BOWEN, Ivor (1902-1984)

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0099 KCLMA Bowen
Held at	: Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College London   Click here to find out how to view this collection at http://www.kingscollections.org/catalogues/lhcma ›
Full title	: BOWEN, Ivor (1902-1984)
Date(s)	: 1926-1973
Level of description	: Collection (fonds)
Extent	: 19 boxes
Name of creator(s)	: Bowen | Ivor | 1902-1984 | aeronautical engineer

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

Born, 1902; educated, Birkenhead Institute; University of Liverpool; Trinity College, Cambridge; Oliver Lodge Fellow, University of Liverpool, 1923-1924; research assistant to Sir J J Thompson, 1924-1926; Demonstrator in Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, 1925-1926; founder member of Cambridge University Air Squadron, 1925; Lecturer in Air Navigation and Aircraft Instruments, Imperial College of Science, 1938-1940; Honorary Secretary of the Institute of Professional Civil Servants, 1938-1940; Department of the Director of Armament Research, Ministry of Aircraft Production, 1940; Director of Instrument Research Development, Ministry of Supply, 1941-1947; Chairman of the Air Photography Research Committee, 1945-1947; Member of Council, British Scientific Instrument Research Association, 1945-1947; Chief Superintendant, Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscome Down, 1947-1950; Scientific Advisor to UK High Commissioner to Australia and Head of UK Ministry of Supply Staff, Australia, 1951-1953; Principal Director of Aircraft Equipment Research and Development, Ministry of Supply, 1953-1954; Chairman of the Air Navigation Committee of the Aeronautical Research Council, 1958-1961; Member of Council, Air League of the British Empire; Member of Air Traffic Control and Navigation Committee of the Electronics Research Council, 1961-1968; died, 1987.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Papers of Ivor Bowen, 1926-1973, relating to his career in aeronautics, comprising manuscript volume entitled 'Bomb and Bombsight figures'; photographs, some captioned, relating to a long haul flight to Singapore, 1946, including exterior and interior details of plane and an aerial view of Singapore; Air Ministry Laboratory report, 'Bomb ballistics experiments, Orfordness, 1926', written by L C Bygrave and Ivor Bowen, including aerial photographs, photographs of recording equipment, bomb at moment of release, cine film stills of explosion, detailed technical drawings of recording equipment and periscopic bomb sight, and graphs of time lags, trail angles and fall times of bombs; publications relating to aeronautics including Air Ministry manuals, chiefly on air navigation, 1926-1941; typescript draft handbook, 'Aircraft compass installations', by C S Hudson, for publication by HMSO, [1949]; patents issued to General Precision Laboratory, USA, 1956-1959; lecture text, 'The development of visual landing for flight simulators' by G M Hellings, Chief Scientist, General Precision Systems Ltd, Oct 1961; technical product descriptions including for Miniature Inertial Navigation System (MINS), produced by Kearfott Division, USA and Kearfott C702519001 floated rate-integrating gyro, Aug 1962; performance data for floated rate-integrating gyro King II, produced by Kearfott Division, USA, Dec 1962; offprint articles on aeronautics, 1962; memoranda and minutes of meetings of the Air League, 1963-1973; 'Unservile State Papers, no 15: A Defence for Britain' by Anthony Paice, Liberal Publication Dept, [1966]; letter from I J Bettison, General Equipments Ltd, Adelaide, Australia, 3 Jun 1963, on selling flight simulation training systems; and 'extracts from the technical supplement to the annual report of the Aeronautical Research Council', 1 Apr 1965.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

Conditions governing access:

Open. Visitors are required to provide proof of ID and sign an undertaking form.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be provided for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services and Information Management, King's College London.

Finding aids:

No additional finding aids.

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Received in four accessions in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003.

Allied Materials

Related material:

The same depositor also deposited Publications relating to NATO, (ref: Misc55).

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:
Entry compiled by Sarah Drewery.
Sources: Who's Who

Rules or conventions:
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
Oct 2008