Wallace Akers
| Wallace Akers | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 September 1888 |
| Died | 1 November 1954 (aged 66) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Aldenham School |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
| Occupation | Chemist and industrialist |
| Years active | c. 1910–1953 |
| Employer |
Brunner Mond Borneo Company Imperial Chemical Industries |
| Known for | Director of the Tube Alloys project |
Sir Wallace Alan Akers CBE FRS (9 September 1888 – 1 November 1954) was a British chemist and industrialist.
Akers was educated at Aldenham School and Christ Church, Oxford. He specialised in physical chemistry.[1]
After university, he joined Brunner Mond & Company as a researcher, then in 1924 he joined the Borneo Company, where he served as General Manager. In 1928 he returned to England to join Imperial Chemical Industries, into which Brunner Mond had earlier merged. In January 1941 he joined the Board of the company.[1]
During 1941 Akers was recruited by the British war-time government as Director of the Tube Alloys project, a clandestine programme aiming to research and develop British atomic weapons capabilities.[1][2]
In 1946 Akers returned to the Board of ICI, where he served as Director of Research until April 1953, when he retired.[1]
Honours
Akers was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1944,[3] and was knighted in 1946,[4][5] both for his services to the war effort. He was also a fellow of the Royal Society.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Waverley, Lord; Fleck, Alexander (November 1955). "Wallace Alan Akers". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society (The Royal Society) 1: 1–4. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1955.0001. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ↑ Calder, Ritchie (24 September 1964). "The Edge of Mortal Crimes". New Scientist 23 (410): 793. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36309. p. 20. 31 December 1943.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 37407. p. 2. 28 December 1945.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 37502. p. 1387. 15 March 1946.