When John Ratcliff, CBE, was made Patron of the SOE (Society of Operations Engineers) a year ago, not only did he see that as a tremendous honour, he also regarded is as a huge responsibility. For one thing, he was passionately committed to ensuring that each of the SOE's professional sectors - IPlantE, IRTE and BES - did not suffer from a loss of identity or become swallowed up by the umbrella organisation.
