Lorna Arnold

Lorna Arnold OBE (7 December 1915 – 25 March 2014) was a British historian who wrote a number of books connected with the British nuclear weapons programmes.

As the second official historian of the British nuclear weapons programmes, she had access to previously secret documents and personally knew many of the people involved the work of the UKAEA. In her old age she was still an active participant in intelligence/historical community debate, as evinced by her contributions to meetings such the Oxford Intelligence Group on 17 June 2008.

Early years

Lorna Arnold was born Lorna Rainbow in London on 7 December 1915. Her parents were Kenneth and Lorna Rainbow (née Dawson). Arnold was the eldest of five children. Her father served in World War I, and after the war, the family turned to farming in Surrey. She attended Waumborough Primary School and became the first girl in her village to win a scholarship to secondary school, and the first in that school to win a scholarship to university. She graduated from Bedford College, London in 1937.