Archive of the month: January 2019

During 2019 we will be celebrating a “Year of Discovery” which will be an opportunity to:

• look at inventive individuals who have carried out pioneering work in the fields of aeronautics, archaeology, mathematics, Celtic studies etc.
• find out about adventurous Welsh men and women who have travelled the world as settlers or missionaries
• discover more about new and exciting resources for researchers in the Archives and Special Collections

The “Year of Discovery” will enable us to build a multi-layered view of our collections – presenting our strengths and what makes us distinctive from other institutions throughout Wales.

George Hartley Bryan (left) and the aeroplane known as “Bamboo Bird” at Traeth Coch, Anglesey (right)

George Hartley Bryan F.R.S (1864–1928)

George Hartley Bryan was Professor of Pure & Applied Mathematics at Bangor from 1896 until his retirement in 1926. In 1911 he published ‘Stability in aviation; an introduction to dynamical stability as applied to the motions of aeroplanes’, a book that established Bangor at the forefront of new scientific advances. The publication was the result of research in Bangor and the surrounding area on the stability of gliders, working with William Ellis Williams, a local student who graduated in physics and mathematics (he later became Professor in Electrical Engineering at the University) and Edgar Henry Harper, a member of staff, who assisted with the investigations. The importance of Bryan’s contribution to aeronautics was widely recognised in 1914 when he was presented with the gold medal of the Royal Aeronautical Society – the second ever awarded (the first was presented to the Wright Brothers).

The Papers of William Ellis Williams are held by the University Archives and Special Collections department.

Copyright: Photograph courtesy of Mrs. E.G. Williams.

This “Archive of the Month” was created by Lynette Hunter, Archivist

Click on the links below to view all our showcased documents.