Biographical entry
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Bright Sparcs
Biographical entry
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Hake, Cecil Napier (1848 - 1924) |
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| Chemist | ||
| Born: 1848 England. Died: 16 October 1924 Monte Carlo. | ||
| Cecil Napier Hake was one of the key figures in the weapons industry, particularly cordite manufacture, in Australia and is considered the first Commonwealth defence scientist. In 1890 he was appointed Chief Inspector of Explosives for Victoria. He immediately set about modernising the Explosives Branch and introduced protocols to improve the safety of explosives manufacture and handling. Hake quickly became a highly regarded expert in the weapons industry throughout the colonies and in Britain. When the Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901, Hake was promoted to Advisor to the Commonwealth’s Department of Defence, but remained as an honorary adviser to the Victorian Defence Department until 1909. By 1911 he retired from the Department of Defence and returned to England. |
Career Highlights | ||
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On the recommendation of Britain’s Chief Inspector of Explosives, Victoria appointed Cecil Napier Hake their Chief Inspector of Explosives in 1890. Hake totally revamped the Explosives Act to ensure safe and efficient manufacturing and handling of explosives. By 1895 there were concerns over the future of explosive supplies in Victoria so Hake was asked to investigate the advantages of cordite manufacture over traditional gunpowder (RFG 2). He inspected cordite production in England and concluded that Australia too should convert to cordite manufacture, which it eventually did. As Chief Inspector of Explosives for Victoria, Hake was also involved in giving expert advice on ammunition problems which occurred during service. One of these was that ammunition become ‘double bulleted’ because of some of the automatic machines used at the factory. The problem was overcome by installing automatic weighing machines. At the time of Federation, Victoria had the most comprehensive defence establishment in the country which included, thanks largely to Hake, a top class munitions factory. In around 1907 Hake was permanently transferred to the Commonwealth Department of Defence as their full time Chemical Advisor. One of his first jobs was to advise on setting up explosive testing facilities. Later he was in charge of establishing Australia’s first Cordite Factory and in June 1908 was appointed Inspector of Cordite – a position which was independent of the Military and of the Cordite factory. | ||
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Published by The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre on ASAPWeb, 1994 - 2007 Originally published 1994-1999 by Australian Science Archives Project, 1999-2006 by the Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre Disclaimer, Copyright and Privacy Policy Submit any comments, questions, corrections and additions Prepared by: Acknowledgements Updated: 26 February 2007 http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P002564b.htm |