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| Valerie Hunter Gordon obituary | |
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| Valerie Hunter Gordon, who has died aged 94, designed the world’s first disposable nappy, initially in 1947 using nylon from old wartime parachutes. Awaiting the birth of her third child, she dreaded what she called the “awful labour” of washing, drying and ironing cloth nappies. Surprised there was no alternative, she determined to invent one. The result was a two-part system, the Paddi: an adjustable waterproof outer garment holding a discardable, biodegradable pad, made of cellulose wadding covered over with cotton wool. She received a patent for the invention in October 1949. | Valerie Hunter Gordon, who has died aged 94, designed the world’s first disposable nappy, initially in 1947 using nylon from old wartime parachutes. Awaiting the birth of her third child, she dreaded what she called the “awful labour” of washing, drying and ironing cloth nappies. Surprised there was no alternative, she determined to invent one. The result was a two-part system, the Paddi: an adjustable waterproof outer garment holding a discardable, biodegradable pad, made of cellulose wadding covered over with cotton wool. She received a patent for the invention in October 1949. |
| The first 400 she made at her kitchen table with a Singer sewing machine, selling them to friends for five shillings apiece. Boots began to sell her nappies in all their branches in 1950, after a Lancet article argued disposable nappies helped reduce baby rashes. Seventy-two thousand of them sold in 1950, then, in 1951, 250,000. By 1960, the number was 6m. The American company Procter & Gamble began producing the all-in-one Pampers from 1961, which, though not biodegradable, were cheaper. The Paddi entered a slow decline in sales, the last rolling of the assembly line in 1990. | The first 400 she made at her kitchen table with a Singer sewing machine, selling them to friends for five shillings apiece. Boots began to sell her nappies in all their branches in 1950, after a Lancet article argued disposable nappies helped reduce baby rashes. Seventy-two thousand of them sold in 1950, then, in 1951, 250,000. By 1960, the number was 6m. The American company Procter & Gamble began producing the all-in-one Pampers from 1961, which, though not biodegradable, were cheaper. The Paddi entered a slow decline in sales, the last rolling of the assembly line in 1990. |
| Hunter Gordon’s subsequent inventions included the Nikini, one of the first modern sanitary towels, in 1954, and a house which she continually redesigned to spare household labour. Rather than ironing, she pressed shirts by placing them under the carpet. Tiring of polishing her family’s mahogany table, she made a plastic top, saying “if anybody important comes to stay, we’ll take it off”. It never came off, including during a visit to her house by Margaret Thatcher. Hunter Gordon’s drawing room became a laboratory of invention, with her children Nigel and Frances often roped in to serve as models. | Hunter Gordon’s subsequent inventions included the Nikini, one of the first modern sanitary towels, in 1954, and a house which she continually redesigned to spare household labour. Rather than ironing, she pressed shirts by placing them under the carpet. Tiring of polishing her family’s mahogany table, she made a plastic top, saying “if anybody important comes to stay, we’ll take it off”. It never came off, including during a visit to her house by Margaret Thatcher. Hunter Gordon’s drawing room became a laboratory of invention, with her children Nigel and Frances often roped in to serve as models. |
| Daughter of Sir Vincent Ziani de Ferranti, and his wife, Dorothy (nee Wilson), she was born in the Peak District, in the small Derbyshire village of Baslow, into a family of inventors. Her grandfather, Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti, was an Italian-Liverpudlian electrical engineer. Being one of the few experts on alternating-current electricity in Britain, in 1891 he designed the world’s first modern power station, at Deptford, south-east London. Valerie’s father oversaw the expansion of the family business, Ferranti, into a major manufacturer of radios and televisions, involved too in defence electronics and early postwar computing. | Daughter of Sir Vincent Ziani de Ferranti, and his wife, Dorothy (nee Wilson), she was born in the Peak District, in the small Derbyshire village of Baslow, into a family of inventors. Her grandfather, Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti, was an Italian-Liverpudlian electrical engineer. Being one of the few experts on alternating-current electricity in Britain, in 1891 he designed the world’s first modern power station, at Deptford, south-east London. Valerie’s father oversaw the expansion of the family business, Ferranti, into a major manufacturer of radios and televisions, involved too in defence electronics and early postwar computing. |
