1998: John Spence

John Spence (1937-)

113th President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Spence was born in 1937.

Upon leaving school he undertook a mechanical engineering apprenticeship with Stewarts and Lloyds, now British Steel, with the intention of becoming a draughtsman. After a few months, the possibility of attending university was raised by his brother-in-law, and Spence began a course in mechanical engineering at the Royal Technical College in Glasgow. Stewards and Lloyds agreed to count the degree as part of the apprenticeship, and Spence worked for the company during the holidays.

When Spence completed his degree, his apprenticeship had a year to go, and he negotiated to go to Sheffield University for a postgraduate degree. Encouraged by his supervisor at Sheffield, Spence attended an Institute of Physics Stress Analysis Conference in Birmingham to present a paper on his MEng thesis. As a result, Spence was offered a job at the Babcock and Wilcox Research Station.

Spence stayed at the Babcock and Wilcox Research Station for six years, four of which were as Head of the Stress Analysis Group. This was the heyday for nuclear power. The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) had built a number of smaller gas cooled nuclear reactors, and were working on Hinkley Point. At 500MW, this was the largest nuclear power station in the world at the time. It was a joint venture with Taylor Woodrow, English Electric and Babcock, and development problems with the hardware were passed to the Research Station.

In 1965, Spence joined the University of Strathclyde as a lecturer. He completed his PhD on ‘The creep of pipe bends’ in 1971, and his DSc in 1978. In the late 1970s he made a significant contribution to the North Sea Oil development, working for BP International on the buckling of sub-sea pipelines. He also advised British Gas on bulk gas storage.

Spence was promoted to Professor at the University of Strathclyde in 1979, and held the Trades House of Glasgow Chair of Mechanics of Materials from 1982 until 2001. He was Head of Department from 1981 in the Departments of Mechanics of Materials, then Mechanical and Process Engineering, and finally Mechanical Engineering. As Head, he encouraged staff to undertake consultancy work, and formed an umbrella organization called Stress Analysis Services, to encourage this work to be progressed through the Department.

John Spence took early retirement in 2001. He served as President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1998.

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