ABSTRACT
In 1902 Dewar turned 60 and was at the height of his career. The liquefaction of hydrogen had established his claim to be the leading authority on all matters cryogenic, and he had every hope of soon being able to liquefy helium also. He was fortunate in his colleagues. His fellow professor and co-director of the Davy Faraday Laboratory was Lord Rayleigh, perhaps the most productive and wide-ranging living physicist, their immediate assistant was Alexander Scott, himself an excellent chemist who ran the Davy Faraday Laboratory most efficiently, and Dewar's leading technical assistant was Robert Lennox, who probably knew more about the practice of gas liquefaction than any other British chemist or engineer. The Secretary and Treasurer of the RI were William Crookes and James Crighton Browne, who both supported him, at least for the time being. Two years later Dewar's contributions to British science were publicly recognised by the award of a knighthood. He had, he said, previously declined this honour but now that Ramsay had been knighted in 1902 he must have changed his mind. Only his health might have been causing him to worry.
