february february welsh scientist played important roles development radar atomic bomb second world war invented radar technique credited reducing losses allied bomber crews worked development proximity fuse electromagnetic separation process atomic bomb early life born february wales daughter wife née educated won open scholarship cambridge rowed ladies university real women boat race oxford gained honours degree physics awarded women allowed cambridge degrees honoured degree doctor laws scientific equivalent green fingers awarded government grant study higher degree elected cambridge joined team direction soon established reputation extreme neat deployment equipment proposed team spend month airfield arrived september days later britain declared war germany britain entered second world war second world war instead returning team moved exeter worked developing rockets anti aircraft weapons joined group working development proximity fuse based developed fuse acronym variable time system small short range radar clever circuit britain lacked capacity mass produce design shown united_states late americans perfected mass produced fuse course proximity arrived united_kingdom played important defence kingdom flying bomb married november soon transferred near sam worked radar joan joined adjoining lab group later joan devised technique window known tried types radar including wires sheets settling strips tin foil centimetres wide centimetres long scattered bombers disrupting enemy radar window employed operation series raids hamburg resulted lower loss rate usual june window dropped squadron phantom invasion force ships germans unsure allied assault fall normandy area later declared opinion greater contribution victory sam early group british scientists invited manhattan_project allied project develop atomic bomb joined california headed distinguished australian scientist joan knew acted facto deputy director mission laboratory develop electromagnetic separation process create enriched use atomic bombs berkeley joan gave birth child daughter born severely mentally handicapped later sons went complete phd later life war ended sam took offer professor natural philosophy glasgow friends set eventually grew branches members later joan member needs disabled forefront mind promote welfare took close interest work helped improve range facilities especially disabled university students sam worked development british hydrogen bomb returned glasgow principal new university scotland years principal vice chancellor husband principal joan founded president war polish 1st armoured division based scotland establishing ties community poland joan promoted special relationship devoted care attention children hospital city later established lady fund overseas particularly polish students sam died february ill cancer joan unveiled memorial plaque hall glasgow commemorate husband announced walled garden named honour joan summer house built joan died february cremated daughter sons survived
Joan Curran