Person Petavel; Sir; Joseph Ernest (1873 - 1936); engineer and physicist Petavel Joseph Ernest Sir engineer and physicist 1873 - 1936 British Male London, England 14 August 1873 18730814 Bushy House, Teddington, England 31/03/1936 19360331 Burial: Highgate Cemetery, London

engineer and physicist Mechanics Engineering Physics Education: Lausanne, Geneva; University College, London (1893); Owens College, Manchester (1900) Career: Beyer chair of engineering (1868-1905); Lecturer in mechanics at the University of Manchester combined with the post of director of the Whitworth Laboratories at the University of Manchester (1905); joined the general board of the National Physical Laboratory (1911-1916); served on the Advisory Committee for Aeronautics , becoming chairman (1917); Director of the National Physical Laboratory (1919-1936). Honours: KBE 1920 Memberships: Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Electrical Engineers Parents: Emmanuel Petavel DD and Susanna, daughter of William Olliff, of Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire. Developed of the ‘Petavel gauge’ for measuring variation in pressure caused by the explosion of gases. His directorship of the National Physical Laboratory saw it grow steadily, with facilities constructed for the study of physics, high-tension electricity, acoustics, and aeronautics. Fellow 02/05/1907 34 Richard Threlfall George Carey Foster Harold Baily Dixon Richard Tetley Glazebrook Andrew Noble Arthur Schuster Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB Obituaries: Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society 1936-1938 vol 2 pp 183-203, plate, by Robert Robertson 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 Petavel_RS9694.jpg ©Alfred Robert Hayword Estate 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.1936.0016 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Petavel%2C+Joseph+Ernest https://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH6675 14 Aug 1873 - 31 Mar 1936 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 09/10/2024 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA8267 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 17/03/2026 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/42151897148224070875 670f9de7-5f2d-4284-b525-423756233769