My father, John Whittle, who has died aged 95, was a senior scientist for Shell, working in aviation lubricants. In retirement he discovered a fascination for local history and published several books.
John was born in Bolton, son of Arthur Whittle, a bank clerk, and his wife, Eva (nee Higgins). They lived above the bank where his father worked. He had a very happy childhood, cycling or walking in the Lancashire Hills, trips that were captured vividly on his father’s cine camera. John’s Methodist upbringing instilled within him a strong moral code.
He attended Bolton grammar school and then studied mechanical engineering at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, graduating in 1947, and went to work on the south coast of England for a couple of years in a company affiliated to Shell, before returning to the north-west to take up a post as research scientist at the company’s Thornton research centre, near Chester.
In 1954 John married Kathleen Harris, whom he met at Chester theatre club. They were happily married for 65 years.
For Shell, John helped develop lubricants for aero engines, in particular a new generation of jet engines working at greater extremes of temperature than ever before. This was a time of real challenge for the aviation industry and John’s work was instrumental in helping jet engines become both effective and reliable. In later years he became involved in addition of additives to car petrol engines to make them more economical and greener, creating less pollution through efficiency and better combustion properties. He co-authored a number of important patents for Shell in both these areas.
In the 60s, John and Kay converted a Transit van into a motorhome and used it for family holidays in Europe. In later years they travelled further afield, to Japan, Indonesia, Guatemala and the US.
After he retired early from Shell in 1984, John and Kay moved to an old farmhouse in rural Cheshire. When John started researching the history of their farmhouse, he found a new enthusiasm. This led to him co-founding the Hargrave and Huxley Historical Society. He took a master’s degree in landscape history at the University of Chester, graduating 50 years after his first degree, and published three books, on the villages of Hargrave, Huxley and Waverton.
John volunteered for what is now Citizens Advice, was treasurer for a women’s refuge and trustee of the Moulson Trust education charity. He was an energetic and enthusiastic walker, whether in Shropshire, walking with friends and the family’s old English sheepdog, or hiking in Spain, Greece and Nepal. A kind, generous and humble man, he lived life to the full.
Kay died in 2019. John is survived by his children, Nigel and me, by four grandchildren, Emma, Simon, Richard and Harry, and two great-grandchildren.
