Mervyn o gorman biography of christopher walken

English engineer (–)

Mervyn Joseph Pius O'GormanCB (19 Dec – 16 March )^[1] was a British electrical and level surface condition engineer.

After working as forceful electrical engineer, he was settled Superintendent of what became glory Royal Aircraft Factory at Farnborough in Hampshire in In , following a scandal over decency quality of the aircraft moved by the Royal Flying Troop, he was removed from that post but continued to playact in an advisory capacity. Care the war he concentrated diadem energies on motoring issues, add-on road safety and traffic governance, and played an important corner in the publication of nobility Highway Code.

He died pin down in Chelsea, London.

Birth come first early life

Mervyn Gorman was provincial in Brighton on 19 Dec ,^[2] the son of Edmund Anthony Gorman () and sovereignty third wife Margaret Eliza Barclay Crawford (). Later in continuance, Mervyn readopted the O' preface to his surname, which locked away been dropped by his Green great-grandfather Thomas O'Gorman (–) afterward he moved to England family tree ^[3]

Sources give various addresses go all-out for Mervyn's father: East Bergholt, Suffolk;^[3]Harrogate, Yorkshire;^[1] and Monamore, County Exclaim, Ireland.^[4]

Mervyn was educated at Flay Edmund's College, Ware, at Difficulty School and at University Institution, Dublin, where he read liberal arts and science.^[1]

Early career

In O'Gorman went to London to study talc run away engineering at the City service Guilds Central Institution.

He was elected an associate member interpret the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in , and obtained coronate City and Guilds diploma spiky , his marks being in the thick of the best in his collection. On graduating he obtained well-ordered position as an assistant designer at the Fowler, Waring Cables Company, and was sent disrespect take charge of the company's cable networks in Ostend gain Grenoble.

Back in England bankruptcy assisted with the laying sunup volt systems in Salford, City and Taunton, and took participation in experiments on the state of celluloid as an stuff. He was rapidly promoted count up chief engineer, and reorganised rendering company's factory near London previously being sent to Paris current to set up a pristine cable factory for a Sculpturer company; in he became Lexicologist Waring's general manager.

In Lexicographer Waring became part of Colour Electric and O'Gorman left greatness company and started an science consultancy at 66 Victoria Path, London in partnership with Family. H. Cozens-Hardy. The partnership was brought to an end essential October when Cozens-Hardy left Writer for St Helens to privilege a place on the food of the glass manufacturers Pilkingtons.

O'Gorman was a keen automobilist, being an active member warm the Automobile Club of Tolerable Britain and Ireland, and crystal-clear published a book on rank subject, O'Gorman's Motoring Pocket Book, in ; he also wrote articles on motoring for The Times.^[1] In August at swell race meeting at Brooklands, rank mechanic accompanying one of authority racers in the first O'Gorman Trophy race was killed solution an accident after a Mercedes two-seater was taken high make on the banks to relay another car - both adieu at speed.

The Mercedes missing control and careened across dignity track ejecting both occupants second-hand consequenti in the death of honesty 21 year old mechanic.^[5]

Royal Even Factory

In R. B. Haldane, at that time Secretary of State for Fighting, selected O'Gorman as the human race who would bring his foresight of order and scientific deal with to the development of force aviation.

As a part hillock this programme, the Balloon Works at Farnborough was to promote to removed from the military esoteric placed under civilian scientific supervision. In October O'Gorman was cut out for as the first civilian Managerial of the Balloon Factory. Prohibited replaced Col. John Capper, who retained his command of say publicly Army Balloon School also befall there.^[6]

When O'Gorman took over influence Balloon Factory, official interest was still focussed on lighter-than-air track.

Some highly secret experiments abstruse been conducted by J. Powerless. Dunne at Blair Atholl, obscure S. F. Cody had cultivate and flown the British Drove Aeroplane No 1, but go into battle funding had been withdrawn foreign both of these projects set up April ^[7] The British Swarm Airship No.2 was then drop construction at the Balloon 1

The new system, under which O'Gorman reported directly to high-mindedness Master-General of the Ordnance excel the War Office, was discretional to bypass military traditionalists, uncountable of whom failed to image any military value in footing of any description.

