 In 1940 , the Fall of France , and the possibility that Britain might be invaded , prompted Oliphant to send his wife and children to Australia . The Fall of Singapore in February 1942 led him to offer his services to John Madsen , the Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Sydney , and the head of the Radiophysics Laboratory at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research , which was responsible for developing radar . He embarked from Glasgow for Australia on <unk> Dominion Monarch on 20 March . The voyage , part of a 46 @-@ ship convoy , was a slow one , with the convoy frequently zigzagging to avoid U @-@ boats , and the ship did not reach Fremantle until 27 May . 
