THE SANDMAN & THE ZUCKERMAN

See Also: BOFFIN vs. BOFFIN; THE SECOND WORLD WAR The Scientists; UNIVERSITIES Birkbeck College; ZOOS London Zoo

During the 1920s and 1930s the crystallographer Professor J.D. Bernal was one of the principal figures in laying down the groundwork for what became molecular biology. He had cultural interests outside of science. As a result, he initially came to know the physiologist Solly Zuckerman, who was an inveterate social networker, in a non-scientific context.

In the mid-1930s Bernal became convinced that Britain would be subjected to massive air raids in the widely anticipated war. Therefore, he started to carry out research into the impact of explosions. This work drew him to the attention of the mandarin-turned-minister Sir John Anderson in early 1939. The knight stated to Reginald Stradling, the Chief Scientific Officer, that the government must use the academic as one of its scientific advisers. However, the professor was a convinced Marxist and was to remain one until his death. Anderson was questioned by Dr Stradling as to the wisdom of employing such a man. Sir John replied, 'Even if he is as Red as the flames of hell I want him.'

Bernal was appointed to the Civil Defence Research Committee that advised Anderson in his capacity as Lord Privy Seal. The scientist studied the physics of explosions in order to ascertain what was needed in the way of air-raid precautions. During one experiment on blast impacts he misplaced a decimal point on his slide rule; John Kendrew - the winner of the 1962 Nobel Prize for chemistry - only just survived the consequent blast. One of the scenarios that Bernal studied was what would be the impact of a 500-bomber raid upon Coventry. A few weeks later, on 14 November 1940, the Luftwaffe turned theory into practice. However, the service only used 450 aircraft.

The senior naval commander Louis Mountbatten came to be hold Bernal in high regard and appointed him to his Combined Operations Headquarters. The academic brought Zuckerman along in his wake. Mountbatten charged the latter with assessing when would be the optimum time to land at a number of sites on Normandy's coast. After several weeks work, the physiologist stated that there would never be a right time to make a landing. In spring 1943 Zuckerman was taken up by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, who took him off to the Mediterranean theatre.

Bernal played a core role in planning D-Day; he helped determine which beaches should be used. His investigations drew in part upon his own academic expertise. Surreptitiously, men were landed on one beach in order to assess the character of its sand and how it might physically respond to the stress of an unprecedented landfall of men and machinery. The crystallographer's researches extended to examining medieval texts that described the experiences of past military forces that had operated in the Normandy region. After the war, Zuckerman was to try to downplay how central Bernal's advice had been to the success of the landings.

Prior to D-Day control of Bomber Command was temporarily transferred to General Eisenhower. He delegated supervision of it to Arthur Tedder, whom he trusted fully. At the suggestion of Zuckerman, the latter's scientific adviser, a major aerial bombing assault was mounted against railway infrastructure sites in France, Belgium, and western Germany. The purpose of this targeted approach was to try to make it hard for the Germans to transport resources into the battle zone once the invasion had commenced. Churchill was concerned about the impact that these raids would have upon civilian populations. The premier's disquiet was countered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt giving his clear backing to Eisenhower over the matter.

Following the achievement of peace Bernal and Zuckerman formally continued in academia, however, their principal interests lay outside of its grove. The latter became one the most influential scientific figures within the politico-military Establishment. In contrast, the former, who within the academic world was regarded as being the more significant scientist of the pair, allowed himself to be distracted into popular writing and trying to promote an international left-wing agenda. As a result, he missed out on playing a role in the discovery of D.N.A., which was a breakthrough that he had in large part paved the way for.

Location: 44 Albert Street, NW1 7NU. Bernal s home. (purple, yellow)

Birkbeck College, Malet Street, WC1E 7HX. From 1938 onwards Birkbeck was Bernal's academic base. (orange, red)

Website: https://archivesearch.lib.cam.ac.uk/repositories/2/resources/7603 (The Bernal Archive) www.uea.ac.uk/library/library-archives-and-collections/archives-a-z (The Zuckerman Archive)

David Backhouse 2024