January 1, 1970

The tee-total, vegetarian Lindemann was portrayed by David Hayman, in a recent BBC drama, ‘Castles in the Sky’, starring comedian Eddie Izzard as Robert Watson-Watt, the developer of radar.

Was Lindemann (who in the TV drama placed a spy in the Watson-Watt camp as they developed their early radar equipment) trying to sabotage their work because he was a senior scientist jealous of another man’s invention?

‘The Prof’ was certainly a man of strong views and felt that his own ideas of infra-red beams and aerial mines should be given priority over radar. Eventually his presence on the Committee for the Study of Aerial Defence became a distraction. The committee dissolved itself and reformed as a new body without Lindemann.

Despite the obvious differences between the tee-total Lindemann and the alcohol-imbibing Churchill, the men remained close friends and Lindemann accompanied Churchill into Government and was made the first Lord Cherwell during the Second World War. He worked hard to ensure that Churchill received the scientific information he needed to preside over an extremely technological conflict.

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To learn more about Professor Lindemann (‘The Prof’), read the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry here.