Sir Edward Appleton, pioneer of ionospheric research, was one of the most influential scientists in an era which saw radio and television become commonplace features of everyday life. As Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research throughout the Second World War, he exemplified the new breed of scientific administrator produced by the impact of science on Government. And as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh he later held a key post during the post-war decades of educational expansion and change. He was also, and perhaps above all else, a very human Yorkshireman.