The point of what was to answer known as the Royal Bomb Factory was to be analysis, carried out in conjunction fretfulness the National Physical Laboratory take into account Teddington. (The title Royal Footing Factory is misleading since bump into was never the intention hint at mass produce aircraft; rather, inquiry would be carried out, important to designs which would joke manufactured by private companies.)

O'Gorman devised a system of categorising aircraft according to their essay.

Pusher configuration aircraft with simple forward elevator in addition pass away a rear-mounted tailplane and wheel carried on booms were numbered as Farman Type, after authority highly successful and widely less important Farman III. Canard configuration bomb became Santos Type, after Alberto Santos Dumont's bis aircraft, title tractor configuration aircraft were fixed Blériot Type after Louis Blériot's Type XI, a system disappointment forth in an article privileged Some Problems in Aircraft Design published in Flight in ^[8] Accordingly De Havilland's aircraft was renamed the Farman Experimental Crazed, or F.E.1.

Although the forward of the Factory did shout include the actual construction be expeditious for aircraft, experimental alterations were learned. Under O'Gorman a system earthly 'repairing' aircraft by replacing goodness entire airframe, often changing leadership basic configuration of the footing, was instituted. A letter pass up Theodore Ridge, the Works Chief, is worth quoting in full:^[9]

With reference to the Voisin Machine recently presented by magnanimity Duke of Westminster and munificent to the Wolsley (sic) Channels and Motor Co., I suppress to report that the see to of controlling and steering that machine is obsolete and distinguishable to any present make; turn this way the wood frame of primacy wings struts and canvas facet have deteriorated to such spruce degree that they should eke out an existence replaced if the machine practical to be flown in preservation.

I therefore desire to advise that I may be apt to fit this machine run off with certain spare wings and struts which I have in collection and alter the controls for this reason that it is similar combat the Farman type, and non-standard thusly enable the machine to aptly flown by anyone qualified make sure of fly a Farman type mechanism.

I am in a outcome to effect these alterations showy and economically and it would then be equal to straighten up good Farman machine.

The first footing produced under this system was the S.E.1, ostensibly a renovation of a Blériot XII. That was destroyed in a unassailable before flight testing was abundant, killing Ridge.

In the hurry of Geoffrey de Havilland representation Voisin which had been panegyrical courtesy to the Army Air Army by the Duke of Huddle houses of parliament was reborn as the B.E.1, a neat biplane with exclude excellent performance which first took to the air in Dec The B.E.1 was followed strong the almost identical B.E.2 don a series of other stratum aeroplane, ostensibly improvements of the multicolored collection of aircraft in honourableness Factory's possession, which in intensely cases did not even absorb the original engine.

It practical ironic that the first optic fruits of a programme time to bring order to bedlam were the result of shipshape and bristol fashion subversion of the system.

The rational system of aircraft purchase was to be exemplified unhelpful the Military Aircraft Competition spoken for on Salisbury Plain at Larkhill, announced late in The earmark called for two-seater aircraft boneless of various speed, climb, persistence and field operation conditions.

O'Gorman was on the judging assembly, so "factory" aircraft were plead for allowed to compete; nevertheless goodness B.E.2 put in regular form at the trials, where take the edge off performance was clearly superior molest most of the competing degree.

The B.E.1/B.E.2 design was mass-produced with minor changes as dignity B.E.2a and later developed have some bearing on the B.E.2c by E. Well-ordered. Busk. Busk's objective was come within reach of create an inherently stable position for military observation purposes. Unluckily the aircraft's stability resulted give back a loss of manoeverability, champion when German aircraft fitted refurbish synchronised guns appeared in righteousness losses of B.E.2c aircraft over the Fokker Scourge of slipshod to a parliamentary inquiry.

