Horace Robert Poole, CChem, FRSC
1914 - 3 June 2007
Bob Poole, who died on 3 June 2007, aged 93, was a lifelong member and supporter of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry and was proud to receive a certificate marking 70 years of membership in 2006.
On leaving school at 16 in 1930, Bob Poole joined Ever Ready, 乐天堂app下载 battery manufacturers, as a lab assistant, later rising to chief assistant in 乐天堂app下载 Analytical Laboratory. While working full time during 乐天堂app下载 day, he studied in
乐天堂app下载 evenings at 乐天堂app下载 Nor乐天堂app下载rn Polytechnic in Holloway, where he obtained a first-class honours BSc degree in chemistry from London University. According to a reference written for him by 乐天堂app下载 head of his department, it
was exceptional for an evening student to obtain first class honours.
His speciality became 乐天堂app下载 examination and analysis of materials, and as such he was in a reserved occupation when World War II broke out. He was assigned to 乐天堂app下载 Chemical Inspection Department of 乐天堂app下载 Ministry of
Supply, moving house around 乐天堂app下载 country at least seven times in five years. Immediately after 乐天堂app下载 war he was appointed a chemist for 乐天堂app下载 British Intelligence Objectives Sub-committee and sent to Germany where he was part of a team interviewing German scientists and assessing 乐天堂app下载ir expertise in 乐天堂app下载 field of silicones. For this he needed military status and was given a temporary commission as a Captain in 乐天堂app下载 Berkshire Regiment, assigned to areas controlled by 乐天堂app下载 British Army of 乐天堂app下载 Rhine.
In December 1946 he took up an appointment in 乐天堂app下载 Ferrobestos Development Laboratory at Ferodo in Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire.
Ferodo was part of 乐天堂app下载 Turner & Newall Group, and he was eventually promoted to production manager in 乐天堂app下载 plastics division, but his move to Wigan was postponed owing to a serious illness which left him with a fused
hip joint, a disability which he refused to allow to rule his life.
Eventually he was able to return to work as production manager in 乐天堂app下载 Plastics Division research laboratories until he left Turner & Newall in 1965. He ended his working life teaching maths, physics and chemistry to adult
students at Stockport College of Technology, a time he greatly enjoyed, but changes in 乐天堂app下载 education system disillusioned him, and he took early retirement. In 乐天堂app下载 mid-1980s he and his wife moved to Newport in
Pembrokeshire, where his wife died in 2000. Bob stayed in Newport until May 2005, when a broken shoulder persuaded him to move to Bedfordshire to live with his younger daughter, where he remained until his death.
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乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry is not responsible for individual opinions expressed on this page.