Dr Ieuan David (Former Staff, 1956-1966)

1 March 1927 – 16 January 2021

Dr Ieuan David died on 16 January 2021, aged 93.

Ieuan was born in Port Talbot on 1 March 1927. He attended Port Talbot Secondary School and, together with a schoolfriend, was one of the first pupils from his school to go to Imperial College, London, where he studied chemistry. After graduating, he continued with academic life and was awarded a PhD from Imperial College in 1950. His main fields of interest were in inorganic chemistry, in particular x-ray crystallography.

Ieuan met his wife, Bridget, when he was an undergraduate at Imperial College. They met through amateur dramatics, or ‘Dram Soc’ as it was known. Ieuan’s passion for amateur dramatics went back to his school days and he often liked to speak of his stage appearances with a certain Richard Burton!

Ieuan and Bridget were married in July 1950 and had four sons, Stephen, Christopher, Nicholas and Philip. They were both devoted to their family and ensured that they all had a good education. The main shared family activity was sailing. A variety of different sailing dinghies and keelboats were had over the years, all based at Orford Sailing Club in Suffolk, near their family holiday home in Sudbourne.

Ieuan continued working at Imperial College as a lecturer until 1956, when a quieter, rural life beckoned for the upbringing of his young family. He moved to become Head of Science at Stowe. As well as running the Science Department he was involved with a number of extra-curricular activities, in particular sailing and theatre visits to Stratford-Upon-Avon. Ieuan was also a member of the School Choir.

By 1967, Ieuan and Bridget were looking to move back to London. This was partly for the benefit of their children’s education and partly for a different lifestyle. He was appointed Head of Chemistry at Latymer Upper School in west London, where he remained for twenty years until his retirement in 1987.

Although Ieuan was a scientist by profession, he always maintained a keen interest in the arts. Both he and Bridget particularly enjoyed opera, especially Wagner, as well as chamber music. They were keen supporters of local quartets playing in churches around Suffolk. Ieuan enjoyed reading greatly and became extremely knowledgeable about a broad range of subjects.

Later in life Ieuan and Bridget developed a keen interest in geology. They became members of the Geologists’ Association, attending lectures and participating in numerous field trips both in the UK and abroad. He was also a longstanding member of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Sadly, Bridget died in 1991 and this left an enormous hole in Ieuan’s life which he was never able to fill. He lived alone in Suffolk, with support from his family, for the next 30 years, until he moved to a residential home in Woodbridge for his final few weeks. He died peacefully on 16 January 2021.

In addition to his four sons, he also leaves a younger brother, Peter, two grandchildren, Andrew and Sophia, and a great granddaughter, Grace.