He made major contributions to research on radar during World War II and received a special appointment as Superintendent, for theoretical work, within the Physics Division of the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) during the post war years, continuing in this capacity when it was renamed the Royal Radar Establishment (RRE).
He applied his strong mathematical skills to the electromagnetic theory of radio wave propagation and reflection, that was the basis of the defensive use of airborne radar in detecting and tracking hostile bombers.
Shortly before the end of the war, he was attached to an intelligence unit with the advancing allied forces, to collect information on German radar.
[6] On his return to RRE as Director, two years later, he reorganised the technical departments into: Military and Civil Systems (comprising Ground Radar and Air Traffic Control, Guided Weapons and Airborne Radar groups), Physics and Electronics (comprising Physics and Electronic Groups) and Engineering.
At this time, "despite the policy shift away from fighters ... to guided weapons for UK air defence, ... RRE continued to argue for strike aircraft and kept up the necessary radar research programs.
Three years later, in 1970, he moved to the Ministry of Defence, planned and carried out a major restructuring and consolidation of its research activities, and was knighted.