Professor William Henry Wittrick FAA FRS (1922–1986) was a British engineer and academic who spent 20 years in Australia, including 10 years as Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

(1956–1964). He was Professor of Structural Engineering at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

(1964–69), and Beale Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Birmingham (1969–82). Wittrick, William Henry, (FAA, FRS) (1922-1985)
trove.nla.gov.au (Also a

) Wittrick was born on 29 October 1922 in

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...

, Yorkshire, went to high school at Huddersfield College (1933–1940), and was awarded scholarships which allowed him to attend the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

(BA 1943, MA 1947). In 1950 he received the first PhD awarded by the University of Sydney, titled 'Torsion and bending of swept and tapered wings with ribs parallel to the root', and he was awarded Sc.D. by the University of Cambridge in 1969. During the war Wittrick briefly worked at the Hawker Aircraft Company (1942), then at Cambridge teaching Royal Engineer Officer Cadets (1942–1944), and later as a Scientific Officer at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough (1944–1945). In June 1945 he married Joyce, and aged 23 he accepted a position as a senior lecturer at the Department of Aeronautics of the University of Sydney (1945–1954). He was Reader (1954–1956), and appointed Lawrence Hargrave Professor of Aeronautical Engineering (1956–1964). In 1958 he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA). In 1964 Wittrick accepted the position of chair of Structural Engineering at the University of Birmingham (1964–1969), and subsequently Beale Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Birmingham (1969–1982). In 1980 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

(FRS). He retired in 1982 due to ill-health, aged 60, and was appointed Emeritus Professor. He died on in Birmingham, England.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wittrick, Bill 1922 births 1986 deaths Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Aeronautical engineering academics British structural engineers English civil engineers Alumni of the University of Cambridge University of Sydney alumni Academic staff of the University of Sydney Academics of the University of Birmingham Fellows of the Royal Society British expatriates in Australia People from Huddersfield