Obituary: Professor Meredith Thring 1915-2006
Professor Meredith Thring died on September 15th, 2006. Although born in Australia his education was almost entirely in the UK, culminating in a double first in mathematics and physics at Cambridge (1937), which he achieved on the strength of a Scholarship in Mathematics to Trinity College. He did not undertake a research degree following this success, but chose to move into industrial research. Initially at the British Coal Utilisation Research Association (BCURA,) he worked on combustion of coal and gaseous fuels and rose to position as Head of the Combustion Research Laboratory, then at the British Iron and Steel Research Institute (BISRA), where he established its Physics Department. Distinctions were awarded throughout his carrier, beginning with The Student Medal of the Institute of Fuel (now the Energy Institute) in 1938, followed by the Hadfield Medal of the Iron and Steel Institute for his development of a heat Flow Meter. In 1964 he received the ScD degree from Cambridge.
Professor Thring was one of the founders of the International Flame Research Foundation (IFRF) and its test station at Ijmuiden. Although an initial collaboration of the British, Dutch and French steel industries to examine problems resulting from the replacement of coal by oil in steel production, fifty years on it is supported and utilised by many other countries and industries, and has studied almost every form of coal, oil and gas flame. For 25 years he was General Superintendent of Research and only recently retired from the Vice-Presidency of British Flame.
A move into an academic career came with his appointment, in1953, as Professor of Fuel Technology and Chemical Engineering in Sheffield University. The Department blossomed under his direction, doubling in size in the decade up to his appointment to the Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Queen Mary College. Professor Thring held that post until his retirement in 1981. While at Sheffield he was President of the Institute of Fuel and during his time at Queen Mary he was a Founder Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Projects included Downjet Combustion and the modification of motor vehicles to run on producer gas generated from wood, in order to save petrol in wartime. Professor Thring published widely in technical and scientific journals and was the author of a number of books dealing with engineering and its use to solve civilisation's problems. His far-sighted approach brought about involvement in all aspects of engineering with the theme of responsible design directed to the sustainable well-being of humanity. Thirty years ago, in 'Energy and Humanity', he highlighted the need for a sustainable energy supply, an effective programme for its conservation and the control of pollution. He challenged engineers to provide a decent quality of life for the disabled and underprivileged and he was a respected teacher, with many of his ex-students attaining high office in British and overseas industry.
In retirement he devoted considerable effort to provision of aid in Africa. He sponsored a village in Tanzania. He set up the charity 'Power Aid' to develop engineering equipment needed in rural areas and, at the time of his death, he was seeking to secure the charity's future, specifically for a project to develop a village-size Leaf Fractionation Apparatus which could be built and used in Nigeria. It would produce Leaf Concentrate, a protein- rich diet supplement, from plants.