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Biography of Dr Edward V D Glazier CB

Overview

As a youngster in the 1950s, my interest in electronics and radio was sparked by a book called 'Night Fighter' by CF Rawnsley and Robert Wright which described hunting for enemy aircraft in a Beaufighter equipped with airborne radar in WWII. Later as a teenager I enjoyed tinkering with a government surplus Number 19 MkIII radio set, the prototypes of which were designed at the Signals Research and Development Establishment (SRDE) and an ancient back pack WS18. Click this link to see pictures:

 WW2 British Army Battlefield Wireless Communications Equipment

Later at university one of my well used text books was The Services Textbook of Radio, Volume 5, Transmission and Propagation by EVD Glazier and HRL Lamont, see images at the bottom of this page.

So it was I started work at SRDE in the early days of Satellite Communications before being transferred to the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE) at Malvern in 1978, never realising I was, to some extent, treading in the footsteps of EVD Glazier.

It did not cross my mind in those early days to ask who Edward Victor Denis Glazier was, and it was only recently I discovered from the Facebook Malvern History Page that Edward Glazier had been a Director of the Royal Radar Establishment from 1967 to 1972 and had earlier worked for many years at SRDE.

Early years

Edward Glazier was born at Romford Essex on 27th July 1912 to Albert Glazier, an Electrical Engineer, and Harriett Gertrude Line.

He was educated at Northgate Grammar/High School, Ipswich, before taking a degree in Engineering at the University of London, graduating in 1935.

The UK Postal Services Appointments Books record he was appointed an Assistant Engineer at the GPO, on probation, on 13th July 1937.

The 1939 Register describes him as a GPO Engineer living at 44 Sinclair Grove Hendon.

In 1940 Edward married Shorthand Typist Marjorie May Burgess of Ipswich at Knaresborough in Yorkshire. They had one son.

Career history

A summary of Edward Glazier's career was published in Nature on 2nd February 1963. To quote:

Military and Civil Systems Department, the Radar Research Establishment

Dr EVD Glazier

Dr EVD Glazier, Chief Scientific Officer, has been appointed head of the Military and Civil Systems department of the Radar Research Establishment.

Dr Glazier gained both his BSc and PhD degrees in electrical engineering at the University of London. His early training was in general electrical and mechanical engineering in industry followed by appointments in the engineer-in-chief's office of the General Post office, where he was engaged on the development of telephone systems and defence communications.

In 1942 Dr Galzier was transferred, under wartime arrangements, to the Signals Research and Development Establishment where he was responsible for the development of a wide range of signals equipment for the army. After a short period in Headquarters at the end of the War, he was appointed as head of the Line and Acoustic Group at the Signlas Research and Development Establishment, and in 1952 promoted to lead the Research Division of that Establishment, where he was responsible for research into a number of problems in Army radio and electronics.

In 1957 he returned to Headquarters of the Ministry of Aviation as director of scientific research (electronics and guided weapons), where he was responsible for advising in research programmes and organizing the early Ministry of Aviation programme for satellite observations. During this period he was secretary of the Radar and Signals Board of the Scientific Advisory Council.

In 1959 Dr Glazier transferred to the Radar Research Establishment as head of the Ground Radar Department, where he was responsible for the development of ground radar and data handling equipment and for collaboration with the French Air Ministry on the development of radar systems. In 1962 he was transferred to head of the Airborne Radar Department. He is at present a member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers' Electronic Divisional Board.

Edward Glazier was appointed Director of the Royal Radar Establishment by Anthony Wedgewood Benn with effect from 1st September 1967.

Later, in the 1970 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (Civil Division).

Death

The National Probate Calendar records Edward Victor Denis Glazier of The Hollies, Mathon died on 6th January 1972 aged just 59 years. He was survived by his wife Marjorie and their son.

Related people

Dr Hugh Russell Letham Lamont

Research physicist Hugh Lamont who jointly authored Transmission and Propagation with Edward Glazier was born at Greenock on 7th June 1915.

The University of Glasgow archives record, to quote:

Hugh Russell Letham Lamont was born in Greenock, Renfrewshire, on 7th June 1915. His father, Peter Lamont, was a printer. Hugh attended the University of Glasgow from 1933-1939, taking classes in Mathematics (Ordinary), Natural Philosophy (Ordinary) and Chemistry (Ordinary) in his first year; Mathematics (Intermediate Honours), Natural Philosophy (Higher) and Logic (Ordinary) in his second; Mathematics (Honours), Natural Philosophy (Higher) and Moral Philosophy (Ordinary) in his third; Mathematics (Honours) and Natural Philosophy (Honours) in his fourth, and Astronomy (Ordinary) and Botany (Ordinary) in his fifth year. He was awarded a Charles S Dougall prize for coming third in his Mathematics (Ordinary) examination in 1934, a first class certificate in Mathematics (Intermediate Honours) in 1935, and a first class certificate in Astronomy (Ordinary) and a second class certificate in Botany in 1938. He graduated with a first class honours MA in Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in June 1937 and a BSc in July 1938, but returned the following year as a research student. He was awarded a PhD in April 1941 for his research on the use of wave guides in dielectric measurements and subsequently worked as a Research Physicist and later as a Technical Director.

The 1939 Register records Hugh was a Research Physicist, ultra short wave lodging at 5 Pasture Road, Wembley so quite likely he was working at the GEC Hirst Research Centre.

In 1946 he and Robert Gibson Robertshaw of GEC were assigned a US patent concerned with separating signals in a common waveguide by means of polarisation. Subsequently Hugh Lamont published a Methuen monograph on Wave Guides circa 1950 which suggests during WWII he may well have been working on waveguide systems for centimetric radar.

In 1947 Hugh married Ida Winton at Hendon and much later the couple retired to Bournemouth.

On the 3rd January 2008 the Bournemouth Echo reported, to quote:

LAMONT RUSSELL Dr Hugh Russell Letham Lamont of Solent Pines, Bournemouth. Much loved husband of Ida and friend to many, passed away peacefully on December 23rd 2007, aged 92 years.

Here is the cover of the book Edward Glazier and Hugh Lamont co-authored .

The cover of Transmission and Propagation

(It once had a nice dust jacket)

Transmission and Propagation title page

Transmission and Propagation Contents

Transmission and Propagation Foreword

As far as we know, Volume 6, Wireless Communications was never published.

Transmission and Propagation Author' Preface

Sources

1. Glazier, EVD and Lamont HRL, The Services Textbook of Radio, Volume 5, Transmission and Propagation, published by HMSO 1958.
2. Facebook, Malvern History Page
3. 1939 Register
4. National Probate Calendar
5. England and Wales Census
6. GRO Index of Marriages
7. Nature, 2nd February 1963
8. University of Glasgow archives
9. Bournemouth Echo, 3rd January 2008
10. Wikipedia
11. The Times Digital Archive
12. The London Gazette

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