303:
33:
353:
In 1932 Wynn-Williams published details of his thyratron-based scale-of-two counter, which allowed particles to be counted at much higher rates than previously. His devices became crucial unifying elements in the hardware of the emergent discipline of nuclear physics, as they opened up new avenues of
499:
Returning to
Imperial College after the war, Wynn-Williams devoted himself largely to the development of practical undergraduate teaching, where he was an accomplished and much liked instructor. He became lecturer and ultimately reader in physics at Imperial. In 1957 he received the Physical
507:
Like most who worked at
Bletchley Park, Wynn-Williams did not receive official recognition for his wartime work, and he always observed the oath of secrecy surrounding it, although he retained an interest in codes and puzzles throughout his life. Professor
232:, on 5 March 1903. He was the eldest child of William Williams (1863–1945), a physics teacher and later divisional inspector of schools for north and mid-Wales, and Mary Ellen Wynn (1907–1935), known as Nell, daughter of Robert Wynn, a shopkeeper in
516:... the modern computer is only possible because of an invention made by a physicist, C. E.Wynn-Williams, in 1932 for counting nuclear particles: the scale-of-two counter, which may prove to be one of the most influential of all inventions.
392:
On 1 February 1942, the Allied success in breaking Nazi German naval Enigma messages suffered a serious setback. This was due to the adoption, for the North
Atlantic U-boat traffic, of an Enigma machine with an additional rotor — the
298:
in the nuclear disintegration experiments then being undertaken by
Rutherford, who encouraged him to devote his attention to the construction of a reliable valve amplifier and methods of registering and counting particles.
412:
The Post Office team developed a Bombe attachment for a standard three-wheel Bombe containing high speed wheels and an electronic sensing unit. It was attached to the Bombe by a very thick cable and was dubbed the
282:
Wynn-Williams' most significant work in this period, however, was in the development of electronic instrumentation for use in radioactivity and nuclear physics. Like many scientists at that time he was a
302:
1303:
255:
Wynn-Williams was
Liberal in politics and was a Welsh-speaker. On 12 August 1943 he married in London Annie Eiluned James (b. 1907/8), a school-teacher, with whom he had two sons.
342:. By 1931 a valve amplifier and thyratron-based automatic counting system were in regular use in the Cavendish Laboratory. Wynn-Williams' amplifier played an important part in
212:, noted for his research on electronic instrumentation for use in nuclear physics. His work on the scale-of-two counter contributed to the development of the modern computer.
1283:
405:
machines by a factor of 26. Higher speed bombes were therefore needed and Wynn-Williams was called in to contribute to one of the streams of development of
248:, where he graduated in 1923. He stayed at this university to undertake research work on electrical instrumentation, and gained the degree of MSc from the
382:
181:
1313:
1016:
898:
377:, Wynn-Williams, like many of his scientific contemporaries, was recruited to work on the developing discipline of radio detection and ranging (
1308:
1075:
964:
848:
821:
795:
766:
733:
484:
1288:
977:
1199:
1164:
1021:
457:
422:
1150:
354:
research. They were widely copied in laboratories in Europe and the United States of
America, often with advice from Wynn-Williams.
294:(vacuum tubes) for very small electrical currents. It was realized that such devices could be used in the detection and counting of
1273:
865:
1278:
1263:
475:
Knowing of Wynn-Williams' work on electronic counters at
Cambridge, he called for his help. He worked with a team from the
361:. Continuing his work on electronic instrumentation he contributed to the development of nuclear physics at Imperial under
476:
1258:
394:
751:
The
Essential Turing: Seminal Writings in Computing, Logic, Philosophy, Artificial Intelligence, and Artificial Life
487:
after the cartoonist who designed fantastical machines. The series of
Robinson machines were forerunners of the ten
264:
123:
1268:
386:
464:, was used for high-level traffic between German High Command and field commanders. A young chemistry graduate,
834:
758:
501:
358:
311:
177:
149:
914:
509:
267:, having been awarded a University of Wales open fellowship. Initially he continued research into short
1298:
1293:
1208:
1173:
1111:
1030:
926:
362:
307:
272:
327:
249:
1084:
512:, UK Government Scientific Intelligence advisor in the second World War, wrote in Nature in 1981:
1226:
944:
335:
1162:(2 July 1931), "The Use of Thyratrons for High Speed Automatic Counting of Physical Phenomena",
1055:
323:
1146:
1142:
1136:
1004:
960:
844:
817:
791:
787:
762:
729:
725:
719:
715:
488:
421:, Gloucestershire, but turned out to be unreliable, so the other stream of development at the
276:
245:
237:
193:
119:
468:
worked out how it could in theory be broken. He took the idea to his boss, the mathematician
1216:
1181:
1119:
1038:
986:
934:
870:
779:
188:
1132:
1212:
1177:
1115:
1034:
930:
429:
was preferred. Both machines were subsequently overshadowed by the great success of the
461:
343:
295:
225:
58:
32:
319:
1252:
1012:
973:
948:
840:
830:
809:
780:
775:
746:
742:
521:
480:
472:, who realised that the only feasible way to apply the method, was by automating it.
