The Council and Executive of the BSA were saddened by the death of Professor William Gosling. William was an active member of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS), as the BSA was then known, and sat on Council as Treasurer and was involved in the History of Science Section.

What follows is a tribute written by Professor Helen Haste, a former Vice-President of BAAS, who served alongside William on Council. We thank her for her contribution in tribute of William.

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William Gosling, who has died at the age of 91, was an active member of the BAAS during the last decade of the 20^th century and the first of the 21^st. He was Treasurer of Council for several years, and President of the History of Science Section in 1998.  He had many of the attributes that characterised the range of the BAAS and now the BSA. By profession he was a radio and systems engineer, working at the forefront of the microchip and mobile telecommunications. But his interests were broad. He cared passionately about recognising the intersection of technology, culture and society and that engineering education should reflect this.  He was interested in theology and philosophy as well as the history of technology. His friend, physicist Sir Michael Berry described him as “one of the very few philosophical engineers – a precious breed”. He frequently engaged in public discussions of religion, science and technology.

He was a superb communicator, captivating an audience for an hour without notes, and with a dramatic scope of allusions.  His former student at the University of Swansea, high tech industrialist Sir Terry Matthews, writes, “William had an amazing ability to communicate and interact with all the people around him in a way that inspired and motivated them to do better and to have fun in their lives.”

He wrote many books, including cutting edge technical works and very accessible expositions of ideas that concerned him.  The Definite Maybe (Xlibris 2001) is a – highly entertaining – exploration of the nature of God, and what can (and cannot) be the nature of ‘truth’ in both science and religion.  He explored the historical relationship between technology and culture in Helmsmen and Heroes (Weidenfeld 1994) and Culture’s Engine (Palgrave Macmillan 2020). He constantly challenged the common assumption that technology is (merely) the application of science.

William’s professional research reflected his visionary awareness of the nature and effects of the microchip revolution – and how difficult accurate prediction is even for experts. His career began at the University of Swansea in 1958 and he moved to the University of Bath in 1974. In 1980 he joined the multinational technology company, Plessey, as Technical Director. He held leadership roles in several professional associations including President of the Institution of Electronic and Radio Engineers in 1979.

He was married to psychotherapist and poet Patricia (née Best).  He is survived by their son, Ceri, and granddaughters, Rebecca, Poppy and Nancy.

Author:                                                                                           

Helen Haste

Professor emerita in Psychology, University of Bath

Former Vice-President, British Association for the Advancement of Science.