Pioneer in the field of jet engines dies at 100 Starred in Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films

ENGINEERING pioneer Dick Barr, who used his experience building early jet engines during the Second World War to found one of the region’s most successful companies, has died at the age of 100, writes Hannah Finch.

Centrax, the firm he helped bring to Newton Abbot, Devon, has employed generations of workers and continues to export gas turbine generators around the world.

Born in the Yorkshire town of Normanton, Dick graduated from Leeds University with a first class honours degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Having specialised in thermodynamics, he was assigned to the Gloucester-based airscrew manufacturer Rotol. Here, he was asked to assess the Gloster E28/39 with the Whittle W1 jet engine, a prototype propellor-less aircraft that posed a threat to the Rotol business.

This was the start of a lifelong involvement with the gas turbine/jet engine.

As the war came to an end, Dick was thinking about his future career and began studying law, but it became clear that his passion was engineering, in particular thermodynamics.

He became convinced that there were significant opportunities for the gas turbine in other propulsion applications apart from aircraft, and designed a small engine.

Together with backers William

Wolsey and John Peress, and another engineering colleague, Geoff White, the four set up Centrax on September 9, 1946, its name derived from centrifugal and axial compressors.

The fledgling company found a ready market as the RAF migrated to the jet age.

In 1950, war broke out in Korea and with it came the first large-scale deployment of jet aircraft in combat roles. Compressor blade requirements continued to grow, and by 1952 Centrax had more than 400 employees.

The business was fast outgrowing its base, so the directors decided to move from the outskirts of London to Newton Abbot, where the building of a factory began in 1954.

Production began in 1955 and export markets, particularly in the USA, began to emerge.

The innovative Centrax power units were built in their hundreds, providing standby power to numerous computer facilities and the power generation on HMS Exmouth, the Royal Navy’s first all-gas turbine warship.

In the 1960s, Centrax began making forklift truck gearboxes, then axles and braking systems for large earthmoving equipment.

The Newton Abbot site was running out of space, so land was acquired at Heathfield, and the first factory on what is now the Heathfield Industrial Estate was built to house Centrax Gears.

A range of dumper trucks with the brand name Heathfield Engineering was designed, built and marketed from Newton Abbot.

However, the success of the business in export markets began to take its toll on Dick’s health, resulting in a serious illness in the later part of the ’60s followed by major surgery and a period of recuperation.

Back to full health in the early ’70s, Dick decided to rationalise the group. With his two elder sons, Robert and Richard, now increasingly leading the commercial and marketing aspects of the business, Dick reverted to his engineering roots.

He became chairman of the group in 1983 when Will Wolsey stepped down and retired from business life.

As the 1980s drew to a close, the reinvigorated sales and marketing effort led by Robert produced an exciting opportunity to manufacture the compressor blades and variable vanes of the new Allison 2100/3007 range of turboprop and turbofan engines.

Over the same period, the gas turbine activity also made dramatic progress. Now the business serves export markets across Europe, Africa and Russia with highly efficient lowcarbon energy solutions for high energy users.

In spite of his role within Centrax, Dick still had time to apply his engineering ability in the medical field. He became very interested in the treatment of hydrocephalus and established strong links with the neurological teams at Addenbrooke’s hospital and Cambridge University, designing specialist medical equipment.

Dick was honoured with an OBE in 1989, while the company under his stewardship won Queen’s Awards in 1969, 2002 and 2010.

He remained as non-executive chairman and rarely missed a board meeting even into his 100th year.

His family said: “He leaves Centrax in good health and with the same innovative spirit that brought it all into being nearly 75 years earlier.”

Dick leaves his wife Susanne and four sons: Robert, Richard, Andrew and Christopher.

ACTOR Ronald Pickup, best known for his roles in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films and The Crown, has died at the age of 80.

His agent, Jean Diamond, said in a statement: “Ronald Pickup, actor, aged 80, passed away peacefully after a long illness surrounded by his wife and family.

“He will be deeply missed.” Pickup had a varied career across theatre, film and television.

His first major part came in 1964 when he starred in Doctor Who episode The Tyrant Of France as a physician.

Pickup was also an accomplished stage actor.

His first professional role in London was in November 1964 as Octavius in Julius Caesar, for director Lindsay Anderson at the Royal Court Theatre.

Pickup said in 2012 that his favourite role was when he played writer George Orwell in Crystal Spirit: Orwell On Jura, which told the story of him writing his acclaimed novel 1984.

He also starred in films The Mission and Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time.

The actor remained active into later life and continued to star in some big-name productions.

In 2016, he featured in the first series of hit Netflix royal drama The Crown as the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In 2017, Pickup starred opposite Gary Oldman as former prime minister Neville Chamberlain in Darkest Hour, which told the story of the lead-up to the outbreak of the Second World War.

Last year, he starred in horror film End Of Term.

Joanne Woodward, actress, 91; Steve Harley, singer, 70; Timothy Spall, actor/presenter, 64, left; Derren Brown, illusionist/TV presenter, 50, above; Peter Andre, singer, 48; Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton, 41, top; Josh Groban, singer/songwriter, 40

> Dick Barr, an engineering pioneer, has died, aged 100

Actor Ronald Pickup has died, aged 80

> Timothy Leonard Spall OBE was born on this day in 1957. He is an English actor and occasional presenter. He became a household name in the UK after appearing as Barry Spencer Taylor in the 1983 ITV comedy-drama series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. He is the owner of a Dutch barge, in which he and his wife sailed around the British Isles as part of a BBC Four TV series Timothy Spall: Back at Sea.