Percy White

Early life and education White was born in London in 1916 and moved to South Wales at an early age. He studied chemistry at University College, Swansea, graduating in 1936 at the age of 19 with first-class honours. He went on to study chemical engineering at University College London, and then began a career in industrial metallurgy. In 1950, HER was moved to Aldermaston, where White served as the chief chemical engineer and helped create a crucial radioactive liquid treatment plant.

Thereafter, White continued to work in nuclear science, collaborating with American researchers and contributing to the development of the Dounreay civilian nuclear reactor. He was appointed OBE in 1966, and retired in 1972, though he continued to advise the British government and private companies on the use of chemical engineering and nuclear technology.

Personal life White married Jean Bracey in 1940; they had two children, and remained married until her death in 2007. At the time of White's death in 2013, he had two children, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. White was a keen amateur artist, training as an enameller at Southampton College of Art in his retirement, and exhibiting his artworks in London and Winchester.