David Anderson

We have lost a great polymath and a nuclear engineer of international standing.

David's roots were in Darvel, Ayrshire, the county of our national bard. After an outstanding school career in Darvel and then at Kilmarnock Academy, Rolls Royce was eager to enlist him as a student apprentice and sponsor his undergraduate career through the University of Glasgow. He graduated in 1965 with honours in mechanical engineering. He is well remembered by his fellow engineering students. He had a natural talent and was often sought by his fellows to unravel the mysteries of the subjects, from drawing to mathematics, as well as mechanics and thermodynamics. He would often scold his fellows with the characteristic ''you're wrang!'', before enjoying enlightening them with the correct answer. He revelled in his life at university and never lost his love of his alma mater, still maintaining his interest in the Engineering Society and enthusiastically organising five-yearly class reunions.

His post-graduate time with Rolls-Royce was followed by a short period with CEGB (Central Electricity Generating Board) working from its Glasgow office. This sidestep into the electrical power generation industry was to map out his future career and enable the exercising of his engineering skills and knowledge for the benefits of Scotland, UK, and beyond. He joined SSEB (South of Scotland Electricity Board) in 1973 as a commissioning engineer at Hunterston B power station. SSEB had invested in its first nuclear power station at Hunterston and was constructing its sister plant, Hunterston B, with its two AGRs (advanced gas-cooled reactors). David's skills were respected by his seniors and peers and he was soon drawn into working with

nuclear technology, which occupied the remainder of his career. A key feature of AGRs is the ability to refuel while the reactor is on load - vital to the effective and viable running of such reactors. David was charged with the commissioning of this facility, not an easy task when the reactor is running at high temperatures and pressure. However, by careful work and refinement of techniques, David and his engineering team accomplished the near impossible and laid the rules for the new Torness power station, too.

Working with such materials and devices demands an understanding of risk married to the engineering ability to meet exacting requirements. David's mastery of both made him highly respected by his colleagues in Scottish Nuclear and the staff in the Health and Safety Executive - with whom he had many heated exchanges. His work as a professional nuclear engineer was recognised by his being elevated to Fellowship of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and finally the highest accolade - a Fellowship in the Royal Academy of Engineers. He served for many years on the board of the institution's power industries division.

His excellence within Scottish Nuclear was recognised by his promotion to engineering director with full engineering responsibility for its three nuclear ''kettles''. As government instituted changes to the nuclear industry, he was for a short period acting chief executive of Scottish Nuclear before its integration with its rival in England, Nuclear Electric, into British Energy.

He was then given the near-impossible task, as the new engineering director, of operating the engineering teams of the former rival utilities and producing effective technology backup to the UK nuclear industry.

This task was achieved through dogged determination but applied with a light touch. It is reported that at many stressful meetings David was known to inject a Burns quotation or two with a small musical accompaniment.

It is through his large physical presence and personality that he engendered trust and respect from his colleagues.

But David was more than an excellent engineer. His love of the Bard made him a regular presenter at Burns suppers, often giving the Immortal Memory with quotations aplenty and spoken in a good Ayrshire accent from his days in Darvel.

His musical talents also extended to the fiddle and he was a regular member of Strathaven Choral Society who was equally at home singing the works of Bach and Beethoven.

He married Nancy Dalton in 1970 and happily shared the family home with their spaniels. Nancy's roots in Arran ideally suited David, whose love of the mountains was satisfied in the many and interesting peaks of that island. Though not a Munro-bagger, he had climbed many of the Scottish mountains and also served for many years on the board of the Scottish Youth Hotel Association.

Nancy and he were regular travellers to Italy - a country they loved dearly. He, with Nancy, would roam footloose and fancy free across Italy enjoying the sights, food, and, culture, albeit with a mobile phone in the back pocket, on call for emergencies.

David is survived by his wife, Nancy, his sister, Una, and his two nephews, David and Ian, of whom he was especially proud.

Scotland has lost an outstanding nuclear engineer and a very Scottish polymath.

David Anderson, nuclear engineer; born July 7, 1943, died September 4, 2003.

Dr DAVID K BROWN