| Authorised form of name | King-Hele; Desmond George (1927 - 2019); physicist, poet and author |
| Other forms of name | Desmond George King- |
| Other forms of surname | Hele |
| Dates | 1927 - 2019 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Seaford, Sussex, England, United Kingdom |
| Date of birth | 03/11/1927 |
| Date of death | 25/12/2019 |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 17/03/1966 |
| Age at election | 38 |
| RSActivity | Lectures:
Bakerian 1974; Wilkins 1997 |
| OtherInfo | After graduating in mathematics from the University of Cambridge, Desmond King-Hele began 40 years working at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough. There, he developed the mathematical theory of Earth satellite orbits. By analysing actual satellite orbits, he led the world in determining more accurately the shape of the Earth and the properties of its upper atmosphere. This pioneering work earned him numerous awards, including the Royal Society Bakerian Lecture.
Desmond worked mainly on literary and historical subjects. Since his 1960 study of the poet Shelley, he focused on the life and work of Erasmus Darwin, and his many mechanical inventions. Desmond wrote the standard biography of Darwin, edited a 685-page collection of his letters and, 2014, published a book covering his role in biological evolution.
At the Society, Desmond was active as the chairman of many committees; for ten years he was Chairman of the British National Committee for the History of Science, and for seven years he was Editor of the Royal Society journal, Notes and Records.
Dr Desmond King-Hele FRS died on 25 December 2019. |
| Source | References:
J Browne, 'Darwin on Darwin. Charles Darwin's The Life of Erasmus Darwin, ed D King-Hele' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 346 - 348
D King-Hele, 'Makers of the future. The Lunar Men: the friends who made the future, by J Uglow' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 348 - 350
D King-Hele, 'The many images of Isaac Newton. 'The iconography of Sir Isaac Newton, to 1800' by M Keynes' in NR 2006 vol 60 pp 215 - 216 |
| Code | NA6215 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| IM/002541 | King-Hele, Desmond George | 27 September 1966 |
| IM/GA/SGRS/8441 | King-Hele, Desmond George | 1986 |
| EC/1966/16 | King-Hele, Desmond George: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| IM/000571 | British National Committee for the History of Science, Medicine and Technology final meeting, 1989 | 1989 |
| IM/002542 | King-Hele, Desmond George | nd |
| IM/002540 | King-Hele, Desmond George | 27 September 1966 |
| DKH | Papers of Desmond George King-Hele FRS, physicist | 1930s - 2000s |