449:
430:
268:
81:
1057:
The
Colossus its purpose and operation: The machine age comes to Fish code breaking
917:(3 September 1981), "British Association 1831—1981: Some consequences of Physics",
860:"Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Williams, Charles Eryl Wynn- (1903–1979)"
374:
252:
in 1924. He was known as C. E. Wynn-Williams from his time at University onwards.
889:
1071:
465:
441:
398:
291:
874:
859:
805:
469:
445:
437:
426:
1051:
339:
331:
209:
167:
1221:
1186:
1043:
290:
In 1926 he employed his electronics skills to construct an amplifier using
284:
233:
418:
347:
241:
221:
109:
54:
444:
cipher machines were being received in greater numbers by the British
1230:
1124:
939:
357:
In 1935 Wynn-Williams was appointed assistant lecturer in physics at
1017:"Analysis of the α-Particles Emitted from Thorium C and Actinium C"
1102:
Ward, F. A. B. (3 January 1980), "Obituary: C. E. Wynn-Williams",
721:
Battle of wits: The Complete Story of Codebreaking in World War II
525:
406:
402:
378:
301:
229:
89:
85:
62:
782:
Colossus: The Secrets of Bletchley Park's Codebreaking Computers
417:
Bombe. Twelve were made at the Mawdsley engineering factory in
491:, the world's first programmable digital electronic computers.
1197:(2 May 1932), "A Thyratron "Scale of Two" Automatic counter",
520:
On his retirement in 1970 Wynn-Williams and his wife moved to
581:
306:
Wynn-Williams' scale-of-two counter (with permission of the
1077:
Visit to National Cash Register Corporation of Dayton, Ohio
279:, and was awarded the degree of PhD for this work in 1929.
318:
There followed a series of brilliant contributions to the
504:
in recognition of his work on the scale-of-two counter.
483:. They constructed a machine to do this that was dubbed
436:
Towards the end of 1942 the previously experimental non-
900:
Firm's vital role in Enigma project is revealed at last
187:
173:
163:
145:
137:
129:
115:
104:
96:
69:
42:
23:
1141:, Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books, pp.
858:
554:
552:
37:Wynn-Williams at the Cavendish Laboratory in 1927
816:, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 162,
814:Codebreakers: The inside story of Bletchley Park
979:A History of Computing in the Twentieth Century
514:
1304:People educated at Grove Park School, Wrexham
686:
592:
570:
208:(5 March 1903 – 30 August 1979), was a Welsh
8:
1138:The Hut Six story: Breaking the Enigma codes
869:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
786:. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp.
350:in 1932, and in numerous other experiments.
582:Rutherford, Wynn-Williams & Lewis 1931
397:. This increased the time required of the
31:
20:
1220:
1185:
1123:
1042:
959:, London: Arum Press, pp. 261, 267,
938:
638:
615:
383:Telecommunications Research Establishment
182:Telecommunications Research Establishment
650:
558:
220:Wynn-Williams was born at 'Glasfryn' in
866:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
662:
537:
603:
544:
698:
627:
479:at Dollis Hill, which later included
446:Signals Intelligence collection sites
330:he designed and constructed a binary
322:of nuclear physics. In 1929–30, with
7:
1284:Academics of Imperial College London
1240:(1957), "The Scale-of-Two Counter",
674:
458:Government Code & Cypher School
1200:Proceedings of the Royal Society A
1165:Proceedings of the Royal Society A
1022:Proceedings of the Royal Society A
423:British Tabulating Machine Company
14:
957:The Secret life of Bletchley Park
120:University College of North Wales
897:Jones, L H (21 September 2010),
1314:20th-century British physicists
843:, pp. 225–226, 262n, 267,
808:(1993), "Enigma and Fish", in
1:
1309:20th-century Welsh scientists
275:under the supervision of Sir
890:UK public library membership
790:, 65, 69, 72, 145–147, 299.
