David Francis MRSC

1957 - 2018

David Francis MRSC, a scientist at the Defence Science and Technical Laboratory (Dstl), Porton Down, died in the early hours of 5th July in Salisbury hospital following a period of illness.

Born in Cornwall, David was certainly one of the 'few' in that he joined the Ministry of Defence in 1974, at the age of 17, initially working at Nancekuke, Cornwall, which at that time was an outlying Division of Chemical Defence Establishment (CDE) Porton Down. It was realised at a very early stage that David delivered reliable experimental work in a competent manner with minimal supervision. This was a widely recognised characteristic throughout his career. Following the decision to close the Nancekuke site (1976), he transferred to CDE Porton Down, initially working in the pyrotechnics area. He was the last remaining "Nancekukite" still working at Porton Down. He worked for many years in the chemical hardening area, which eventually became part of the Decontamination (now Hazard Management) team. One of his many career highlights was his work on 'smokes' during the Falklands conflict (1982), to produce a screen for ships and aircraft. David was immensely proud of everything he did in support of the UK armed forces.

Although an unassuming individual, David  was extremely helpful towards his colleagues, and well-known for coming up with "out-of-the-box" solutions to technical problems. He had a real knack for explaining complex technical matters in simple terms, a talent he used to good effect in coaching his nieces and nephews through school and university. In his personal life, he was a keen theatre-goer (both locally in Salisbury, and in London). Throughout his recent illness, he took great comfort from his faith. His wry sense of humour and cheerful outlook on life endeared him to his many friends and colleagues at Dstl. He will be sorely missed.   

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