My friend John Gozzard, who has died aged 85, was an inventor and engineer whose most notable achievement was the creation of a zeppelin-shaped windshield for microphones, much seen on television and film sets, which stops wind and other extraneous noises interfering with sound recordings.
John’s invention was not only far better than previous attempts at minimising unwanted noise, but was also lighter and more durable than the alternatives. Having established its usefulness he set up a company, Rycote, to manufacture the windshield, and the firm continues to this day from its base in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Throughout his time at Rycote John continued to apply his skills to produce items that perfected audio capture, and many of his designs are used worldwide.
John was born in West Bromwich, in the West Midlands. His mother died when he was a teenager and his father, Herbert, remarried; John was close to his stepmother, Hilda, and remained so after his father’s death.
He began his career as a sound recordist at the BBC, then moved to Southern Television and finally to ATV. It was while working in television that he became frustrated with the heavy and cumbersome equipment that he was required to use, especially on outside broadcasts, and so took to designing various solutions, including his microphone windshield. He set up Rycote in 1969 and ran the company full time until he sold the business when he retired in 1995.
John’s restless curiosity and energy ensured that he was active in retirement, and even into his 80s he carried out all the DIY jobs at his house near Painswick, Gloucestershire. He was always exploring new devices that came his way, relishing ways to mend, improve and perfect various bits of machinery.
John loved his corner of the Cotswolds, as well as the sea, Bach, car boot sales and antique locks. He lived simply, showing little care for his own comfort but great concern for the wellbeing of others. He was a generous donor to charities, brushing aside the thanks and recognition with a bluff: “Well, it’s what people with money ought to do.”
For many years John knew that he wanted to be able to choose when to die, and so when he deemed that the time was right, he took his own life.
His marriage to Louise Sargent in 1962 ended in divorce in 1971.