477:Post Office Research Station
1289:Alumni of Bangor University
857:Hughes, Jeffrey A. (2004).
263:In October 1925 he entered
1330:
265:Trinity College, Cambridge
206:Charles Eryl Wynn-Williams
124:Trinity College, Cambridge
47:Charles Eryl Wynn-Williams
1242:Physical Society Yearbook
387:Royal Radar Establishment
199:
156:
30:
976:(1980), "The Colossus",
955:McKay, Sinclair (2010),
359:Imperial College, London
236:. His education was at
178:Imperial College, London
1274:Scientists from Swansea
836:Alan Turing: The Enigma
812:; Stripp, Alan (eds.),
759:Oxford University Press
724:, Free Press, pp.
312:University of Cambridge
150:Duddell Medal and Prize
1279:People from Ceredigion
1222:10.1098/rspa.1932.0083
1187:10.1098/rspa.1931.0102
1044:10.1098/rspa.1931.0155
875:10.1093/ref:odnb/52479
518:
315:
216:Early life and studies
1264:Bletchley Park people
755:The Secrets of Enigma
745:(2004), "Enigma", in
305:
244:, and, from 1920, at
53:'Glasfryn', Uplands,
1195:Wynn-Williams, C. E.
1160:Wynn-Williams, C. E.
1009:Wynn-Williams, C. E.
528:, in Cardiganshire.
448:. The one using the
308:Cavendish Laboratory
273:Cavendish Laboratory
1213:1932RSPSA.136..312W
1178:1931RSPSA.132..295W
1116:1980Natur.283..117W
1090:on 16 November 2010
1035:1931RSPSA.133..351R
931:1981Natur.293...23J
440:transmissions from
250:University of Wales
133:Annie Eiluned James
108:Grove Park School,
25:C. E. Wynn-Williams
1259:British physicists
1238:Wynn-Williams, C E
1005:Rutherford, Ernest
716:Budiansky, Stephen
687:Wynn-Williams 1957
677:, pp. 117–118
593:Wynn-Williams 1932
571:Wynn-Williams 1931
373:On the eve of the
336:mechanical counter
316:
1110:(5742): 117–118,
1074:(December 1942),
966:978-1-84513-539-3
888:(Subscription or
850:978-0-09-911641-7
823:978-0-19-280132-6
797:978-0-19-284055-4
776:Copeland, B. Jack
768:978-0-19-825080-7
747:Copeland, B. Jack
735:978-0-684-85932-3
726:234–235, 241, 360
489:Colossus machines
407:high-speed Bombes
395:four-wheel Enigma
346:discovery of the
292:thermionic valves
277:Ernest Rutherford
246:Bangor University
238:Grove Park School
203:
202:
194:Ernest Rutherford
158:Scientific career
1321:
1269:Welsh physicists
1245:
1233:
1224:
1207:(829): 312–324,
1190:
1189:
1172:(819): 295–310,
1155:
1133:Welchman, Gordon
1128:
1127:
1125:10.1038/283117b0
1098:
1097:
1095:
1089:
1083:, archived from
1082:
1067:
1066:
1064:
1047:
1046:
1029:(822): 351–366,
1015:(October 1931),
1000:
999:
997:
991:
985:, archived from
984:
969:
951:
942:
940:10.1038/293023a0
910:
909:
907:
893:
885:
883:
881:
862:
853:
826:
801:
785:
771:
738:
702:
701:, pp. 23–25
696:
690:
689:, pp. 53–60
684:
678:
672:
666:
660:
654:
648:
642:
636:
630:
625:
619:
613:
607:
601:
595:
590:
584:
579:
573:
568:
562:
556:
547:
542:
375:Second World War
344:James Chadwick's
189:Doctoral advisor
141:Gareth and Tudor
76:
35:
21:
1329:
1328:
1324:
1323:
1322:
1320:
1319:
1318:
1249:
1248:
1236:
1193:
1158:
1153:
1131:
1101:
1093:
1091:
1087:
1080:
1072:Turing, Alan M.
