Richardson, Cyril Charles, 1909-1976

D Aneurin Richards was born in 1909. He received his education at Imperial College, London, where he studied electron diffraction under Professor Thompson. On leaving university, he became a teacher at Ardwyn Grammar School, Aberystwyth.

In 1934, Richards was appointed Assistant Lecturer by the Department of Physics at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and was made Senior Lecturer in 1957. During the Second World War, he became a Scientific Officer at the Royal Aircraft Establishment. He contributed greatly to submarine warfare, and was responsible for the design of a new bombsight for use by spotter aeroplanes in attacks on u-boats. His work earned him a government award, and his Low-Level Bomb Sight Mark II is now on display at the RAF Museum, Hendon.

Richards returned to Aberystwyth after the war. During the 1950s, he was nominated as Dean, despite not being a professor. A fierce election campaign ensued, which resulted in Richards' appointment as Aberystwyth's first non-professorial Dean. In 1960, he was awarded a grant of almost £3000 for research into the optical tracking of satellites, and also contributed greatly to the improvement and development of new teaching apparatus. He retired from the department in 1976, and died on November 6th 1981.

From the guide to the D A Richards Papers, 1919-1961, (Aberystwyth University)