Article by Prof. Jo Yung Wong
The first volume of Journal of Terramechanics, released in 1964 for which Dr. Daniel R.P. Hettiaratchi was a Assistant editor
This tribute is published on the ISTVS website in remembrance of Dr. Daniel R.P. Hettiaratchi and his contributions to the terramechanics community.
The following tribute was written by Prof. Jo Yung Wong (Toronto, Canada) and is shared here with permission to honor the memory of Dr. Daniel R.P. Hettiaratchi, an early member of the International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems and former Assistant Editor of the Journal of Terramechanics.
Dr. Daniel R.P. Hettiaratchi (left) and Prof. Jo Yung Wong (right) on the campus of Newcastle University, England, December 2012.
“I was deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Daniel R.P. Hettiaratchi on February 5, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The information was passed on to me by one of his former students, Basil Firth.
Daniel was an early member of ISTVS. He was the founding Assistant Editor of the Journal of Terramechanics, with Dr. Alan Reece as the founding Editor and Zoltan Janosi as the founding Translations Editor. The Journal was inaugurated in 1964. He served as Assistant Editor of the Journal until 1971.
In the late 1960s, Daniel and I were contemporaries and fellow members of the Terramechanics research team of Dr. Reece, studying for the degree of Ph.D. at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (now Newcastle University), England. His prime area of research interest was the mechanics of soil engaging tools (such as plows, bulldozer blades, etc.). He made seminal contributions to this field. His paper “The calculation of passive soil resistance”, with Dr. Reece as co-author, published in Geotechnique, 1974, has become an essential reference for generations of researchers and practicing engineers in the area.
After being awarded the degree of Ph.D. by Newcastle University, Daniel became a member of the University academic staff, first as a Lecturer and later a Senior Lecturer. His excellent teaching and guidance were highly appreciated by his students. He retired from the University in late 1990s and joined Pearson Engineering Ltd., a firm founded and managed by Dr. Reece. The firm specialized in the development, design, and manufacturing of defense equipment, including devices for the safe removal of land mines. In 2012, Pearson was honoured with the Queen’s Award for Innovation. Daniel retired from the firm about three years ago.
In the 1980s, Daniel was a Visiting Professor at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. At the time, I was with the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa. So, my wife and I invited Daniel and his wife to visit us. We had an enjoyable time together.
In June 2001, Dr. Reece hosted a re-union in Newcastle for his present and former associates in business, research, and academia, Daniel and I participated. A tour of the facilities of the companies founded by Dr. Reece was organized during the event. The participants could not help but be impressed by the sophistication of the technologies embedded in their products.
In early December 2012, Dr. Reece was not well, I flew to Newcastle to visit him. During that trip, I met Daniel and his wife again. We toured together the campus of our alma mater and refreshed our memory of the days working and studying at the University decades ago.
On December 31, 2012, Dr. Reece passed away. To commemorate our great teacher, colleague, and friend - Dr. Alan Richard Reece, a remembrance by Daniel and me was published in the Journal of Terramechanics, Vol. 49, No. 6, 2012. ”