Page 12 - Cadet Review Spring 2022

Joint Service News
Colonel Alan Roberts OBE KSTJ TD DL MPHIL DSC DTECH LLD
Colonel Alan Roberts, a long time supporter of all three Cadet Forces in Yorkshire and the Humber sadly passed away in early December 2021.
Alan excelled in two major parallel careers, one in medical research and the other in the military.
He was born into a military family and spent a great deal of his early life in the North East in North- umberland, attending senior school and college
in Newcastle before being employed at the Royal Victoria Hospital where he met his wife, Margaret. At around this time he also completed National Service which led him on the military path for the rest of his life.
After qualifying he took an appointment at Leeds Dental School as a senior scientific officer, prior to moving to St Luke’s Hospital, Bradford in 1960 where he worked his way up to clinical director of Maxillo- facial surgery.
He became an international authority in the research of tissue adhesives in wound management and his invention of Silkskin was the first universal prosthetic skin used globally. He also invented Indermil a surgical glue with anaesthetic properties for wound closure which has saved thousands
of lives around the world. This was followed in
by a license for a prosthetic adhesive and skin cleansing system Zenflosil. He received in excess
of 65 International and National awards for his pioneering research, including being awarded the Prince Philip Medal in 1970 for outstanding research achievements. In 1982 he was awarded the MBE for services to medicine and in 2001 received the OBE for services to charity in Yorkshire.
He was Pro Chancellor of Leeds University, a role
He received in excess of 65 International and National awards for his pioneering research
he adored, and he also became Vice President of the Royal Society of Medicine and received a Lifetime Award Medal from them for his medical work.
As already mentioned he also enjoyed a parallel military career. He was an officer, commissioned into the Royal Artillery and following national service served in the Territorial Army, commanding Leeds University Officers Training Corps before promotion to Colonel and appointment as Deputy Commander of the North East Military District. He was an Honorary Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery and Honorary Colonel of 269(WR) Battery 101(N) Regiment Royal Artillery. He leveraged his roles
in academic administration in universities with his commitment to training future army officers within universities as the National Chairman of the council of Military Education Committees of the Universities in the United Kingdom between 1990 and 1996. On his retirement from the Territorial Army he also commanded Yorkshire (North and West) Army Cadet Force. In addition to this he was a strong supporter of the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association
and its predecessor, being a Vice Chairman of the Association and a founder member of the Yorkshire Cadet Trust; a charity set up by likeminded members to help those cadets who struggled financially to be able to attend cadet camps and many other courses or expeditions to challenge and develop them in life. Many former cadets have much to thank Alan for as the charity supported a broad range of activities.
In addition to these appointments he was also
an Aide de Camp to Her Majesty the Queen, a Gentleman Usher of the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor, Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire from 1982, a Knight of St John and also had a great involvement in charities such as the Royal British Legion, SSAFA, The Red Cross, NSPCC, Cancer Charities and many more.
Colonel Roberts is survived by his wife Margaret; their two sons Martin and Adrian and we extend our condolences to them on their sad loss.
12 CADET REVIEW SPRING 2022