Imperial College Lodge During World War II

Meetings

Meetings were held throughout the War usually on the regular dates, but in the morning or afternoon. Attendances were on a reduced scale, but owing to the fact that many members were on civilian work in the London area, there was always a reasonable attendance. There were fifteen new members during the period of hostilities.

No serious incidents occurred, though there were air raids on London during several meetings, and bombs fell uncomfortably close.

Members details and their Role during World War II

• John Guest Peacock - Air Raid Patrol duties at Imperial College.
• Francis Martin Potter - Lt.Col. Commanding Rangers, 9th R.R.C. 1939-40; returned to Civil Life 1940 at request of the Ministry of Supply; Lt.Col. Commanding 40th Battalion County of London Home Guard 1940-1945.
• Alfred Brammall - Civil Defence 1940-45; Gas Identification Officer 1942-45; Air Raid Patrol Warden 1942-45; Fire Guard Leader and Sector Captain 1942-45.
• Ernest Wickham Yeoman - Lieutenant Home Guard (Glamorgan) 1940-43; Sergeant Home Guard (2nd London) 1943-44.
• Tom Thornley - Work for Ministry of Food. O.B.E. Awarded.
• George Alexander Hankins - Research on Ballistics.
• Herman Shaw - Senior Fire Guard (Westminster, Sectors 101 & 102), 1943-45.
• Harold Talbot - Established a factory and developed the manufacture of electronic components made only in Germany before 1939, which were vital to telecommunications, aerial and surface navigation, precision bombing, etc.
• Herbert Schofield - As Principal of Loughborough College was responsible for the technical training of many thousands of members of the Forces; also maintained R.A.F. Rehabilitation Centre at Loughborough.
• Alfred Thomas Eggington - Air Raid Patrol Warden; Worked for Air Training Corps and War Saving.
• John Knaggs - Civil Defence (Gas Identification Service) 1940-45. Ministry of Food: treatment of foodstuffs contaminated by poison gas. Voluntary Analyst for County of Hampshire. Emergency Food Officer 1940-45.
• Percy Roebuck - Organiser for National Service Pinner & Northwood Boy Scouts. Deputy Street Leader Harrow Fire Defence Service.
• James Newby - Civil Defence service at Imperial College.
• F Peake Sexton - Trained Electrical Engineering Units of Royal Army Service Corps and Radio Units of the Royal Navy, R.A.F. and Women's Auxiliary Air Force, 1939-1945.
• Henry L Matthews - Major Bengal Artillery. Leader of the Bengal Light Aeroplane Patrol. Permanent Member of the Indian Ordnance Service, ending the War as Deputy Director General of Armaments Production. O.B.E.
• E Dixon - Ambulance Driver, Federation of Ambulance Personnel, Margate Civil Defence including the evacuation of Dunkirk, Fire Guard Officer 1941-45. Margate Borough Councillor 1939-43.
• J Walker - Civil Defence service at Imperial College.
• Wilfrid Collins - Major Royal Engineers 1939-1944.
• G C Lowry - Major Royal Fusiliers and Royal Army Service Corps 1940-41. Lt.Col. University of London Senior Training Corps, 1943-45. Sector Captain, Westminster Civil Defence 1942-45. Territorial Decoration.
• Edward H C Jones - Air Raid Patrol Deputy Sub-Controller 1939-45.
• Harold E Park - Civil Defence (Fire Guard) at home and at Imperial College, 1939-45. Technical Work for Government Departments during College Vacations.
• W E King - Home Guard for a few months. Civil Defence Fire Guard.
• F R Heading - Major, Royal Engineers, 1940-45.
• Frederick C Mead - Major, 92nd Lancashire Battalion, Home Guard 194-45.
• L Owen - Major, Royal Australian Engineers, 1941-44.
• C T Nesbitt - Chief Metallurgist, Royal Ordnance Factory 1939-45.
• V C Illing - Government work in connection with the supply of Petroleum Oil.
• W R Jones - Civil Defence Imperial College 1939-45.
• H B Milner - Civil Defence (Wembley). Gas Identification Officer, Head Fire Guard and acting Deputy Director of Works 1940-45.
• Richard A Robbins - Corporal Home Guard and Aircraft Production (Chief Engineer and Senior Technical Officer), 1939-45.
• R H Burdick - Sector Captain Civil Defence, Local Fire Guard and Senior Fire Guard 1939-45.
• L E C Hughes - Part-time Civil Defence Warden 1939-43.
• Sir Henry Thomas Tizard - Chairman, Aeronautical Research Committee to 1943; Member of Council of Minister of Aircraft Production and additional Member of the Air Council 1941-43.
• Harold Peters - Mechanical and Electrical Engineer with Air Ministry Directorate General of Works. Attached to R.A.F. In West Africa for 18 months.
• T Eastwood - Special work for Ministry of Supply. Local Defence Volunteer in early years. Civil Defence, First Aid Service.
• Albert Edward Haffner - Civil Defence rota for the 24-hour control of Nine Elms Gas Works and Battersea Holder Station.
• Christian P Wadsworth - Major, 18th Gloucestershire (City of Bristol) Battalion Home Guard 1940-44.
• Joseph Marshall - Captain, South African Union Defence Forces.
• John Sydney Flashman - Electrical Lieutenant, Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve 5 years minesweeping, 2 years home waters, 3 years overseas.
• H J Thomas Ellingham - Lieutenant 2nd London Home Guard 1942-44. Sundry part-time duties for Ministry of Supplies.
• John M Chandler - Lieutenant Royal Army Ordnance Corps and Captain Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 1942-45.
• Humphrey R Hewer - Bureau of Animal Population, University of Oxford (under A.R.C.) 1939-41. Ministry of Food, 1941-45.
• J A Pickard - Invented and developed the Metofilter. Civil Defence part-time warden.
• J Watt & S E Rowe - Civil Defence part-time. Were jointly responsible to a large degree for the safety of all important College buildings, when a large bomb fell in 1941.
• Albert G Moore - Corporal 2nd London Home Guard 1942-45.
• Basil N Robbins - Home Guard 1940-42. Civil Defence part-time Warden 1942-45. Chemical Warfare Research.
• Ronald Clifford Hockey - Served in R.A.F. throughout the war reaching the rank of Group Captain. Awarded D.S.O. (Distinguished Service Order), D.F.C. (Distinguished Flying Cross) 1939-45 Star, Air Crew Europe Star and Clasp, Africa Star and Clasp, Italy Star, Defence Medal, General Service Medal with Oak Leaf (Mention), Air Efficiency Award, Czech Military Cross, Polish Cross of Valour, French Croix de Guerre and Palm.
• W Sowden-Jones - Civil Defence (part-time), Westminster 1941-45. Admiralty scientific research 1944-45.
• Richard P Woollard - Flight Lieutenant R.A.F. Voluntary Reserve Training Branch 1939-45.

Obituaries

• C T Archer - Lecturer in Physics, Imperial College, killed by a buzz bomb 24th June 1944.
• H W J Hathaway - Research Chemist, accidentally killed when handling a portion of an enemy bomb, 4th July 1944.