Editing Effingham, Surrey (section)

===20th century===
[[Barnes Wallis|Sir Barnes Wallis]] lived most of his adult life here. He is best known as the inventor of the [[bouncing bomb]] which breached the Eder and Mohne dams in the [[Second World War]]. He also designed [[airship]]s including the [[R100]] and applied the [[geodesy|geodetic]] construction methods to aeroplanes.<ref name="multi"/>

Wallis lived with his wife Molly in the village for 49 years. Their home south of the village centre in Beech Avenue was called White Hill House but is now renamed Little Court and looks over Effingham Golf Club's 17th fairway. It is believed that early bouncing bomb experiments were carried out in his garden using the family washtub and his children's marbles.<ref name="multi"/>

Barnes Wallis joined the governing body of St Lawrence Church, which is a Grade II* [[listed building|listed]] church<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1294793|desc=Church of St Lawrence|access-date=22 November 2013}}</ref> in 1932 and served as their secretary for eight years until 1940.<ref name="multi"/> In 1946 Barnes Wallis became an Effingham Parish Councillor and served as Chairman of Effingham Parish Council for 10 years.<ref name="multi"/> He was also the Chairman of Effingham Housing Association which helped the poor and elderly of the village with housing.<ref name="multi"/>

Knighted in 1968, Sir Barnes Wallis was instrumental in the founding days of the KGV playing fields at Effingham. He was Chairman of the KGV Management Committee and negotiated the landscaping of the "bowl" cricket ground. As a fanatical cricket fan, he was keen to see a first-class ground in his village; the County Council wanted to improve the line of the adjacent A246 Guildford road and Wallis persuaded them to cut and fill the sloping playing field to achieve the current superb flat cricket ground. At one stage it was the back-up ground to The Oval. He was the first Chairman of the Effingham Housing Association, a charity which built homes for local people; the most recent development, Barnes Wallis Close, was opened by two members of his family in 2002.<ref name="multi"/>

In 1967 on Barnes Wallis' 80th birthday the village presented him with an album about the history of Effingham in recognition of his national and village contributions.<ref name="multi"/>

Sir Barnes Wallis died on 30 October 1979 and was buried four days later in St Lawrence Churchyard, a few yards from KGV fields. Two weeks after the funeral, on 17 November, a memorial service was held for him at St. Lawrence Church and on noon that day an Avro Vulcan bomber from 617 Squadron flew overhead as a mark of respect.

On 3 July 1944 a V1 flying bomb fell on Beech Avenue and hit close to a house called Orchard Walls which was damaged.<ref name="multi"/>

On 10 July another V1 flying bomb scored a direct hit on a cottage called "Little Thatch". It killed the owner and injured his wife and child. This was the only civilian casualty of World War II in the village. The cottage was rebuilt and renamed Phoenix Cottage which survives to this day on Effingham Common Road.<ref name="multi"/>

The Royal Army Service Corps were stationed in Effingham with Canadian soldiers encamped and headquartered in High Barn, Beech Avenue, close to where Barnes Wallis lived.<ref name="multi"/>