Addition to the list

I guess everyone has their favourite personalities from history – witness the recent tv programmes on the Greatest Briton and Most loved book.

I would never presume to disagree with Brian Roberts in his learned list, although how he kept it to ten is a mystery. I would, somewhere in that short list, like to find room for Frederick W Dye (1857 – 1931). Dye wrote for journals such as Plumber and Ironmonger, wrote ten major text books and edited and expanded Hood's book Warming buildings. He was a major writer on our industry for 44 years and was elected an honorary member of the IHVE in 1899. There are many others who were not even from our industry that could be included: architects, mechanical and civil engineers alike. But I'll let Mr Dye be my candidate for now.