Dr Peter J Robinson - obituary
May 1936 – October 2021
With great sadness Peter’s family report the death of Peter Robinson in St Luke’s Hospice from metastatic cancer.
After gaining a 1st class degree in chemistry at the University of Manchester, Peter joined the Atomic Energy Authority at Winscale for two years. He was sponsored for a PhD at MCOST which he achieved in 1963 and stayed in the chemistry department as a lecturer until 1977. During this time, he co-authored “Unimolecular Reactions” with K A Holbrook, a book which is still in print.
Wanting a new challenge, Peter became Head of Chemistry at Manchester Polytechnic in 1977 and as well as the teaching and administrative work, encouraged research there by publishing working for a DSc, awarded in 1980.
During this period, he started acting as consultant in industrial health and safety which led, after early retirement in 1988, to a full time consultancy. During the following 15 years he was involved in over 600 litigation cases and he produced reports on bladder cancer in the rubber and dyestuff industries and was expert in dermatitis, occupational asthma, physical injuries and lung diseases. His major contribution was to the miner’s successful case of negligence against the Coal Board which led to compensation to thousands of miners in UK for work-related lung damage.
Outside his work, Peter was a white-water canoeist and hill-walker. In 1996 he learnt to fly and from then on piloted many types of aircraft from microlights to helicopters, gliders to twins, both round the UK and abroad. He enjoyed travelling on land and sea, making excellent videos of the experiences, and he was actively involved in the restoration and running of Bunbury water mill.
He has two sons from his first marriage to Betty, who passed away in 1989, and gained a further two stepsons when he married Patricia; between them they have six grandchildren. He will be much missed as a husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend.
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