Gwilym Morris Roberts

Roberts was born in Harlech, Wales in July 1925. His parents, who were both fluent in Welsh, moved to Merseyside where Roberts attended Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby. Having been awarded a State Bursary in 1943 Roberts studied engineering at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he remained until 1945. Roberts then entered the engineering branch of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR), the reserve officer force of the Royal Navy, and undertook his initial training at Devonport. He returned to the RNVR on 7 December 1948 with his rank confirmed as permanent, and seniority backdated to 24 July, and was promoted to lieutenant on 17 August of the next year with seniority again backdated to 24 July. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander on 25 September 1957 (with seniority again of 24 July) and retired in that rank on 23 April 1963, by which time the RNVR had become the Royal Naval Reserve. == Engineering career ==

On leaving HMS Sheffield Roberts entered civilian employment as an Assistant Resident Engineer with John Taylor & Sons, an engineering consultancy which specialised in water and wastewater engineering. Continuing his work with sewerage design at John Taylor & Sons he was part of the Anglo-American team that was awarded the Cairo Wastewater Project in 1978, one of the largest public-health engineering projects ever constructed. He was also a member of the Natural Environment Research Council from August 1987 to July 1993 and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1987. Roberts became co-chairman, and later chairman, of Acer Consultants, which was formed in 1987 following the merger of John Taylor & Sons with Freeman Fox & Partners. He retired as chairman in 1992, by which time he had overseen a quadrupling of the group's turnover and a trebling of staff numbers. During his career Roberts also served as chairman of the British Geological Survey, of the Football Stadia Advisory Design Council, the Second Severn Crossing Technical Adjudication Panel and as visiting professor at Loughborough University. These covered topics including marine engineering, sewage treatment, highways and engineering history, and were recognised by the award of the Institution of Civil Engineers' Stephenson Medal & Halcrow Premium, and the Institution of Public Health Engineers' gold and silver medals. == Personal life ==

Roberts married Rosemary Giles in 1960 and they had two children together. Rosemary died in 1973 and Roberts subsequently married Wendy Moore in 1978. He has also donated to the Royal Academy of Engineering Development Appeal. Roberts was a director of the Newcomen Society for the Study of History of Engineering and Technology, and was a Liveryman of the Worshipful Companies of Constructors, Engineers and Water Conservators and was chairman of his parish council. He died on 31 July 2020 at the age of 95. == Publications ==

In retirement he continued with the writing of articles and books, most of which were on non-technical aspects of engineering topics. The books included • ''Engineering Hitler's Downfall - the Brains that enabled Victory'' (Technical innovations which contributed to the Allied victory) Whittles (2018) • Chelsea to Cairo: Taylor-made Water Through Eleven Reigns and in Six Continents (a history of water engineering consultancy John Taylor & Sons) Thomas Telford (2006) • Built by Oil (post-war engineering projects in the Middle East) Ithaca Press (1995) (with David Fowler) • From Kendal’s Coffee House to Great George Street, (a history of the headquarters buildings of the ICE) Thomas Telford (1995) while papers included the following (published by Thomas Telford Ltd for ICE) • St Pancras Station - Victorian Cathedral of the Railways • Middle East Archaeology • Middle East Postwar Engineering Projects • How a Diver saved Winchester Cathedral • F E Cooper (1841-1933): the Supreme Resident Engineer • Bridging in the Second World War: an Imperative to Victory (with DLG Begbie) and • Sir John Anderson (1814-86) - the Unknown Engineer who made the British Empire possible (Newcomen Society) == References ==