Person Smith; Sir; Frank Edward (1876 - 1970); physicist Smith Frank Edward Sir physicist 1876 - 1970 British Male Aston Manor, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom 14 October 1876 18761014 Minehead, Somerset, England, United Kingdom 01 July 1970 19700701

Physicist Electricity Physics Education: Corbett Street Board School, Smethwick; Smethwick Central School; Birmingham Technical School; Royal College of Science (1899) Education: Laboratory assistant, Smethwick Technical College; one of the first assistants at the National Physical Laboratory (1900); later appointed principal assistant (1909); and ultimately superintendent of the electricity department (1917); became involved with NPL's war work and invented the first magnetic mine which sank a number of German submarines (1914); secretary to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (1929-1939); adviser on scientific and industrial research to Anglo Iranian Oil (later British Petroleum) (1938-1955); chairman of the research committee, Birmingham Small Arms Co. Ltd (1944); director (1947); resigned (1957); hairman of the technical defence committee of MI5 (1940-1946). Honours: OBE 1918; CBE 1922; CB 1926; KCB 1931; GBE 1939; GCB 1942 Memberships: Physical Society (Council 1907-1909; President 1924–6) Institute of Physics (President 1943-1946) Junior Institution of Engineers (President 1935–6) Imperial Institute (Governor 1930–38) Parents: Joseph Smith, an office clerk, and his wife, Fanny Jane Hetherington. Spouse: Nelly May King (d. 1961), daughter of Thomas B. King of Birmingham. Children: Betty May Smith. Worked on the establishment of "accurate electrical standards and methods of measurement", encompassing devices to accurately measure amperes, ohms, and volts, as well as improvements to the Weston cell. Royal Society roles: Sec 1929-1938 Council 1922-1924 Medals and prizes: Hughes Medal 1925 Fellow 02/05/1918 42 William Robert Bousfield Silvanus Phillips Thompson John Allen Harker Richard Tetley Glazebrook Charles Herbert Lees Thomas Mather George Frederick Charles Searle John Henry Poynting John Perry William Duddell Hugh Longbourne Callendar George Carey Foster John William Strutt Sources: Bulloch's Roll AssocMaterial: CSAC 9/3/74. Papers deposited in the College Archives, Imperial College of Science and Technology, London Obituaries: Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 1972 vol 18 pp 525-548, plate, by Charles F Goodeve References: Russell Moseley, 'Government Science and the Royal Society: The Control of the National Physical Laboratory in the Inter-War Years' in NR 1980 vol 35 pp 167-193 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.1972.0019 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Smith%2C+Frank+Edward RCN 9009 14 Oct 1876 - 1 Jul 1970 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 25/06/2025 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA8091 21/11/2001 Andyg Martind 08/09/2025 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes 12f446af-3614-4269-9a33-c71276564200