My father, Walter Murgatroyd, who has died aged 101, worked for many years as a researcher in the field of civilian nuclear engineering before becoming disillusioned with the industry’s inability to properly deal with its waste. He then switched to working on thermal power, exploring how to use energy more efficiently and to generate it in new ways.
Walter was born in Bradford to Harry, who worked in textile manufacturing, and Martha (nee Strachan), a housewife. He was educated at Blackpool grammar school, after which the second world war interrupted his engineering studies at Cambridge University; he was sent to work on designing engines for fighter jets, first with Hawker Siddeley and then with Rolls-Royce.
