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Did Britain's A-Bomb Supremo Lord William Penney deserve his blue plaque?
from Fissionline 69
by Alan Rimmer
On Friday August 8th, 2014 a blue plaque was unveiled on a quintessentially English cottage in a pretty Oxforshi commemorate the li Lord Penney who li in East Hendred fro 1963 to his death in 1991
He became Baron Penney of East Hendred in 1967
The plaque was initiated by the Parish Council and was the first blue plaque in the village
Lord Penney was a physicist who had a leading role in the development of Britain's nuclear programme, was Chairman of the UK Atomic Energy Authority from 1962 to 1967, and became Rector of Imperial College, London A laboratory at Imperial has been named after him. He took part in village affairs being a Trustee of the newly formed Community Centre Committee and sometime President of the Sports Club
Lady Penney was an active church-goer, member of the Parochial Church Council and President of the Playgroup. She gave a generous donation to the village to establish a children’s playground in memory of her husband.
The Penney Playpark was opened by Lady Penney herself in October 2000 as part of the village’s Millennium celebrations She said at the time that “Bill loved children and always found them much easier company than their e also planted a tree in the ound.
John Sharp (Chair of the Parish ouncil) welcomed guests to the occasion. Professor Cowley, the CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, spoke of the many achievements of Lord Penney during his lifetime serving the Trinitry test on July 16, 1945, Penney was part of the elite bomb making team sent to Tinian Island in the Marianas to prepare the bombs unleashed over Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The plaque makes no mention of Penney's leading role in the aking of the atomic bomb at Alamos in 1945.
He observed the bombing of Nagasaki from the rear gunners seat on the camera plane accompanying the bomber.
He later walked in the ashes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as part of the scientific team sent in to assess the damage. He vowed then to do everything in his power to stop a similar fate falling on London
His pivotal role in developing Britain's first atomic bomb made him a controversial figure But he never regretted his actions saying that it was vital for Britain to have its own independent nuclear deterrent.
*What do you think? Should Penney be honoured in this way? Replies to:fissionline@gmail.com
