| Description | Includes minutes 1992-2014, steering group minutes 1985-1987, operating committee minutes 1992-1997, newspapers, photographs and publications file [1920s]-2004, correspondence and administrative files 1980s-2014, memorabilia lists file 1980s-2013 and Dam raids file 1993-2003. |
| AdminHistory | Sir Barnes Neville Wallis (1887-1979) was an English scientist, engineer and inventor. He was most associated with the famous Dambusters raid of 1943 when the legendary ‘bouncing bomb’ that Wallis developed was used by the Royal Air Force 617 Squadron in Operation Chastise. This was intended to destroy several of the dams in the Ruhr, Germany, during the Second World War.
His working life covered seven decades and put him at the forefront of aviation progress during that time. Wallis was responsible for the design of the airships R80 and the R100. His life was not only centred around aeronautics and aerial warfare but also included significant contributions to medical science, education, maritime engineering, astronomy and other areas. Wallis participated in the development of radio telescopes and nuclear submarines, pioneered work in the de-icing of trawlers, and gave time and money to educational advancement and to charity.
'The Barnes Wallis Memorial Trust' was first established in 1986 by a group of like-minded people based in and around Howden, the home of the R100 airship. The Trust was responsible for the Barnes Wallis exhibition which was displayed in the Yorkshire Air Museum during 1993-2008. The Trust was converted to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and renamed 'The Barnes Wallis Foundation' in 2014. It aims to inspire, inform and advance education in aeronautical and engineering design, drawing upon and in memory of the life and work of Sir Barnes Wallis.
For further information see the 'Barnes Wallis Memorial Trust' and 'Barnes Wallis Foundation' websites. |