Professor Eric Thomas, Vice-Chancellor, said: 'Sir Derek's death has come as a great shock to us. He was a dear friend of the University and his wisdom and experience were of enormous value. He will be sorely missed by many people here and our sincere condolences go out to his wife, Julia, and to other members of his family.'

Below are links to two online items about Sir Derek:

An obituary on The Times website

University press release from Sir Derek’s 2005 Honorary degree