British engineer.He developed the first practical hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells, which convert air and fuel directly into electricity through electro-chemical processes.He was the son of Thomas Walter Bacon [landowner]and Edith Mary Bacon and a direct descendant of Francis Bacon,1st Viscount St. Albans ,the famous English philosopher,statesman, scientist,jurist,and author.He was educated at Eton and Trinity College,Cambridge. After Cambridge, he began an apprenticeship with the Newcastle engineering firm,C.A. Parsons & Co. Ltd., then owned by Sir Charles Parsons, and was strongly influenced by him.The renowned British scientist,inventor and judge, Sir William Robert Grove had discovered the principles behind the operation of fuel cells between 1839 and 1842 but these were not pursued until Bacon became intrigued with their potential while working for Parsons during 1925 to 1940.He continued his research at King's College, Cambridge, proposing their use in submarines. He sought new applications for fuel cells whilst a principal consultant to National Research Development Corporation (1956 to 1962),and the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority (1971 to 1973).By the end of the century, the technology was being developed internationally. The patents for the fuel cell were licensed by Pratt and Whitney, famous for their jet engines, as part of a successful bid to provide electrical power for Project Apollo. An improved version of the fuel cell then supplied electricity for the Space Shuttle.Fuel cells are ideal for these applications because, unlike heat engines, they have rising efficiency with decreasing load, and of course, hydrogen and oxygen gases were already on board space vehicles for propulsion and life support. The by-product water was used for drinking and humidifying the atmosphere of the capsule.Later in life, he was a consultant for the engineering firm Energy Conversion Limited and Johnson Matthey. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society [FRS]in 1973, Founder Fellow of the Fellowship of Engineering, the first Honorary Member of the European Fuel Cell Group and in 1967, made Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire[OBE].He was the first recipient of the Grove Medal[1991].