Denis Rooke

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Sir

Denis Eric Rooke

OM CBE FRS FREng
Born2 April 1924
42 Erlanger Road, New Cross, London, England
Died2 September 2008(2008-09-02) (aged 84)
Greenwich and Bexley Cottage Hospice, Abbey Wood, London, England
EducationUniversity College London, England
Occupation(s)North Thames Gas Board: work on reforming processes and liquefied natural gas
Gas Council: North Sea gas development
British Gas Corporation: chairman (1976 to 1989)
Board member ofGas Council, British Gas Corporation, British Gas plc
SpouseElizabeth Brenda Evans
Children1

Sir Denis Eric Rooke OM CBE FRS FREng (2 April 1924 – 2 September 2008) was an English industrialist and engineer.

Early life[edit]

Denis Eric Rooke was born in New Cross, London, the younger son of Frederick George Rooke, a printer and travelling salesman, and his wife Ada Emily née Brown.[1] He attended Westminster City School and Addey and Stanhope School[2] before studying mechanical engineering at University College London, taking a first-class degree in 1944. He then served in REME in Britain and India until 1949, attaining the rank of major.[1]

He studied for a postgraduate diploma in chemical engineering at University College which he was awarded in 1949. He married Elizabeth Brenda Evans (1922-2017?) on 22 January 1949 in Deptford, London.She was an investigator providing research services,[3] and they had a daughter, Diana.

Career[edit]

From 1949, he worked in the gas industry, first on coal tar by-products at the South Metropolitan Gas works where he was appointed deputy manager of the tar works in 1954. He was seconded to North Thames Gas in 1957 to work on reforming processes for producing town gas from natural gas and oil.[4] He also worked on liquefied natural gas (LNG),[5] pioneering the sea transport of LNG.[1][6] He was aboard the ship, the Methane Pioneer, making the first delivery to Canvey Island of LNG to the UK in 1959.[5][7]

Rooke joined the board of the Gas Council in 1966 as the member for production and supplies, with responsibility for developing gas fields. His greatest achievement was to help to bring natural gas from the North Sea to domestic, commercial and industrial premises across Britain. This entailed the conversion of all gas appliance and the construction of a network of high pressure pipelines. He claimed this was "perhaps the biggest peacetime operation in the nation's history".[8]

He became deputy chairman of the Gas Council in 1972 and, along with the chairman, Sir Henry Jones, and Sir Arthur Hetherington, he was responsible for combining the Gas Council and 12 separate gas boards into the British Gas Corporation in 1973.[1]

Rooke was appointed chairman of the British Gas Corporation in 1976.[3] He was involved in several controversies. The Gas Council had formed a consortium to search for, and produce, offshore gas. At the same time, it was responsible for buying gas produced by other companies. The companies insisted on a market value approach to prices whereas the Gas Council purchased, more cheaply, gas priced on cost.[8] The incoming Conservative government in 1979 wished to reform the nationalised industries. The government insisted that British Gas divest itself of oil exploration and production interests.[8]

This was achieved through the establishment of Enterprise Oil. In 1986, British Gas was floated on the stock market; Rooke had insisted that British Gas should be privatised as an integrated entity. However, it was soon divided into three parts: Centrica, BG Group and Lattice. Rooke remained chairman until he retired in 1989.[3]

Honours and appointments[edit]

Death[edit]

Denis Rooke died of cancer on 2 September 2008. Lady Rooke died in 2017.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Sir Denis Rooke, A Tribute". Historic Gas Times (57). December 2008. ISSN 1475-617X.
  2. ^ "Sir Denis Rooke, OM". The Daily Telegraph. 6 September 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Anne Pimlott Baker. "Rooke, Sir Denis Eric (1924–2008), engineer and industrialist". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
  4. ^ Rooke, Denis (August 1967). "Natural gas and gas-making processes". Institute of Gas Engineers Journal: 584–602.
  5. ^ a b "Denis Rooke". The Chemical Engineer (808): 66. October 2008.
  6. ^ Geoffrey Goodman (8 September 2008). "Sir Denis Rooke". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Tam Dalyell (8 September 2008). "Sir Denis Rooke: Engineer and chairman of British Gas who battled Nigel Lawson over the privatisation of the industry". The Independent.
  8. ^ a b c d "Sir Denis Rooke: chairman of British Gas, 1976 89". The Times. 8 September 2008. p. 53.
  9. ^ "HRH The Duke of Edinburgh celebrates former Chancellor's contribution to University" (PDF). news@lobro. April 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2011.
  10. ^ "Honorary Graduates 1989 to present". University of Bath. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  11. ^ "ROOKE". Telegraph announcements. September 2008.
Academic offices
Preceded by Chancellor of
Loughborough University
1989–2003 		Succeeded by


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