The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1932. A NOTABLE FIGURE.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 September 1932, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1932. A NOTABLE FIGURE.

Sui Alfred Ewing, who recently , gave an address at York as president of the British Association, is a scholar, professor of engineering science, and famous' as tho holder of “the. bestkept secret of the war,” was born at Dundee in March, 1855 and educated at Edinburgh University. After being engaged in engineering for some years he was appointed in 1878 professor of mechanical engineering at Tokyo University—not long after the start of the movement in Japan to- acquire the best of the knowledge of the West. By 1883 he was back in Dundee as professor of engineering at University College, and from 1890 to 1893 he held the chair of mechanism and applied mechanics at Cambridge University. His appointment at Director of Naval Education followed and he' was in that post when the World War broke out. He was at once asked to undertake the task of dealing with the enemy’s cipher messages. famous “Room 40” then came into existence. It was the central deciphering office. The Germans, assuming the Britrdi to be too stupid to do anything of that kind, sent out their cipher messages without special precaution'. “Room 40” was kept busy with Jism iches picked up by numerous listening stations, which passed on German fleet signals and other wireless communications sys-

tematically. It was no uncommon thing for Ewing and his staff to deal with 2000 such intercepted messages in 24 hours. By this means, for instance, the Admiralty knew on the day before the battle of the Dogger Bank what German ships were coming out, the time of their departure and their objective. Similarly the battle of Jut'uid was brought about in consequence of the Germany signalling orders by wireless which, when deciphered, gave sufficient indication of their plans. The work which Ewing was doing was known to very few arc! it was obvious that the enemy had no inkling of it all through the war. Ewing was, knighted in 1911 and was made Principal of Edinburgh University in 191 G, receiving many other university honours. He wrote a number of treaties on engineering and scientific subjects. For health reasons he decided to retire in September, 1929.