Sir Napier Shaw, F.R.S

Abstract

ON March 4 Sir Napier Shaw attains the age of ninety years. The present generation may be surprised to know that he had a distinguished career as a physicist before he took any part in meteorology. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham, and at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, of which he was fellow during 1877–1906. He was University lecturer in experimental physics during 1887–99, and with Sir Richard Glazebrook was demonstrator in physics at the Cavendish Laboratory; their joint "Text-Book of Practical Physics" was a household word to students of physics of a generation ago. Sir Napier was elected to the Royal Society in 1891 and it was not until six years later that he was officially connected with meteorology, when he became a member of the Meteorological Council, a body responsible for the Meteorological Office. He became director of the Office in 1905. Then under his influence began a period of great advances in the science along many lines. He had the gift of stimulating the interest and enlisting the help not only of those working directly under him, but also of those outside his official orbit, and his ungrudging help is gratefully remembered by many.