1070:
1062:
1060:
1050:
1003:
995:
993:
992:on 22 July 2011
989:
982:
972:
967:
954:
925:(5827): 23–25,
913:
905:
903:
896:
887:
879:
877:
856:
851:
829:
824:
804:
798:
774:
769:
761:, p. 208,
741:
736:
714:
711:
706:
705:
697:
693:
685:
681:
673:
669:
665:, pp. 1, 9
661:
657:
649:
645:
637:
633:
626:
622:
614:
610:
602:
598:
591:
587:
580:
576:
569:
565:
557:
550:
543:
539:
534:
497:
450:Lorenz SZ 40/42
371:
334:for an electro-
296:Alpha particles
261:
259:Prewar research
218:
116:Alma mater
92:
78:
74:
65:
51:
49:
48:
38:
26:
17:
16:Welsh physicist
12:
11:
5:
1327:
1325:
1317:
1316:
1311:
1306:
1301:
1296:
1291:
1286:
1281:
1276:
1271:
1266:
1261:
1251:
1250:
1247:
1246:
1234:
1191:
1156:
1151:
1129:
1099:
1068:
1048:
1001:
974:Randell, Brian
970:
965:
952:
911:
894:
854:
849:
831:Hodges, Andrew
827:
822:
802:
796:
778:, ed. (2006).
772:
767:
743:Copeland, Jack
739:
734:
710:
707:
704:
703:
691:
679:
667:
655:
643:
639:Budiansky 2000
631:
620:
616:Budiansky 2000
608:
596:
585:
574:
563:
548:
536:
535:
533:
530:
496:
493:
485:Heath Robinson
462:Bletchley Park
431:US Navy Bombes
370:
367:
269:electric waves
260:
257:
226:Glamorganshire
217:
214:
201:
200:
197:
196:
191:
185:
184:
175:
171:
170:
165:
161:
160:
154:
153:
147:
143:
142:
139:
135:
134:
131:
127:
126:
117:
113:
112:
106:
102:
101:
98:
94:
93:
80:'Bryn Elmen',
79:
77:(aged 76)
73:30 August 1979
71:
67:
66:
59:Glamorganshire
52:
46:
44:
40:
39:
36:
28:
27:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1326:
1315:
1312:
1310:
1307:
1305:
1302:
1300:
1297:
1295:
1292:
1290:
1287:
1285:
1282:
1280:
1277:
1275:
1272:
1270:
1267:
1265:
1262:
1260:
1257:
1256:
1254:
1243:
1239:
1235:
1232:
1228:
1223:
1218:
1214:
1210:
1206:
1202:
1201:
1196:
1192:
1188:
1183:
1179:
1175:
1171:
1167:
1166:
1161:
1157:
1154:
1152:0-14-005305-0
1148:
1144:
1140:
1139:
1134:
1130:
1126:
1121:
1117:
1113:
1109:
1105:
1100:
1086:
1079:
1078:
1073:
1069:
1059:
1058:
1053:
1049:
1045:
1040:
1036:
1032:
1028:
1024:
1023:
1018:
1014:
1010:
1006:
1002:
988:
981:
980:
975:
971:
968:
962:
958:
953:
950:
946:
941:
936:
932:
928:
924:
920:
916:
912:
902:
901:
895:
891:
876:
872:
868:
867:
861:
855:
852:
846:
842:
838:
837:
832:
828:
825:
819:
815:
811:
810:Hinsley, F.H.
