ARCHITECT
OF THE NEW ATOMIC AGE.
The eldest of eight children, living in a mining community. At the age of 14 years he started work in the Mountain Colliery, Gorseinon, an engine boy for 8 years. For a while he worked at the Grovesend Tin Works but never got used to the blistering white hot metal sheets.
In 1926 Tom Williams aged 22 won an entrance Scholarship to the
University of Cardiff to study mining engineering and Geology.
After a tempestuous career fraught with many
difficulties, Dr. Williams joined the Ministry of Works and gained extensive
experience of Buildings- from Camps to Hospitals, N.A.A.F.I. Canteens,
Recreation Centres and Grain Silos.
The scene was set for his entry into Atomic Energy after the War, where
he made a phenomenal contribution. Harwell was born and work started to build
the Country’s first Nuclear Reactors Gleep and Bepo and such Atom- smashing machines as Van de Graaf.
Dr. Williams devoted 3 years to this work enjoying great satisfaction
and pride. The call to build Windscale must have been
a task of great magnitude, the chimneys for ventilation were 430 feet, higher
even than Salisbury Cathedral
Before Dr. Williams left for Dounreay he
guided the Calder Hall project for the first 2 years.
At Dounreay he became the Resident Engineer, where
installations were built to a precision never before attained.
An avid Member of Brynteg
Congregational
Chapel, sincere in attitude to fellow workers, devoted to his Family, a
Welshman above all else with great pride in his Country.
