked on all major UK missile programs. These included Black Knight, Blue Streak, Polaris, Black Arrow, and Trident.
In his final years, he was one of 100 leading UK scientists. They were asked by the British Library to record their important work. This project, called An Oral History of British Science, includes interviews with Roy Dommett.
Awards and Honours
For his amazing research and development work, Roy Dommett received several awards. In 1991, he was given the Silver Medal by the Royal Aeronautical Society. Later that same year, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
In 2004, a special conference honored Roy Dommett for his lifetime achievements. His family and colleagues shared stories about his work and life.
Morris Dancing Passion
Besides his scientific work, Roy Dommett was a very important figure in English Morris Dancing. This is a traditional folk dance. He traveled and gave talks about its history and how to do it.
He wrote many articles about Morris dancing for folk dance magazines. In 1954, he started the Farnborough Morris dance group. He also danced with the Traditional Abingdon side from 1960 to 1972.
He taught many successful Morris dancing workshops. He also worked with new women's Morris dance groups. He even traveled to the USA, Australia, and New Zealand to teach.
Many of his fellow Morris dancers did not know about his secret work as a rocket scientist. This was kept private for many years. Once, he attended a Morris dancing event that was also a protest rally. He had to explain his presence to his workplace's security officer.
When he retired from active Morris dancing, a special cake was made. It was shaped like a life-sized model of his head! He continued to play the accordion sometimes. For his work in folk dance, he received the Jubilee Medal and the Gold Badge in 2001.
Stave Dancing Revival
Roy Dommett also helped bring back stave dancing. This is a country dance style from the southwest of England. He believed it started from "club walks" of friendly societies in the 1800s.
He started giving talks about stave dancing at the Sidmouth Folk Festival in the 1980s. He almost single-handedly made the dance style popular again. He continued to teach and promote it through workshops and lectures.
