Arthur Easthope
Arthur Easthope (1877-1936)
1936 Obituary [1]
ARTHUR EASTHOPE was manager of the Willesden works of the British Thomson-Houston Company, Ltd.
He was born at Crewe in 1877 and served a seven years' apprenticeship, terminating in 1898, at the works of the London and North Western Railway.
Subsequently he joined the Rugby works of the British Thomson-Houston Company, and became chief departmental inspector of the turbine and instrument departments. In 1911 he was appointed chief inspector of the firm's works at Coventry, then newly established, and a year later he was made machine, assembly, and toolroom superintendent.
He joined Messrs. Petters, Ltd., as chief machine shop foreman in 1914, and was subsequently promoted to be works manager. He was also responsible for all experimental work carried out by the firm.
In 1924 he returned to the British Thomson-Houston Company as general superintendent of the Coventry works, and two years later he was appointed manager of the Willesden works, a position which involved responsibility for design in addition to the manufacturing processes associated with electrical switchgear.
On the formation of Associated Electrical Industries, Ltd., he was selected as one of his firm's representatives on the Manufacturing Committee of the Group, and was chairman of the Switchgear Committee which formulated a large part of their switchgear engineering and manufacturing policy.
At a later date, when the Switchgear Testing Company was formed at Trafford Park, he was appointed chairman of the Committee of Management to control the switchgear-testing programme of the constituent firms. On a number of occasions he visited the United States to study the latest switchgear developments there. He took a keen interest in the training of the firm's apprentices and was president of the Apprentice Association at the Willesden works, where he instituted an annual prize essay competition.
Mr. Easthope was elected a Member of the Institution in 1923.
His death occurred on 21st December 1936.