807:
803:
799:
793:
789:
784:
783:
777:
773:
770:
764:
760:
756:
752:
748:
744:
740:
737:
731:
727:
723:
722:
717:
713:
712:
708:
700:
695:
692:
688:
683:
680:
676:
671:
668:
664:
659:
656:
652:
651:Copeland 2006
647:
644:
641:, p. 360
640:
635:
632:
629:
624:
621:
618:, p. 235
617:
612:
609:
606:, p. 222
605:
600:
597:
594:
589:
586:
583:
578:
575:
572:
567:
564:
560:
559:Copeland 2006
555:
553:
549:
546:
541:
538:
531:
529:
527:
523:
517:
513:
511:
505:
503:
502:Duddell medal
494:
492:
490:
486:
482:
481:Tommy Flowers
478:
473:
471:
467:
463:
459:
455:
452:, code-named
451:
447:
443:
439:
434:
432:
428:
424:
420:
416:
410:
408:
404:
400:
396:
390:
388:
384:
380:
376:
368:
366:
364:
363:G. P. Thomson
360:
355:
351:
349:
345:
341:
337:
333:
329:
328:F. A. B. Ward
325:
321:
320:armamentarium
313:
309:
304:
300:
297:
293:
288:
286:
280:
278:
274:
270:
266:
258:
256:
253:
251:
247:
243:
239:
235:
231:
227:
223:
215:
213:
211:
207:
198:
195:
192:
190:
186:
183:
179:
176:
172:
169:
166:
162:
159:
155:
151:
148:
144:
140:
136:
132:
128:
125:
121:
118:
114:
111:
107:
103:
99:
95:
91:
87:
83:
72:
68:
64:
60:
56:
45:
41:
34:
29:
22:
19:
1241:
1237:
1204:
1198:
1194:
1169:
1163:
1159:
1137:
1107:
1103:
1092:, retrieved
1085:the original
1076:
1061:, retrieved
1056:
1026:
1020:
1013:Lewis, W. B.
1008:
994:, retrieved
987:the original
978:
956:
922:
918:
915:Jones, R. V.
904:, retrieved
899:
878:. Retrieved
864:
835:
813:
781:
754:
750:
720:
709:Bibliography
694:
682:
670:
663:Randell 1980
658:
653:, p. 71
646:
634:
623:
611:
599:
588:
577:
566:
561:, p. 64
540:
519:
515:
506:
498:
474:
453:
435:
414:
411:
391:
385:, later the
372:
356:
352:
317:
289:
287:enthusiast.
281:
262:
254:
219:
205:
204:
174:Institutions
157:
75:(1979-08-30)
50:5 March 1903
18:
1299:1979 deaths
1294:1903 births
604:Hodges 1992
545:Hughes 2004
510:R. V. Jones
442:teleprinter
389:, Malvern.
97:Nationality
1253:Categories
1052:Sale, Tony
892:required.)
839:, London:
806:Good, Jack
757:, Oxford:
699:Jones 1981
628:Jones 2010
532:References
522:Dôl-y-Bont
500:Society's
470:Max Newman
466:Bill Tutte
427:Letchworth
401:-designed
340:thyratrons
324:H. M. Cave
82:Dôl-y-Bont
1135:(1984) ,
949:118583316
675:Ward 1980
381:) at the
332:prescaler
210:physicist
168:Physicist
105:Education
1063:15 March
996:22 March
906:22 March
880:15 March
833:(1992),
718:(2000),
285:wireless
234:Llanrwst
138:Children
1244:: 53–60
1209:Bibcode
1174:Bibcode
1143:177–178
1112:Bibcode
1094:2 March
1031:Bibcode
927:Bibcode
841:Vintage
749:(ed.),
524:, near
495:Postwar
456:at the
419:Dursley
369:Wartime
348:neutron
271:at the
242:Wrexham
222:Swansea
110:Wrexham
100:British
55:Swansea
1229:
1149:
1104:Nature
963:
947:
919:Nature
886:
847:
820:
794:
765:
732:
399:Turing
338:using
164:Fields
152:(1957)
146:Awards
130:Spouse
1231:95771
1227:JSTOR
1088:(PDF)
1081:(PDF)
990:(PDF)
983:(PDF)
945:S2CID
526:Borth
454:Tunny
438:Morse
415:Cobra
403:Bombe
379:RADAR
314:, UK)
230:Wales
90:Wales
86:Dyfed
63:Wales
1147:ISBN
1096:2010
1065:2011
998:2011
961:ISBN
908:2011
882:2011
845:ISBN
818:ISBN
792:ISBN
763:ISBN
753:plus
730:ISBN
326:and
122:and
70:Died
43:Born
1217:doi
1205:136
1182:doi
1170:132
1120:doi
1108:283
1039:doi
1027:133
935:doi
923:293
871:doi
460:at
425:at
240:in
1255::
1225:,
1215:,
1203:,
1180:,
1168:,
1145:,
1118:,
1106:,
1054:,
1037:,
1025:,
1019:,
1011:;
1007:;
943:,
933:,
921:,
863:.
788:64
728:,
551:^
433:.
409:.
365:.
310:,
228:,
224:,
180:,
88:,
84:,
61:,
57:,
1219::
1211::
1184::
1176::
1122::
1114::
1041::
1033::
937::
929::
884:.
873::
800:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
