Dam Buster

by Richard Morris

Sir Barnes Wallis CBE became a household name after the hit 1954 film The Dam Busters in which Michael Redgrave portrayed a shy, slightly abstracted genius at odds with bureaucracy. Yet this was a simplified picture of a complicated, mercurial man.Wallis' contribution to British aircrafts and weapons is legendary; from the R100 intercontinental airship and innovative aircrafts like the Wellesley and Wellington, to bombs that destroyed hitherto invulnerable targets, and variable-geometry aerodynes. In addition to playing a significant part in both world wars and the Cold War, his work and inventions extended to a radio-telescope, ships, bridges, prosthetic limbs, and a nuclear-powered submarine designed to travel the world's oceans in near silence.Yet little has been written the private Wallis; the man who fell in love with his 17-year-old distant cousin-in-law when he was 34 - and thus began a love that lasted 57 years; the man who loved the British countryside and spent every spare moment rambling. Using previously unseen letters and diaries, Barnes Wallis brings to life one of Britain's greatest inventor' a visionary genius and private romantic; an insufferable pedant and a doting and patient son; and a self-mythologising martyr and a loyal friend.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

416 pages, Paperback

Published September 17, 2024

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Reviews

[Peter Timson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and very readable book. It's not all about the bouncing bomb - it's about the man, his family, and wider engineering achievements. The book also describes well the period and industry in which Wallis lived. The era of my grandparents I guess.

[Jack Abbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barnes Wallis by Richard Morris is an exhaustive and thoughtful portrait of one of Britain’s most original wartime minds. Morris draws on a wide range of sources to chart the life of a man he aptly describes as “Victorian” in outlook — conservative, moralistic, and fiercely inventive.

The early chapters delve deep into Wallis’ upbringing and formative years. While this section feels slightly extended and took some getting into, it does help lay the groundwork for understanding the convictions that later shaped his pioneering work. By contrast, the wartime chapters — covering his legendary innovations like Upkeep and Tallboy — seemed to flash by, which was a shame given how central they are to Wallis’ public legacy.

One of the most fascinating aspects for me was the discussion of Wallis’ later life including his close connection with R.C. Sherriff, the screenwriter of The Dam Busters film. Wallis was key in shaping the narrative, with his version of events — and even his character — making it into the opening scene. It’s a striking reminder of how historical memory can be influenced not just by action but by those who help tell the story.

I’ve really enjoyed Morris’ previous biographies of Guy Gibson and Leonard Cheshire, and this felt like a natural continuation. It’s not a fast-paced read, but it’s deeply researched and respectful of its subject. A worthwhile biography for anyone interested in engineering, aviation history, or the moral complexities of wartime innovation.