CEB alumnus honoured with blue plaque

Francis Thomas ‘Tom’ Bacon, inventor of the first working Hydrogen-Oxygen fuel cell researched within CEB's labs, has been recognised with a blue plaque. Bacon’s invention helped power humanity to the moon as part of the Apollo programme and was a predecessor to modern fuel cell technology.  

While working at the Department of Chemical Engineering at Cambridge, prior to the merger with the Institute of Biotechnology, Bacon worked to create a functional version of the technology proposed a century before by Sir William Grove. The Bacon Fuel Cell works by combining hydrogen with oxygen in a redox reaction (a reaction where at least one component element loses electrons) which generates an electrical current.  

This technology proved invaluable for the Apollo programme, as it presented a solution to the problem of generating electricity in space. Apollo 11 was already designed to carry Hydrogen and Oxygen onboard for fuel and life support, respectively. As a bonus, the only by-product of the redox reaction is drinkable water, suitable for the astronaut's consumption. 

To honour the unveiling of the blue plaque and Tom's legacy to Cambridge, CEB featured on BBC Look East and ITV Anglia, as well as articles in The Guardian and the BBC. Dr. Jethro Ackroyd from our department was interviewed for the feature, discussing Tom’s legacy and how it aligns with CEB’s current mission to drive innovation in sustainable energy, while Head of Department Professor Clemens Kaminski spoke live on air to ITV Anglia during the unveiling ceremony.

Watch and read about CEB in the news:

• BBC Look East report on Tom Bacon - YouTube
• Recognition at last for Tom Bacon, the scientist you’ve never heard of who helped put men on the moon | Apollo 11 | The Guardian
• Blue plaque for Cambridge 'man on the Moon' scientist - BBC News
• Secret Essex - The Essex scientist who got man to the moon - BBC Sounds

Born in Billericay in 1904, Bacon graduated from Trinity College Cambridge in 1925 after completing the Mechanical Sciences Tripos. He then spent years working in the private sector, before returning to Cambridge in 1946 armed with sponsorship from the Electrical Research Association.  

Bacon and his team worked at the Department of Chemical Engineering (now the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology) to develop a six-cell 150-watt unit that was demonstrated in London at an exhibition. There was little industrial interest, and Bacon’s group was disbanded, with the prototype being moved to a shed on Bacon’s property in Little Shelford. For six months the device sat unused, before the National Research Development Corporation agreed to finance further development. 

At local engineering firm Marshall of Cambridge, Bacon created a 6 kW system which served as the basis of the technology that helped power Apollo 11.  

It is at Marshall’s modern site that the blue plaque has been unveiled, before it will be mounted on Bacon’s former home in Little Shelford. 

Prof Clemens Kaminski, Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CEB) at the University of Cambridge, said: 

Tom Bacon continued working on hydrogen fuel cell technology until his death in 1992 aged 88.  He is buried in Little Shelford.