| Valerie was frequently in and out of her grandfather’s house, living nearby until his death in 1930. He worked often at home, and was fond of sharing with his granddaughter how his inventions worked, and his vision of the use of technology and innovation to improve daily lives. “I suspect that is where she learned if you have a need, and it’s not fulfilled, then maybe you could do something about it yourself,” said her son Nigel. “I know that he loved to tell her about all the things he was doing, and she loved to listen to it.” | Valerie was frequently in and out of her grandfather’s house, living nearby until his death in 1930. He worked often at home, and was fond of sharing with his granddaughter how his inventions worked, and his vision of the use of technology and innovation to improve daily lives. “I suspect that is where she learned if you have a need, and it’s not fulfilled, then maybe you could do something about it yourself,” said her son Nigel. “I know that he loved to tell her about all the things he was doing, and she loved to listen to it.” |
| She attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart school, in Roehampton, south-west London, run by a French teaching order of nuns. (After the second world war, the school relocated to the Surrey village of Woldingham, and presently exists as Woldingham school.) In 1940, she married a Scottish major and electrical engineer, Patrick Hunter Gordon. Both her father and husband were involved in the retreat from Dunkirk – her father leading a group home to safety on discarded motorbikes, by way of the Spanish border, arriving home just in time for their wedding. | She attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart school, in Roehampton, south-west London, run by a French teaching order of nuns. (After the second world war, the school relocated to the Surrey village of Woldingham, and presently exists as Woldingham school.) In 1940, she married a Scottish major and electrical engineer, Patrick Hunter Gordon. Both her father and husband were involved in the retreat from Dunkirk – her father leading a group home to safety on discarded motorbikes, by way of the Spanish border, arriving home just in time for their wedding. |
| When Patrick left the army in 1950, the family moved to Beauly, 10 miles west of Inverness. He took over a family business, AI Welders and Cable Belts. He suffered from post-traumatic illness, in which she was a constant support; he, in turn, requisitioned surplus parachute nylon for her experiments, helped her test early designs with families of army colleagues, and encouraged her to bring forward the product commercially. | When Patrick left the army in 1950, the family moved to Beauly, 10 miles west of Inverness. He took over a family business, AI Welders and Cable Belts. He suffered from post-traumatic illness, in which she was a constant support; he, in turn, requisitioned surplus parachute nylon for her experiments, helped her test early designs with families of army colleagues, and encouraged her to bring forward the product commercially. |
| Her father also was an unflagging supporter. Hunter Gordon wrote to the nappy-makers Robinsons of Chesterfield, who initially were sceptical due to a failed related experiment in the 1930s. At a Royal Society dinner, her father then found himself seated beside the company’s chairman, Sir Robert Robinson – which resulted in her getting a second hearing and an invitation to Chesterfield. She convinced the company to produce them in bulk, paying her royalties, starting in late 1949. | Her father also was an unflagging supporter. Hunter Gordon wrote to the nappy-makers Robinsons of Chesterfield, who initially were sceptical due to a failed related experiment in the 1930s. At a Royal Society dinner, her father then found himself seated beside the company’s chairman, Sir Robert Robinson – which resulted in her getting a second hearing and an invitation to Chesterfield. She convinced the company to produce them in bulk, paying her royalties, starting in late 1949. |
| Those familiar with Hunter Gordon describe her as pragmatic and insightful, with a wicked sense of humour and ability to see straight to the nub of a subject. Supremely confident in her own judgment, she was nonetheless personally modest and self-effacing. She said later if she had known the amount of work involved in seeing her invention through, she “would have gone on washing the damned things”. | Those familiar with Hunter Gordon describe her as pragmatic and insightful, with a wicked sense of humour and ability to see straight to the nub of a subject. Supremely confident in her own judgment, she was nonetheless personally modest and self-effacing. She said later if she had known the amount of work involved in seeing her invention through, she “would have gone on washing the damned things”. |
| Patrick died in a car accident in 1978. She is survived by their six children, Hugh, Alison, Nigel – the inspiration and model for the original disposable nappy – Frances, Richard and Kit, 19 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. | Patrick died in a car accident in 1978. She is survived by their six children, Hugh, Alison, Nigel – the inspiration and model for the original disposable nappy – Frances, Richard and Kit, 19 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. |
| • Valerie Hunter Gordon, inventor, born 7 December 1921; died 16 October 2016 | • Valerie Hunter Gordon, inventor, born 7 December 1921; died 16 October 2016 |