Early Years
Ernest William Titterton, was born of William Alfred and Elizabeth Titterton in Kettlebrook, Tamworth, UK, on 4 March 1916.
Titterton's primary education began next door to the family home in Kettlebrook at a single-room school for infants, starting at the age of four. After two years, his studies moved to a boys-only school in Glascote, Tamworth. This council school in a mining town had basic science facilities (uncommon at that time), and it was there that his interest in science was first kindled. At ten, Titterton won a scholarship to attend Queen Elizabeth's Grammar school (Tamworth), where he performed consistently well. After topping the class frequently, he entered to sixth form, which was at that time reserved for gifted students expected to continue to study at a tertiary level. Ernest studied mathematics, physics and chemistry, and under the tutelage of physics teacher William Summerhayes, he thrived.
In 1934, Titterton was accepted into University of Birmingham on a scholarship basis. Due to his achievements at secondary school, Ernest was allowed to begin his tertiary studies with second-year subjects, and even then he was said to have found them easy. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in 1936 with distinctions in both pure and applied mathematics and, of course, physics. An honours year quickly followed, and Titterton topped the year in Physics.
One year later, Ernest was presented with a University scholarship, and worked in a research position under Professor Mark Oliphant. The project he shared with another student was to determine if the weak alpha activity of samarium was due to the electron or gamma ray components of cosmic rays. Upon completion of these experiments, Titterton was awarded a Master of Science in 1938. As a requirement of his scholarship, Ernest was required to become a teacher for a year. This met a lukewarm reception, but he graduated from the Diploma in Education, and was even awarded the Elizabeth Cadbury Prize for achieving top in the class.
After a call from Oliphant, who wanted to develop a small wavelength radiation generator, Titterton worked as a research officer with the British Admiralty for the early part of the second world war, working on radar systems. Though the work was classed top-secret, he was allowed to submit it to Birmingham and was awarded a PhD in physics in 1941.
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