The grandson of the author of The Origin of Species, Charles Dalton Darwin was Director of NPL from 1938 to 1949, a period which included the Second World War.

This talk will recount the unusual circumstances of his appointment and describe some of the research undertaken at NPL during these years.

Seton originally joined NPL in 1967. After a period at the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (now NMO), he returned to NPL in 2001 as Deputy Director. He retired in 2009, but still sits on the CIPM and retains an interest in matters metrological and historical.