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Test of Greatness: Britain's Struggle for the Atom Bomb
, xv, 301 pages, SIGNED and dedicated by author on title page, illustrated with black and white plates
- GenresHistoryScienceNonfiction
302 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
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107 people want to read
About the author
Brian Cathcart
13 books13 followersBrian Cathcart is a journalist by background, having worked for Reuters, the London Independent papers and the New Statesman, and he is now professor of journalism at Kingston University London. Some of his books (including The Case of Stephen Lawrence, which won the Orwell Prize and a CWA Gold Dagger) have grown out of news and journalism; others (such as The Fly in the Cathedral) reflect his love of history. His latest, The News From Waterloo, combines the two. Cathcart is also a campaigner, having co-founded Hacked Off in 2011 to make the case for a free and accountable press. He is married with grown-up sons and lives in London, where he feeds the birds in the garden and from which he escapes occasionally to walk the Pennine Way.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 16, 2020
A competent re-telling of the little-known story of the British atom bomb, the first test of which was carried out in 1952. The author is a journalist by background and the book is written in a journalistic style. It concentrates on “what happened, and when” rather than on analysis.
When the atom bombs were dropped on Japan, British Prime Minster Clement Atlee had been in office for about a fortnight, and the early pages of the book convey a sense of his shock at the new strategic situation, one that no government had ever faced. There was though a broad political consensus that the UK needed to develop its own nuclear weapons. The general view was that possession of nuclear weapons would be a requirement for any country that wanted to be considered a major world power. There was also a fear, in 1945-47, that the USA might revert to isolationism, as it did after WW1, and it was therefore seen as vital for Britain to have an independent deterrent. There was no unilateralist wing to the Labour Party, as there is today. Neither did the scientists involved have too many qualms. They were employed as civil servants and took the view that if the democratically elected government of the UK wanted the atom bomb, it was their job to provide it.
Almost from the moment the war ended, the United States withdrew co-operation with the UK over the bomb. It was to be a priority aim of US foreign policy that America should be the only country with the bomb, and the British effort was therefore one carried out entirely by British scientists with British resources. The book gives a fair sense of what a struggle this was for a country that had effectively bankrupted itself fighting WWII. The book is quite illuminating over this aspect of US-UK relations. Another important section covered the fact that the first test took place in the Monte Bello islands, off the NW coast of Australia. The UK government was lucky in that the Australian PM of the period was Sir Robert Menzies, an Anglophile who saw Australian interests as near-identical to those of Britain.
I did have to smile at the following paragraph, describing one of the bomb’s components:
“The trigatron was a switch at the heart of the firing mechanism, which operated as the gate to release the electrical charge. It had to hold off the voltage reliably until the desired moment, and then send a very powerful current into the cables with a minimum of resistance. There was only one trigatron in the mechanism and if it broke down the weapon might fire early, something not to be contemplated.”
Well, quite!
Until the last couple of chapters, I was going to rate the book as a strong three stars, but boosted the rating after reading the chapter on the test itself, which I thought was told in compelling fashion. 3.5 stars rounded up.
When the atom bombs were dropped on Japan, British Prime Minster Clement Atlee had been in office for about a fortnight, and the early pages of the book convey a sense of his shock at the new strategic situation, one that no government had ever faced. There was though a broad political consensus that the UK needed to develop its own nuclear weapons. The general view was that possession of nuclear weapons would be a requirement for any country that wanted to be considered a major world power. There was also a fear, in 1945-47, that the USA might revert to isolationism, as it did after WW1, and it was therefore seen as vital for Britain to have an independent deterrent. There was no unilateralist wing to the Labour Party, as there is today. Neither did the scientists involved have too many qualms. They were employed as civil servants and took the view that if the democratically elected government of the UK wanted the atom bomb, it was their job to provide it.
Almost from the moment the war ended, the United States withdrew co-operation with the UK over the bomb. It was to be a priority aim of US foreign policy that America should be the only country with the bomb, and the British effort was therefore one carried out entirely by British scientists with British resources. The book gives a fair sense of what a struggle this was for a country that had effectively bankrupted itself fighting WWII. The book is quite illuminating over this aspect of US-UK relations. Another important section covered the fact that the first test took place in the Monte Bello islands, off the NW coast of Australia. The UK government was lucky in that the Australian PM of the period was Sir Robert Menzies, an Anglophile who saw Australian interests as near-identical to those of Britain.
I did have to smile at the following paragraph, describing one of the bomb’s components:
“The trigatron was a switch at the heart of the firing mechanism, which operated as the gate to release the electrical charge. It had to hold off the voltage reliably until the desired moment, and then send a very powerful current into the cables with a minimum of resistance. There was only one trigatron in the mechanism and if it broke down the weapon might fire early, something not to be contemplated.”
Well, quite!
Until the last couple of chapters, I was going to rate the book as a strong three stars, but boosted the rating after reading the chapter on the test itself, which I thought was told in compelling fashion. 3.5 stars rounded up.
May 31, 2012
Cathcart's book is a satisfactory introductory history to the development of Britain's atomic bomb.
April 12, 2018
Enjoyable page turner
I've read several histories of the Manhattan project and was intrigued to come across this book on Britain's equivalent program. The book is entertainingly written and I found it hard to put down many nights.
