Person Aston; Francis William (1877 - 1945); physicist Aston Francis William physicist 1877 - 1945 British Male Church Lane, Harborne, Birmingham, England 01 September 1877 18770901 Evelyn Nursing Home, Cambridge, England 20/11/1945 19451120

physicist Spectroscopy Physics Education: Harborne vicarage school; Malvern College (1893); Mason College (later Birmingham University). MA (Camb); DSc (Birm) (1914). Career: Forster Scholar studying optical rotation (1898-1900); chemist in a Wolverhampton brewery (1900-1903); research student in John Henry Poynting's (FRS 1888) physics department, University of Birmingham (1903); travelled the world (1909); research assistant to Sir Joseph John Thomson (FRS 1884), Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge (1910); Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough (1914-1918); Research Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge (1920). Medals and prizes: Mackenzie Davidson Medal 1920 Nobel Prize (Chemistry) 1922 John Scott Medal 1923 Paterno Medal 1923 Duddell Medal and Prize 1944 Memberships: Academy of sciences of the USSR 1925 Accademia dei Lincei 1926 British Association (1935) Parents: William Aston, gun manufacturer, and Fanny Charlotte, daughter of Isaac Hollis, gunmaker. Detected a new 'primary cathode dark space, known as the Aston Dark Space. Remembered for his work on isotopes, specifcially the Whole Number Rule and the mass spectroscope. Keen sportsman who pursued winter sports. Held an interest in astronoy, joining several solar eclipse expeditions between 1925 and 1936. Medals and prizes: Hughes Medal 1922; Royal Medal 1938 Lectures: Bakerian 1927 Fellow 12/05/1921 44 Frank Dyson Charles Thomson Rees Wilson Frederick Alexander Lindemann John Sealy Edward Townsend Joseph Larmor Frederick Soddy Owen Willans Richardson John William Nicholson Joseph John Thomson William Pope Ernest Rutherford Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB AssocMaterial: NCUACS 101/6/01. Papers deposited Cambridge University Library (covering the period 1911-1945) Obituaries: Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society 1945-1948 vol 5 pp 635-650, plate, by G Hevesy 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://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbm.1948.0002 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Aston%2C+Francis+William RCN 25584 RCN R84035 RCN 25585 RCN 25586 1 Sep 1877 - 20 Nov 1945 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 06/11/2024 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA6125 21/11/2001 Andyg pmab 08/09/2025 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/32095482 9cb42a58-dd41-4166-b192-4f364446d32e