Barnes
Wallis - An Introduction to the Work of a Genius
by Ian
Bayley
Barnes Wallis is
one of Britain's great unsung heroes. Should his name be recollected
at all it is usually associated with the bouncing bomb of World
War Two fame and then promptly forgotten. Yet this man whose life spanned
from the early days of flight to the advanced jet engine had a gift
of inventiveness coupled with design that was nothing short of genius.
It is unfortunate that due to political wrangling, economic problems
and a little bad luck he never received the recognition he deserved
outside of a small group in the aeronautical industry.
Born in 1887 of
a middle class yet hard-up family, Barnes Neville Wallis was sixteen
when the Wright Brothers made their first successful flight on 17th
December 1903. This was not something that particularly attracted his
attention and he left school in 1904 with little in the way of qualifications
and no job. After an apprenticeship at an engineering company followed
by work at a shipyard on the Isle of Wight Barnes finally came into
contact with airships and on 1st September 1913 attained the post of
Chief Assistant in the Vickers Airship Department.
Although he was
to remain surprisingly loyal to Vickers over the years to come, it was
here that he encountered the political wrangling and government interference
that was to frequently frustrate him
The
R100 Airship - Built using a geodetic design
Despite many obstacles,
including several periods of unemployment, Barnes brought a fresh and
unique approach to airship design. First by creating the R80 and then
by producing the R100 which used geodetic principles in its production.
These airships were unlike any others created but due to political reasons
Barnes was to suffer the disappointment of seeing both of these unique
craft scrapped within months of their launch.
Barnes continued working
for Vickers but moved to aeroplane design.
His first aeroplane
to use his revolutionary Geodetic design in full was the Wellesley followed
in 1936 by the Wellington bomber. The use of this revolutionary concept
was not welcomed by all and Barnes had to constantly fight against those
that wanted a more orthodox design.
Both aeroplanes more
than proved the advantages of Geodetic construction. The Wellington was
able to carry double the bomb load twice the distance agreed on in the
initial contract specification.
A
wartime cartoon demonstrating the durability of the Wellington bomber
As war broke out in
1939 Barnes Wallis turned his attention to what he could do for Britain.
His employers and the War Ministry were both anxious that he continue
his work on aeroplane development so Barnes spent much of his 'spare'
time pursuing the other ideas he had to defeat the axis powers. Working
seven days a week, often late into the night, he developed the famous
bouncing bomb used to attack the German Dams and the 'Earthquake' bombs
codenamed 'Tallboy' and 'Grandslam'
A dam
breached by the 'bouncing bomb' on the 'Dambuster' raid
A
ten ton 'Grandslam' bomb
The contribution of
Barnes to the Allies victory must be considered substantial. The Wellington
Bomber was produced in greater numbers than any other British bomber and
became a legend to those who flew them, able to fly despite incredible
damage. The bombs he devised sunk the pride of the German Navy the 'Tirpitz'
as well as destroying many of the strategic German sites which were immune
to conventional bombs. Without Barnes Wallis the war would at best have
been extended, at worst, lost.
After the war Barnes
continued his revolutionary aircraft designs but was continually thwarted
by politics and lack of funds.
If his designs for
a 'variable geometry' aircraft were continued Britain could have led the
world in aircraft design but funds were not available.
Barnes Wallis was
finally offered a knighthood in 1968 and he continued to produce revolutionary
work in many areas of design until his death in 1979.
I currently have
an excellent book for sale in the Society Shop called 'Barnes Walis'
Bombs'
If your interested in his wartime work then this is a Must Have.
