Alfred Herbert Dykes
Alfred Herbert Dykes (1869-1949), Partner in Handcock and Dykes
1949 Obituary [1]
ALFRED HERBERT DYKES, who died at his home at Shortlands, Kent, on the 11th March, 1949, was born in 1869.
He was educated at the City of London School and the City and Guilds College, and received his practical training with Siemens Bros, and Co. at Woolwich, where he became chief of the dynamo design department and was subsequently in charge of the electrical construction work of the City and South London Railway.
Later he became Works Manager to Muirhead and Co., and Head of the Electrical Department of the Goldsmiths Institute.
In 1896, with H. W. Handcock, he founded the firm of Handcock and Dykes. He was responsible for the design and equipment of a large number of electricity supply undertakings both at home and in India.
In 1912, with William Duddell and others, he developed a system of remote control of public lighting and of two-rate electricity meters by superimposing impulses on the supply mains. With Mr. Handcock, he was co-inventor of the Kalkos and Stannos systems of electrical wiring. He joined The Institution as a Student in 1887 and was elected an Associate in 1890 and a Member in 1898.
Papers on "Electricity Supply Prospects and Charges as affected by Metallic Filament Lamps and Electric Heating" and "The Present Aspect of Electric Lighting," by Handcock and Dykes, were published in the Journal in 1908 and 1909; and a paper on "The Control of Meters, Public Lamps and other Apparatus from the Central Station," by Duddell, Dykes and Handcock, in 1913. Mr. Dykes was responsible for the electrical installation of the present Institution building when it was taken over in 1909.
He was a founder of the Association of Consulting Engineers, which he served, in turn, as Hon. Secretary and as Chairman; he was also a Member of The Institution of Civil Engineers and a Fellow of the City and Guilds Institute; and he had been ViceChairman of the Board of the National Register of Electrical Installation Contractors, and a member of the London and Home Counties Joint Electricity Authority. From 1907 to 1934 he served on the Beckenham Urban District Council, of which he •was Chairman in 1914-15 and again in 1922-23, and he played an important part in the development of the Beckenham electricity undertaking. During the First World War he was Chairman of several local committees and served as a Justice of the Peace. In 1921 he was awarded the Medaille du Roi Albert (Belgium). Recreation was sought in his garden, and for many years it was the privilege of those who knew him to be invited with their families to spend a day in his home at Shortlands. His garden was freely open for the functions of local organizations during the summer months. His life was one of ceaseless activity. Those who worked with him knew well his qualities as a man; he has left behind a fine record of achievement—in service.
1949 Obituary [2]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Institution of Electrical Engineers
- ↑ The Engineer 1949 Jan-Jun: Index