Mr Philip Temple

Provided by the family of Mr Temple

After graduating from Cambridge in 1945, Philip Temple and his wife Hilary, also a Cambridge graduate, joined the Colonial Service in Nigeria. After two tours in the South of the country Philip had his first posting as a Provincial Engineer in the Northern province of Katsina. As the only engineer in the province, he was responsible for all government infrastructure projects, of which road building and maintenance were the most important. After being in charge of several other provinces, with rather more staff, Philip returned to Lagos where among other things he was in charge of a major expansion of the water supply to the city. They returned to the United Kingdom at the time of independence in Nigeria and Philip continued to work both as a consultant and independently.

Philip was passionate about providing opportunities for the public to gain a greater understanding of science and technology. The College is therefore indebted that he was not only a long-standing member of the Friends of Imperial College, but also chose to serve the group as a Committee Member and Honorary Secretary. He carried out his role with enthusiasm and energy for a number of years.

Philip sadly passed away in January 2008 and will be greatly missed by his wife, Hilary, his children, grand children and all of the Friends who had the pleasure of meeting him.