William Richard Joseph Cook

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Sir William Richard Joseph Cook , called Bill Cook, (born April 10, 1905 in Trowbridge , † September 16, 1987 ) was a British physicist. He mainly worked on armaments projects for the British Ministry of Defense (MOD, Ministry of Defense). Cook worked for the UK Department of Defense for 32 years and for the Atomic Energy Agency for 10 years, particularly on nuclear weapons (he was involved in the development of the UK hydrogen bomb) and nuclear reactors.

Cook was an excellent student particularly in mathematics and physics, graduating from Bristol University with a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics in 1925 and a master's degree in physics in 1927. He also lectured there and assisted John Lennard-Jones . In 1928 he switched to the public service in ballistics research at the Arsenal in Woolwich. He developed a camera named after him to clear up the inadequate hit accuracy of newly installed ship artillery and in 1935 switched to the development of anti-aircraft missiles under Alwyn Crow (3 inch unrotating projectile), the development of which was saved from great difficulties by Cook and which was first introduced in 1940 / 41 was installed in Cardiff. His collaboration with Stanley Hooker began in rocket development, which later continued at Rolls-Royce. During World War II he was also involved in the analysis of the German missile program (in which he initially assumed the false assumption that they were based on solid propellants, which Lord Cherwell and Crow represented) and worked on the control of missiles. He continued that after the war as director of a missile development department in Westcott.

From 1947 to 1950 he was Director of Physical Research at the Admiralty, from 1950 to 1954 (and again from 1964 to 1970) he was Deputy Chief Scientific Advisor of MOD (with Frederick Brundrett as Chief Advisor from 1953), from 1954 to 1958 Deputy Director of the Research center in Aldermaston , at the time of the development of the hydrogen bomb. There he worked closely with the director William Penney and was in charge of the development of the hydrogen bomb. He also supervised the first tests in May and June 1957 on Christmas Island. The last tests (all in the atmosphere) took place in September 1958, after which a test moratorium on tests in the atmosphere came into force, which the USA, the USSR and Great Britain had decided in Geneva and which lasted until September 1961. Great Britain no longer relied on these tests, as an agreement had been reached with the USA to benefit from their expertise in further development after a successful presentation of the British results in autumn 1957. 1964 to 1970 chief adviser for projects of the State Secretary of Defense. In 1958 Cook became a member of development and engineering (called Industrial Group) in the Atomic Energy Authority, replacing Christopher Hinton. The Sellafield Windscale fire in October 1957 (a fire in a reactor) had led to a reorganization of responsibilities - the nuclear fuel production division had been spun off from the Industrial Group. Cook was now responsible for the four reactors under construction at Calder Hall (from which the Magnox reactors for civil nuclear power plants were to be built), four other reactors under construction at Chapelcross and the enrichment facility at Capenhurst . He mainly dealt with the development of new reactors and headed the corresponding commission. From his predecessor Hinton he had inherited a conflict over responsibilities for reactor development between the laboratory of John Cockcroft (the Research Group with a research position in Winfrith) and the Industrial Group. A whole range of reactor types were considered, especially the Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) in Windscale, which was seen as the natural successor to the Magnox reactors, a fast breeder (Fast Reactor, Dounreay nuclear power plant ) and the high-temperature reactor ( HTR), as well as pressurized and boiling water reactors similar to those in America and those of the Canadian CANDU type . In addition, the Navy was given access to pressurized water reactors of the US nuclear submarines. In 1964 he was again Deputy Chief Adviser of MOD (this time under Solly Zuckerman). Here he was primarily involved in various air force and missile systems in a leading position.

In 1970 he retired as a civil servant and worked for companies like Rolls-Royce (he saved the Rolls-Royce RB211 project after Rolls-Royce went bankrupt in 1971). From 1971 to 1976 he was director there and worked as a consultant until 1980. From 1972 to 1979 he was director of GEC Marconi Electronics. From 1971 to 1975 he was Chairman of Marconi International Marine Co. and from 1982 to 1985 management advisor to British Telecom.

In 1962 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society . In 1970 he was knighted as Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB).

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personal data
SURNAME Cook, William Richard Joseph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British physicist
DATE OF BIRTH April 10, 1905
PLACE OF BIRTH Trowbridge
DATE OF DEATH September 16, 1987