Papers of WILLIAM HUME-ROTHERY O.B.E., F.R.S. (1899 - 1968)

The papers cover the years 1924 - 1968.

There is a considerable number of notebooks, working papers and lectures for the later part of Hume-Rothery's career. Most of the material relating to his early work was destroyed by Hume-Rothery because of pressure of space; the only manuscript references now extant are in the letters to Mr. G. Hedley (Item 153). Some official correspondence relating to the period is in the Department of Metallurgy, Oxford.

Hume-Rothery filed letters from his principal scientific correspondents individually; others are scattered through the collection with the working papers to which they refer.

Hume-Rothery's total deafness required his colleagues to make all their remarks to him in writing. Some of these conversation notes have been separately preserved and identified where possible (Items 21 - 23); others appear as random jottings in the notebooks and correspondence passim.

Unless otherwise stated, all notebooks and lectures are manuscript.

I. Biographical and printed work 1 - 2

II. Laboratory Notebooks 3 - 23

III. Working papers 24 - 44

IV. Lectures 45 - 96

V. Lecture Notebooks 97 - 101

VI. Publications 102 - 126

VII. Correspondence 127 - 150

Listed by Jeannine Alton and Harriot Weiskittel

<p>Some biographical material is retained by Mrs. E. Hume-Rothery (widow), Cherry Orchard, Abberbury Road, Oxford, and Mrs. A.D.Moss (daughter), 30, Crediton Hill, London N.W.6. Files (11) of typewritten correspondence chiefly concerning publications are held in the Department of Metallurgy, Oxford, for eventual deposit in the University Archives.</p>

• <persname>Rothery, William Hume-, 1899-1975, scientist and metallurgist</persname>
• <persname>Hume-Rothery, William, 1899-1975, scientist and metallurgist</persname>

File CSAC 1-73/141 is to be consulted only with permission of the keeper of Western Manuscripts

Summary of the career of Professor Hume-Rothery.

1912 - 16 Educated at Cheltenham College (Scholar).

1916 Entered Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.

1917 Suffered attack of cerebrospinal meningitis resulting in total loss of hearing; invalided out of army.

1918 Entered Magdalen College, Oxford.

1920 Demy of Magdalen College.

1922 Honour School of Natural Science (C1.I.)

1922 - 25 Worked on intermetallic compounds, Royal School of Mines.

1925 Ph.D. London.

1925 - 29 Senior Demy, Magdalen College, Oxford.

1929 - 32 Armourers & Braziers Company Research Fellowship in Metallurgy.

1931 Married Elizabeth Alice Fea.

1932 - 42, 1943 - 55 Warren Research Fellowship of the Royal Society.

1935 D.Sc.Oxon.

1937 Fellow of the Royal Society.

1938 - 43 Fellow by Special Election, Magdalen College, Oxford.

1938 Lecturer in Metallurgical Chemistry, Oxford.

1951 O.B.E.

1955 George Kelley Reader inMetallurgy, Oxford.

1958 - 66 Elected to the Isaac Wolfson Chair of Metallurgy, and to a Professorial Fellowship, St. Edmund Hall, Oxford.

1960 Opening of Department of Metallurgy, Oxford.

1960 - 64 Service on Basic Properties of Metals Committee, Ministry of Aviation.

1965 - 68 Consultant, A.E.R.E., Harwell.1960 Opening of Department of Metallurgy, Oxford.