Philip Ivor Dee

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

FRS FRSE (8 April 1904, Stroud – 17 April 1983,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

) was a

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nuclear physicist. He was responsible for the development of airborne radar during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Glasgow University named the Philip Ivor Dee Memorial Lecture after him.

Life

He was born in Stroud in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

on 8 April 1904 the son of Albert John Dee a schoolmaster. He was educated at

Marling School Marling School is a grammar school with academy status for boys, with a co-educational Sixth Form located in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. It is on the Cainscross Road, the main route out of Stroud towards the M5, and is situated next to the ...

and then won a place at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

where he graduated MA in 1926. He thereafter took on research roles, initially as a student of

Charles Thomson Rees Wilson Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, (14 February 1869 – 15 November 1959) was a Scottish physicist and meteorologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his invention of the cloud chamber. Education and early life Wilson was born in the parish ...

, at the prestigious Cavendish Laboratory during which time

Samuel Curran Sir Samuel Crowe Curran (23 May 1912 – 15 February 1998), FRS, FRSE, was a physicist and the first Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde – the first of the new technical universities in Britain. He is the invent ...

worked under him. He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...

in 1941 and won its

Hughes Medal The Hughes Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "in recognition of an original discovery in the physical sciences, particularly electricity and magnetism or their applications". Named after David E. Hughes, the medal is awarded with ...

in 1952. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he initially worked in the Ministry of Aircraft Production and in 1940 moved to the Telecommunications Research Establishment. Dee led the team which developed the Village Inn radar system. After the

in 1945, he became Professor of Natural Philosophy at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. He was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1946 Birthday Honours, having already been appointed an Officer of the Order (OBE) in the

1943 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1943 were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by people of the British Empire. They were published on 2 June 1943 for the United Kingdom and Canada. The re ...

. In the same year he received government funding to build equipment to investigate

particle physics Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) an ...

and placed Glasgow University as a world authority in that field during the 1950s. In 1946 he was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were

Thomas Alty Thomas Alty FRSE FIP FRSC LLD (1899–1982) was a Scottish physicist and university administrator who became Chancellor of Rhodes University in South Africa. Life He was born in Liverpool on 10 September 1899. He studied Science at Liverpool U ...

, John Walton, Edward Provan Cathcart and

Robert Muir Robert Muir may refer to: * Robert Muir (pathologist) (1864–1959), Scottish pathologist *Robert Muir (politician) (1919–2011), Canadian politician * Robbie Muir (footballer) (born 1953), Australian rules footballer * Bob Muir (coach), American ...

. He was awarded the Society's

Gunning Victoria Jubilee Prize The Gunning Victoria Jubilee Prize Lectureship is a quadrennial award made by the Royal Society of Edinburgh to recognise original work done by scientists resident in or connected with Scotland. The award was founded in 1887 by Dr Robert Halliday ...

for 1958-1962 in recognition of his work on nuclear physics. He retired in 1972 and received an honorary doctorate (DSc) from

Strathclyde University The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal c ...

in 1980. He died in Glasgow on 17 April 1983. His obituary was written by

Artistic recognition

His 1973 portrait by Kathryn Kynoch is held by the Hunterian Art Gallery.

Family

He married Phyllis Elsie Tyte in 1929.

References

External links

Oral history interview transcript with Philip Dee on 5 November 1971, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives

BiographyProfessor P I Dee, OBE, FRS : Superintendent, Telecommunications Research Establishment, Ministry of Aircraft Production, 1939- 45
a 1945 drawing of Dee by Alex Macpherson {{DEFAULTSORT:Dee, Philip Ivor 1904 births 1983 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society Radar pioneers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire

Life

Artistic recognition

Family

Archives

See also

References

External links