I've read several histories of the Manhattan project and was intrigued to come across this book on Britain's equivalent program. The book is entertainingly written and I found it hard to put down many nights.
August 29, 2017
We're all aware of the arguments for and against, countries such as Britain acquiring nuclear weapons. Whether you believe Britain needed to do this, or that we should never have, this is a fascinating account of what actually happened. We've all heard the story of the Manhattan Project, probably many times but have we heard how Britain actually acquired the technology, after the Americans abruptly stopped sharing information with us. Especially ungrateful, considering that the early work on an atomic bomb was done here and only transferred to America because it was safer from bombing.
Then there are the technical challenges. Just how would you take something so dangerous and make it so that it exploded only when you want it to? Putting aside the moral questions for a moment, this tale is interesting because it is actually fiendishly complicated to do. Indeed, this book virtually tells you how to build an atomic bomb it's description is so detailed. To the point that you hope that some is simplified, incorrect and/or missing some steps.
To this mixture we then add politics, particularly the internal kind and rigid attitudes in the armed services and we have a kind of "Carry on Atomic Bomb". Whichever side of the ethical debate you favour, you probably imagine that, once committed to the project, the atom bomb was pursued with focus and urgency. You would be mistaken. Indeed, this is almost a case study of how not to allocate resources for a major project.
There could perhaps be more on the aftermath but what there is is disarmingly frank. Examining the fall out (literal and metaphorical) through the physical remains, personal journeys of regret and latter day critical investigation of the actual bomb test.
The title is probably misjudged too. It refers to the fact that most of the people involved saw this as a "test of greatness", rightly or wrongly. To modern ears, however, the title sounds like it endorses that view. As if it is going to be a hagiography, rather than a history. The subtitle is perhaps better, especially the word "struggle" as it was far from straightforward, almost accidental.
Then there are the technical challenges. Just how would you take something so dangerous and make it so that it exploded only when you want it to? Putting aside the moral questions for a moment, this tale is interesting because it is actually fiendishly complicated to do. Indeed, this book virtually tells you how to build an atomic bomb it's description is so detailed. To the point that you hope that some is simplified, incorrect and/or missing some steps.
To this mixture we then add politics, particularly the internal kind and rigid attitudes in the armed services and we have a kind of "Carry on Atomic Bomb". Whichever side of the ethical debate you favour, you probably imagine that, once committed to the project, the atom bomb was pursued with focus and urgency. You would be mistaken. Indeed, this is almost a case study of how not to allocate resources for a major project.
There could perhaps be more on the aftermath but what there is is disarmingly frank. Examining the fall out (literal and metaphorical) through the physical remains, personal journeys of regret and latter day critical investigation of the actual bomb test.
The title is probably misjudged too. It refers to the fact that most of the people involved saw this as a "test of greatness", rightly or wrongly. To modern ears, however, the title sounds like it endorses that view. As if it is going to be a hagiography, rather than a history. The subtitle is perhaps better, especially the word "struggle" as it was far from straightforward, almost accidental.
May 18, 2013
I enjoyed Test of Greatness, and had no difficulty finishing it, but on balance the book itself was definitely more "good" than "great." Cathcart does a very credible job of conveying difficult technical details, and of weaving these together with political themes, bureaucratic obstacles, and the ever-present constraints on any enterprise in "austerity Britain" (which I would argue is a more compelling theme than the author perhaps realized).
On the other hand, at many points throughout the book it seems like the author was ransacking the archives for anything he could find and exercising insufficient discrimination about what to leave out; far too many people are introduced to keep track of, and an account of the culture clash between scientists and the navy goes on far too long. By contrast, once the bomb goes off, the book wraps up surprisingly fast; the British nuclear program's legacy receives little more than token consideration, and could have been profitably examined at much greater length.
On the other hand, at many points throughout the book it seems like the author was ransacking the archives for anything he could find and exercising insufficient discrimination about what to leave out; far too many people are introduced to keep track of, and an account of the culture clash between scientists and the navy goes on far too long. By contrast, once the bomb goes off, the book wraps up surprisingly fast; the British nuclear program's legacy receives little more than token consideration, and could have been profitably examined at much greater length.
December 11, 2016
I learnt much from 'Test of Greatness', some of which I wish I hadn't! Amazing tales of mathematics and science, UK - USA relationships, fragility of the technology, Civil Service inertia, Navy snobbery, and the power of perseverance, its all there within the tale told by Brian Cathchart.
If you wish to explore some of the locations mentioned in the book visit my web site at:
https://navsmaps.wordpress.com/2016/1...
If you wish to explore some of the locations mentioned in the book visit my web site at:
https://navsmaps.wordpress.com/2016/1...
May 1, 2013
The definitive, interesting, and accessible book that explains how and why England got the atom bomb, how things with America didn't really work out as planned, and how the bomb was built and tested. Plus lots of good pictures Cathcart dug up.
April 16, 2016
Bomb test
A good detailed account of the first British atomic bomb test. Well written ,a comprehensive account of both technology and personalities
A good detailed account of the first British atomic bomb test. Well written ,a comprehensive account of both technology and personalities
December 20, 2019
Excellent !
Rarely have I read a book with so much interesting details as this serious study of the subject. Congratulations to the author.
Rarely have I read a book with so much interesting details as this serious study of the subject. Congratulations to the author.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews