Here is an obituary written by his family:
Oscar Roith’s life and career were shaped by his experience at Cambridge where he held a scholarship at Caius to read Mechanical Sciences. Oscar was always a ‘hands on’ practical man. This reflected the emphasis of the Engineering curriculum and the breadth of experience it delivered, from the latest science, with an emphasis on its applications, to the philosophy of Bertrand Russell and an encouragement to understand the impact of the applied sciences on society in general. He was inspired by the wealth creation possible through the application of the latest science.
Arriving at Cambridge in 1945 he formed a lifelong friendship with medical student, Francis Rutter. Through Francis he added sailing to his sporting interests of rugby and cricket. He often reflected that what he learned about tides and the power of wind and waves sailing with Francis, contributed to his later success solving the engineering problems of working offshore.
Graduating from Cambridge with a First in 1948, he was recruited to the Chemical Engineering Department of Courtaulds by Frank Kearton. Kearton was a mentor for the rest of his life and shaped Oscar’s future not least by causing him to meet his wife. In 2020 they celebrated 70 years of marriage together – a remarkable, and very happy, achievement! In later years as Lord Kearton, he appointed Oscar Advisor to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee.
Moving on from Courtaulds in 1952 Oscar joined the Central Engineering Department of Distillers. Here he was involved in all aspects of major plant construction, including Process Design, Project Engineer, Resident Engineer and Project Manager and in this period, he formed another lifelong friendship with a young Patrick Jenkin. In 1983, as Secretary of State for Industry, Jenkin selected him to be his Chief Engineer and Scientist. They worked together here and at the Foundation for Science and Technology where Jenkin was Chairman and Oscar, Deputy Chairman.
However, what uniquely qualified Oscar for these later roles was his lifelong engineering career. He worked in the post war years when engineering and applied science were fundamental to the economic recovery and success of the UK. From the Central Engineering Department at Distillers he was involved in the design, construction, and commission of new plants, significantly the first plant to create acetic acid from petroleum refinery products rather than molasses. This was built at the works in Hull and was groundbreaking. Its successful design and commission took Oscar to his first management role in charge of engineering for the Hull works.
Oscar and his family lived and worked in Hull from 1962 until 1974 as he became Works Manager and then General Manager of the site. His management skills were sharpened by developing good relationships with the various trade unions; something he accomplished by being visible and accessible on the works (as well as winning the “fastest drinking of a pint of beer” competition) and taking his young daughter to visit the works frequently and to stand on the terraces of the local rugby league team. His engineering ingenuity brought success such as being the first user of North Sea Gas enabling the works to run as normal during the 3-day week caused by the miners’ strike in 1974. His practical approach took him into partnership with St John’s Ambulance to ensure that all the employees were aware of the safety aspects of working on a chemical plant and that there were sufficient trained first aiders on every shift. His broader support for St John’s ambulance at the works, and in the local community, led to him being awarded a medal by St John’s ambulance.
However, Oscar always applied what he learned to his future challenges. He welcomed the Health and Safety at Work Act in 1974 seeing it as a milestone in securing progress in engineering design and operation. His own appreciation of safety, and conviction that safe working improved profits, enabled him to solve later problems with offshore drilling and extraction, design and delivery of major projects in the harshest environments from Alaska to the Middle East
BP acquired Distillers Chemicals in the late 60’s and Oscar was placed on the fast track management development programme by their Managing Director, Jack Birks. He attended courses at the Administrative Staff College at Henley, the Centre d’Etudes Industrielles in Geneva and Columbia University.
By 1974 Oscar was at BP Chemicals Head Office as Engineering and Technical Manager moving upwards through BP until he became Chief Executive Engineering for BP International. Throughout this period, he played a major role in the design of engineering solutions to deliver North Sea oil and gas more profitably and more safely. He created multidisciplinary teams of specialists covering capital developments, project management, maintenance and operations making the Central Engineering Department a centre of excellence providing support throughout BP and its subsidiaries.
He became involved in natural resource extraction throughout the world and most notably, the building of the Alaska pipeline and design of the oil production systems to recover oil under the frozen Alaskan sea.
Safety in Alaska was paramount and Oscar had to step in and have the communications and training revised when he realized it was prepared for USA nationals and definitely not sufficient for local Inuit workers or the increasingly international crew involved in big engineering. This improved safety, set a new standard for the organization working more inclusively, and improved outcomes on all future projects. One of his last projects for BP, and one of his favourites, was the development of Das Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi from a small sandbank into a major oil and gas collection and processing location with its own airport.
Oscar retired from BP in 1981. He was passionate about increasing the flow of science in the UK and the application of science in all sectors bringing wealth to the country! Appointed Chief Engineer and Scientist at the Department of Trade and Industry, he was charged with reviewing Government Research Bodies and developing relationships with the EU to improve the retention of scientists in the UK and the better application of their skills.
He became Deputy President, and in 1987 President, of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. During this period, he gave two major speeches. In 1986 he gave the Thomas Hawkesley Lecture examining the future of engineering “Coming to terms with complexity-mechanical engineering 1986 and beyond”{1} and in 1987, the Presidential Address, “Technology, economic growth and the professional engineer”{2}. In both, he examined the development of mechanical engineering over recent decades and predicted the increase in complexity in science and technology that would come in the next 30 years. He warned that engineers would need to become more flexible and adapt to working in multidisciplinary teams with other scientists to be able to access the avalanche of data becoming available through advances in digital technology. He highlighted the need for the UK to retain the most able scientists and engineers by embracing a new approach to applied science. Otherwise “chaos” would ensue, and the UK would lose wealth creation opportunities. These two papers captured Oscar’s beliefs and ethos that had guided his long and successful career as an engineer.
In 1988 he was appointed a Commissioner of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. He used their grants and scholarship programme to keep the best scientists and engineers in the UK and his positions with the Science Museum and London Zoo to ensure a new emphasis on encouraging children to enjoy science and technology through a much more interactive approach.
He was also a member of the Science and Engineering Research Council, the Natural Environment Research Council, the Advisory Board for Research Councils, the Advisory Board for Applied Research and Development (ACARD) and the Department of Energy’s Advisory Committee on Research and Development.
He was appointed to the Board of London Transport following the King’s Cross Fire and appointed Chair of the Safety Audit Committee, a sub-committee of the Board. His first action was to declare London Underground a no smoking area. Using all his experience of safety at work and understanding the importance of regular training to combat complacency about accidents, Oscar worked with executives, management, unions, staff, and the British Transport Police to make London Transport safer. Fundamental to the sustainability of these improvements was enabling a close working relationship between local management and the British Transport Police. The wooden escalators were replaced. CCTV was fitted on trains and platforms followed by its installation on the bus fleet. Regular drills empowered the staff to act as soon as any irregularity occurred. Crime on both bus and tube network fell.
He served on the Boards of British Gas, the UK Pipeline Agency, and British Maritime Technology.
As many polytechnics became universities he was asked to advise on the structure of their engineering programmes and help them develop a curriculum that was complementary to more traditional engineering schools and was strong on the application of science to practical design and delivery. He held positions at Stirling University, Brighton University, and an honorary doctorate from the University of the West of England.
As a civil servant and in his many Board appointments through the 80’s and 90’s, Oscar was able to apply all of his education and experience to encouraging others to develop their strongest people, their best ideas and work safely.
He has been an inspirational father, grandfather and great grandfather encouraging his own family to work hard but pursue what they are each passionate about. None of them are currently engineers but his granddaughter is busy developing a new approach to engineering education and a delivery that is virtual and truly international!
August 2020
Oscar lost his wife Irene in December 2022. They met in 1948 and married in 1950. They loved each other as much in 2022 as in 1948. He found life too sad after she died and he passed away two months later in February 2023. He is survived by his daughter, two grandchildren, 3 and nearly 4 great grandchildren and his two sisters.
2.“Technology, economic growth and the professional engineer”
Oscar Roith, CB, MA, FEng, FIMechE, CBIM, FRSA Formerly Chief Engineer and Scientist, Department of Trade, and Industry
This address was presented at an Ordinary Meeting held in London on 21 October 1987. The MS was received on 3 September 1987.
Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol202 No B1
1. “Coming to terms with complexity-mechanical engineering 1986 and beyond”
Oscar Roith, MA, FEng, FIMechE Deputy President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Chief Engineer and Scientist, Department of Trade and Industry, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1
This lecture was presented at an Ordinary Meeting held in London on 10 December 1986. The MS was received on 14 October 1986.
Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 201 No B1