An Uppermill-born physicist is set to be honoured to mark his incredible achievements in helping to develop sonar - thus saving thousands if not millions of lives during the Second World War.
Saddleworth Parish Council say it is taking forward plans to give Albert Wood OBE (pictured) a blue plaque.
The idea was proposed to the council by local resident Roy Crozier, who had read about the physicist in the newsletter of the Saddleworth Historical Society.
The parish council say it is now investigating the exact location of his place of birth on Pickhill in Uppermill, and looking at options for where to position a blue plaque and more information on the physicist.
Chair Barbara Beeley said: “We are very lucky in Saddleworth to have such a rich heritage. However, relatively few people are aware of Albert Wood, whose pioneering work on the development of sonar – then called ASDICS – was responsible for saving thousands of lives, and later changing the direction of the second world war.”
Albert Wood, who studied at Manchester University, joined a team of notable scientists led by Sir Ernest Rutherford (later Lord Rutherford), including Henry Moseley, Hans Geiger, Niels Bohr, Ernest Marsden, James Chadwick, George de Hevesy and Charles Galton Darwin.
He was a founder member of the Institute of Physics and was awarded the title Officer of the Order of the British Empire, in recognition of his work on dismantling a German magnetic mine at the start of the Second World War.
Barbara continued: “We were delighted to hear from Roy who has highlighted the incredible work of a son of Saddleworth. I hope we can help more people to hear and be inspired by his story, and the impact that he had at the highest levels of science.”
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