Person Thompson; Sir; Harold Warris (1908 - 1983); chemist Thompson Harold Warris Sir chemist 1908 - 1983 Male Wombwell, South Yorkshire, England 15/02/1908 19080215 31/12/1983 19831231

Education: King Edward VII School, Sheffield; Trinity College Oxford, where his tutor waas Cyril Hinshelwood. He gained first class honours in Natural Sciences (Chemistry) in 1929. He then spent a year researching in Berlin with F. Haber before returning to Oxford to take up a Fellowship at St John's College. Career: Fellow of St. John's College, Oxford; Ministry of Aircraft Production during WWII Thompson quickly established himself as one of the finest teachers in the university and many of his students went on to great scientific distinction and included F.S. Dainton, C.F. Kearton, J.W. Linnett, R.E. Richards and D.H. Whiffen, all of whom became Fellows of the Royal Society. Thompson's main research interest in Berlin had been gas reactions but on his return to Oxford he focused his research activity in the area of chemical spectroscopy and in particular work on the infrared. During the Second World War he worked for the Ministry of Aircraft Production in collaboration with G.B.B.M. Sutherland on the infrared spectroscopic analysis of enemy aviation fuels, and in 1943 he and Sutherland were members of a British scientific mission which visited the USA on behalf of the Ministry. After the war Thompson continued to play a major role in demonstrating how infrared spectra might be applied to a very wide range of chemical studies. He contributed to international science as Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society, 1965-1971, when the Society's overseas activities were greatly expanded, and as President of International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), 1963-1966, and of International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), 1973-1975. Throughout his life Thompson gave devoted service to football, from amateur player in his youth to Chairman of the Football Association, 1976-1981. His contributions to international science and football are extensively documented in the papers deposited with the Royal Society. There is a very full record of Thompson's Foreign Secretaryship of the Royal Society and his organisation of the European chemical conferences (EUCHEM) and substantial documentation of his work for ICSU and IUPAC, including the Commission on Molecular Spectroscopy and the Triple Commission on Spectroscopy. Thompson's contributions to international relations were not limited to science (or football) and he kept detailed records of his Chairmanship from 1972 of the Great Britain - China Committee (later Great Britain - China Centre). The football papers are substantial, particularly for the last decade of Thompson's life, and thus there is full documentation of his Chairmanship of the Football Association and of the many problems facing football at that time, including hooliganism amongst its supporters. Honours: CBE 1959; Kt 1968 Royal Society roles: VP 1963-1964, 1965-1971; For Sec 1965-1971 Medals and prizes: Davy Medal 1965 Fellow 21/03/1946 38 AssocMaterial: NCUACS 2/1/88. Papers deposited in the Royal Society Library, London Obituaries: Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 1985 vol 31 pp 571-610, plate, by Sir Rex Richards References: Edmund J Bowen, 'The Balliol-Trinity Laboratories, Oxford 1853-1940' in NR 1970 vol 25 pp 227-236 R W Home, 'The Royal Society and the Empire: the colonial and Commonwealth Fellowship. Part 2. After 1847' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 47-84 J S Rowlinson, 'The war time work of Hinshelwood and his colleagues' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 161-175 Notes: President of International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) 1963-1966; President of International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) 1973-1975 ©Godfrey Argent Studio International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/image-rs-21044 15 Feb 1908 - 31 Dec 1983 NA5973 21/11/2001 Andyg Martind 28/03/2023 RS_NET\JonathanB Yes 13b1a59b-51f0-4d27-923d-cfb4ed12a525