Catalogue description Catalogue of the papers and correspondence of ROBIN RALPH JAMISON FRS (1912-1991)

SECTION A BIOGRAPHICAL NCUACS 60.3.96/A.1-NCUACS 60.3.96/A.27

SECTION B DIARIES NCUACS 60.3.96/B.1-NCUACS 60.3.96/B.10

SECTION C NOTEBOOKS NCUACS 60.3.96/C.1-NCUACS 60.3.96/C.8

SECTION D RESEARCH NCUACS 60.3.96/D.1-NCUACS 60.3.96/D.107

SECTION E LECTURES NCUACS 60.3.96/E.1-NCUACS 60.3.96/E.71

SECTION F PUBLICATIONS NCUACS 60.3.96/F.1

Section A, Biographical, presents records of his career, appointments and awards from the University of Cape Town to his retirement from Rolls Royce. There are curricula vitae and testimonials from various stages of his career and documentation of his election to the Fellowship of the Royal Society.

Section B, Diaries, presents a group of desk diaries kept by Jamison as a summary record of his professional activity, 1965-1974.

Section C, Notebooks, presents a group of notebooks recording Jamison's work in engine research and development ca 1940-1990, and (one notebook only) his work for Bristol College of Science and Technology (later Bath University of Technology, University of Bath), 1964-1973.

Section D, Research, is the largest section in the collection. It presents records of Jamison's work in engine research and development in the form of calculations, notes, drafts, reports, correspondence etc, 1939-1977. The section includes the only extended correspondence in the collection, that with Sir Barnes Wallis, 1959-1974. There are also publicity materials relating to work at Bristol, 1954-1968, 1974, photographs, and material re computer applications prepared by the Rolls Royce Computer Education Service, 1969. The section also presents a little material relating to Jamison's PhD research at the University of Cape Town 1936-1937.

Section E, Lectures, presents the contents of two binders of lecture notes and drafts relating to Jamison's work in engine research and development, 1952-1973 and a binder of figures for lectures.

Section F, Publications, presents printed and duplicated copies of Jamison's publications, 1945-1969. They are not itemised separately.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are very grateful to Mrs Hilda Jamison for making the papers available for cataloguing and to Mr Lionel Haworth for advice and encouragement.

Complied by Peter Harper and Timothy E. Powell

The material is presented in the order given in the list of contents. The collection contains biographical records, records of Jamison's research and lectures material.

Jamison, Robin Ralph, 1912-1991, scientist and engineer

NOT ALL THE MATERIAL IN THIS COLLECTION MAY YET BE AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION. ENQUIRIES SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IN THE FIRST INSTANCE TO:

THE LIBRARIAN

THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

BRISTOL

The papers were received in July 1994 from Mrs Hilda Jamison, widow

Robin Ralph Jamison was born on 12 July 1912 in Horsham, Sussex but was brought up in South Africa. He was educated at South African College, Cape Town, 1924-1928, and the University of Cape Town, 1929-1933, where his studies combined chemistry with mechanical engineering. He went on to take a doctorate at Cape Town researching on the refrigerated gas storage of South African fruit (PhD 1937). In 1937 he married Hilda Watney Wilson; they had four children.

He returned to England in 1937 and joined the Rolls Royce Aeroengine Division, Derby where he worked on the Merlin, Griffon and Vulture engines. In 1940 he transferred to a new department being set up by S.G. Hooker to develop gas turbines at Derby. Six years later he was appointed assistant to A.A. Griffith and employed on advance performance and research planning for engines. In 1948 he became technical adviser to R.N. Dorey on centrifugal engines and was closely involved with the Derwent, Nene, Dart and Tay engines. Two years later he joined the engine division of the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Shortly after arriving at Bristol he took charge of the department entrusted with the design and development of ramjet engines for the Bristol Bloodhound Guided Missile which saw service with the RAF. Jamison's work in missile propulsion led to the investigation of engines for supersonic flight. In 1962 he was given the task of setting up a new Advanced Propulsion Research Department at Bristol Siddeley Engines Limited. In December 1965 Jamison became Chief Engineer (Research) and in 1971 he was appointed Chief Technical Executive (Research) of Rolls Royce, Bristol Engines Division. He retired in 1975.

Jamison was Visiting Professor at the University of Bath 1969-1973. He was elected FRS 1969 and FEng 1976. He died in 1991.

For a fuller account of Jamison's life and work see the biographical memoir by L. Haworth, M.A. Nedham and G.L. Wilde, Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 40 (1994), 173-194.

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