Rt Hon. Viscount Frederick Lindemann CH PC FRS
(1886-1957)

Died aged c. 71

Frederick Alexander Lindemann, 1st Viscount Cherwell, CH, PC, FRS (/ˈtʃɑːrwɛl/ CHAR-wel; 5 April 1886 – 3 July 1957) was a British physicist who was prime scientific adviser to Winston Churchill in World War II. Lindemann was a brilliant intellectual, who cut through bureaucratic red tape that was hampering vital defence preparations against a German invasion. This caused sharp disagreements with many of the permanent bureaucracy. His contribution to Allied victory lay chiefly in embracing the art of the possible. He was particularly adept at converting data into clear charts to promote a strategy. His approach to technology focused on rapid experiments and fast failures, to come up with the proper answer; this made him at target for bureaucratic ire and accusations. He was involved in the development of radar and infra-red guidance systems. He was skeptical of the first reports of the enemy's V-weapons programme. He pressed the case for the strategic area bombing of cities on a false premise about the impact of such bombing on civilian morale. His abiding influence on Churchill stemmed from close personal friendship, as a member of the latter's country-house set. In Churchill's second government, he was given a seat in the cabinet, and later created Viscount Cherwell of Oxford.

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