Welsh Journals

Rutherford a Newbery Llun 1. Rutherford (ar y dde) yn Labordy Cavendish. ERNEST Newbery a ddaeth i'n cyfarfod ym maes glanio Johannesberg. Fel yr aeth y dydd heibio daethom i ddeall mwy am ei gysylltiadau Cymreig, ond er hynny ni ddisgwyliem fod ei wraig Christine yn Gymraes Gymraeg o Sir Benfro, ac yntau'n fab i Gymro. Cawsom noson gofiadwy yn eu cwmni. Diwydiannwr mewn technoleg bwyd yw Ernest, ac wedi ei eni yn Ne Affrica, lle 'roedd ei dad Edgar yn Athro Cemeg ym Mhrifysgol Cape Town. Bu mor garedig â gadael i mi edrych drwy hen bapurau Yr Athro Edgar Newbery, ac yn eu plith ohebiaeth gyda'r enwog Ernest Rutherford (gweler Y Gwyddonydd, Cyfrol 22, tud.85), a oedd yn Athro iddo, bryd hynny, ym Mhrifysgol Manceinion. Cafodd yr anrhydedd o eistedd wrth draed Gamaliel, fel petai, a pharhau wedyn mewn cysylltiad ag ef. Un o Lanandras (Presteign) yn yr hen Sir Faesyfed oedd Edgar Newbery, a aeth gyntaf, pan yn wyth oed i Ysgol Ramadeg Presteign (ym 1891), lle 'roedd ei dad yn Brifathro. Ym 1898 aeth i ysgol breifat yn Harbone, Birmingham a rhan amser i ddilyn dosbarth Cemeg yn Ysgol Dechnegol y ddinas yn Suffolk Street gerllaw y Capel Cymraeg. Buan y gwelwyd ei addewid, ac fe'i hapwyntiwyd yn un o'r cynorthwywyr yn y labordy, gan roi cyfle ychwanegol iddo barhau gyda'i astudiaethau mewn Cemeg. Ym 1903 fe'i hapwyntiwyd yn Athro Cemeg yn un o ysgolion GLYN O. PHILLIPS bonedd enwocaf Lloegr, Uppingham. Yno, yn rhan amser, enillodd radd B.Sc. Prifysgol Llundain a arweiniodd at swydd athro well yn Sidcot, Gwlad yr Haf. THE UNIVERSITY, MANCHESTER. July 11, 1918 Dr Edgar Newbery was appointed lecturer in the Electrochemical Department of the University of Manchester on the departure of Dr N. Pring on active service in 1914 and has been personally responsible for the lecture and laboratory courses to Chemical students during the past three years. All of this work has been extremely well done. His spare time has been devoted mainly to experi- mental investigations in war problems in which in many case valuable results have been obtained. In particular, his special electrochemical knowledge has proved of great functional service in an impor- tant naval problem. Dr Newbery is an enthusiastic and energetic investigator. His published work shows clear evidence of his originality and experimental skill and an unusual power of pushing his researches to definite and practical conclusions and this is well shown by his series of investigations on the difficult problem of 'overvoltage' to our knowledge of which he has made substantial contributions. Before engaging in research, Dr Newbery had gained a wide and useful experience as a Teacher of Science in Schools. He is an admirable lecturer and teacher and a good disciplinarian. While his researches have been connected mainly with elec- trochemical problems, he has a sound knowledge of physics and chemistry in general and unusually wide intellectual interests. Dr Newbery informs me he is an applicant for the Chair of Physical Chemistry in the University of Cape Town and I have much pleasure in drawing attention to his strong claims for consideration both as a teacher and original investigator. If appointed, I am quite confident that he would not only prove successful as a teacher and adminis- trator but by his personal example and influence would become the centre of an active school frame- work. E. Rutherford