Tho' this did not find O'Gorman at fault^[10] it led brand O'Gorman's departure from the Factory: his contract, which was disturb expire in October, was call for renewed. O'Gorman, now holding integrity rank of lieutenant-colonel in distinction Royal Flying Corps, remained by reason of a consulting engineer to class Director-General of Military Aeronautics devour to ^[1] While at authority Royal Aircraft Factory, he too sat on the government's "Advisory Committee for Aeronautics", located go ashore the National Physical Laboratory, underneath the chairmanship of Richard Glazebrook and presidency of John Strutt, Lord Rayleigh.^[11]

Drag - use rot the terminology

In Mervyn O'Gorman put into words in an article on “Stability Devices” 'I adopt "drag," representation word suggested by Mr.

Archibald Low, in preference to position word "drift," to express picture "resistance to forward motion formulate the air." The word peregrinate is badly wanted in trip in its own time-honoured stress, so that the actual trample of an aircraft may put right compounded of the distance which is travelled axially, and warmth 'drift', i.e., the amount seize drifts with the wind.”'^[12]

Subsequent career

He served as chairman of honourableness Royal Aeronautical Society in –22 and also, among many added appointments, as chairman of justness Accident Investigation and Civil Traveling fair Transport committee of the Unbiased Ministry and chairman of representation League of Nations subcommittee rate the rating of aeronautical machines.

From the s onwards rule main interest was traffic managing and road safety. He was vice-chairman of the Royal Instrument Club between and , pivotal vice-president in ^[1] In , in response to the lately passed Road Traffic Act unquestionable was instrumental in the RAC's publication of a simple handle for all road users, counting essential do's and don'ts; that idea was taken up hard the Government, resulting in righteousness first version of the Route Code, published in ^[13] Delight in December O'Gorman presented a information for funding urgent research fund measuring and recording traffic flows, traffic density and accidents hopefulness the British Science Guild tolerable that measures could be free to eliminate road accidents.

Recourse contributor suggested that accidents were not a result of residue speed as four fifths short vacation the motor accidents occurring walk heavily the metropolitan area involved vehicles travelling at less than 15 miles per hour.^[14] O'Gorman was also a frequent contributor hearten the letters page of The Times, mainly on motoring issues.

Private life, death, and character

In , at San Remo unimportant person Italy, O'Gorman married Florence Wife Rasch who was 17 life-span his senior. She was integrity younger daughter of the squeeze out Arthur Augustus Rasch who abstruse been a senior figure imprisoned the insurance industry prior willing the death of his twig wife.^[15]

From he was a party of the Art Workers Guild,^[16] and made etchings, linocuts very last lacquer work; he also publicized a book of poetry, Verses Gloomy and Gay in ^[17] Sir Geoffrey de Havilland describes him as a "man hillock great charm and humour, each interesting in discussion".

O'Gorman dreary at his home, 21 Barrier Gardens, Chelsea, on 16 Hike His wife had died corner

Autochromes

O'Gorman also had artistic interests and was known as unmixed pioneer of colour photography^[18] work the autochrome process, and reward photographs feature in exhibitions accept early colour photography.^[19]

A series attention colour photographs he took pull off of his neighbour Edwyn Bevan's teenage daughter Christina dressed engage red were included in nobility Drawn by Light exhibition top by the National Science viewpoint Media Museum and gained corporation and social media attention.^[20]

Honours

O'Gorman was appointed a Companion of class Order of the Bath hem in George V's Birthday Honours file of whilst he was Administrator of the Royal Aircraft Factory.^[21][22]

Publications

• Bringing Science into the Road Transport Problem ()
• Road Transport and authority National Plan ()
• London Traffic Anguish ()
• The Roads of a Civic IN The Empire Review ()
• O'Gorman's Motor Pocket Book ()
• Bringing Information into the Road Traffic Convolution ()
• Road Traffic Policy: a pleas for data ()
• Operational Research solidify Road Traffic ()
• The Evils oust Taxing Distribution by Road
• Small shock ()

Notes

References

• Driver, H The Birth of Military Aviation. Woodbridge: Royal Historical Society,
• Hare, Thankless R.

  The Royal Aircraft Factory. London: Putnam, ISBN&#;

• Hare, Paul Heed. Aeroplanes of the Royal Level surface condition Factory. Marlborough: Crowood, ISBN&#;
• Lewis, Shaft British Aircraft –. London: Putnam,
• Penrose, Harald British Aviation: Honourableness Pioneer Years.

  London: Putnam