Norman James Petch, 13 February 1917 - 9 December 1992

Abstract

Norman Petch was born in Glasgow on 13 February 1917, the third child in a family of three boys and one girl. He had an English father who was a commercial traveller in drapery for most of his working life, and a Scottish mother. The family moved to England shortly after World War I, where most of his youth was spent in various parts of the West Riding of Yorkshire. He was not to live again in Scotland until relatively late in his career, when in 1973 he became Professor of Metallurgy at Strathclyde University. Despite this, he was proud of his Scottish origins, and had a great love of Scotland which was reflected in his eventual retirement to Culbokie in the Black Isle. Norman’s grandfather lived at Findon Cottage in Culbokie where he had been the agent for Sir George MacKenzie, a large landowner. His property, comprizing a delightful cottage and 10 acres, was a constant attraction to Norman from the age of two through his school years, and indeed throughout his life provided a serene environment in which to relax and to write, and finally a retirement haven. His education began in Yorkshire in the local school in the village of Aberford, where he exhibited an early interest in technology by making a crystal wireless set and by showing a mature knowledge of the workings of the family car. During the General Strike in 1926 Norman built a trolley from an old tin bath and pram wheels in order to transport logs from a nearby wood, as coal was unavailable at this time. He was clearly a contemplative child who played long games of chess with his father, and at an early age revealed a thoughtful attitude to life. In later years he was not a person to provide instant wisdom, but after mature reflection could be relied on to talk very good sense. His secondary education was principally at the Grammar School in Tadcaster, but completed at the West Leeds High School when the family moved to Leeds.