Ray Whitmore

Ray Whitmore (1920–2008) was a British mining and metallurgical engineer and academic, who specialised in research into radar, mining and metallurgical engineering and mining heritage in England and Australia.

Early life and education Raymond Leslie Whitmore was born in Luton, England on 13 September 1920. He attended Handsworth Boys Grammar School. After completing school he joined the University of Birmingham as a laboratory assistant in the Department of Mining. He completed a BSc in physics from the University of London by external study, graduating in 1942. He was awarded the Sumpter Prize for Special Physics at the Central Technical College in 1941 which led to undertaking further study in the Department of Physics at the University of Birmingham. His field there was the emerging study of radar. He was appointed senior lecturer in the Department of Mining and Fuels at Nottingham University in 1953. This appointment was financially supported by the National Coal Board. They were keen to encourage research into coal preparation and mineral dressing. Whitmore pursued research into the cleaning of coal, viscosity and sedimentation of material suspended in fluids. His research led to him being awarded a DSc by the University of Birmingham in 1959, following extensive publication of his findings. He was appointed to Reader within his department. He also lectured outside of the university in courses for the National Coal Board. and to push forward with the move of the department to the St Lucia campus of the university. He developed links with industry which led to the establishment of a number of scholarships and support from MIM Holdings Ltd for the creation of a Mineral Research Centre. The Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre was opened in 1970 to recognise the work of Kruttschnitt who had been a former chairman of MIM Holdings. It was located at the university's experimental mine site at Indooroopilly. including heritage studies of smelters in north Queensland, the Mount Crosby water treatment station and the Tower Mill at Spring Hill. He also undertook industrial archaeology studies of coke oven technologies, the Rhondda colliery and sawmill in the Ipswich region. He had contributed to over 40 historical papers and books during his later career. A reading room at Engineering House Queensland was named for him.

Memberships and other roles

2005 – John Monash medal from Engineers Australia, for engineering heritage