Ian Shaw - BSc, PhD, OBE, CMG

Ian Shaw graduated from the University with a BSc in Physics and Pure Mathematics in 1941.

Not long after graduation he joined the RAF in New Zealand to help "the Old Country" as it was affectionately known at the time. Unfortunately his ship, The Rangitane, was sunk by a German armed raider, and Ian spent five years in various prisoner-of-war camps in Germany, including the notorious Stalag Luft III.

When the war ended, Ian obtained a research post in the famous Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge where he worked in the radio section under Mr J A Ratcliffe - known affectionately to his students as "JAR". The latter had a policy of taking candidates from the Commonwealth, as well as Britain.

Ian obtained his PhD on the Luxembourg Effect in ionospheric propagation. During this time he met another research student, Audrey Spalding. They married in 1949.

Ian became a civil servant at the Ministry of Defence. In the 1950s he was among the observers to see the first British atomic bomb go off at Woomera in the Australian desert. He also spent time in Kenya during the Mao Mao troubles.

Later in his career, Ian spent some time on trips to Europe for various NATO conferences. He worked for the then Chief Scientific Advisor Sir Solly Zuckerman and later for Sir Hermann Bondi. During this time his duties sometimes involved him in preparing information for Lord Healey.

Ian's final posting was a position in charge of an army research establishment at Byfleet in Surrey.

After retiring, Ian enjoyed gardening and other hobbies such as woodwork. He received an OBE in 1965, and a CMG in 1977.

Ian died in 2004. He leaves his widow Audrey, two sons, and a grandson.