Edward Le Bas
Edward Le Bas (1864-1935)
c.1864 Born at St Brelades, Jersey[1]
1890 Formed Edward Le Bas and Co
1905 Formed British Steel Piling Co
1911 Edward Le Bas 47, iron merchant, lived in Stoke Newington with Anna Le Bas 38, Gwendoline Le Bas 10, Molly Le Bas 7, Edward Le Bas 6[2]
1935 Died in Angmering, Sussex[3]
1935 Obituary[4]
"... Mr. Edward Le Bas died suddenly on June 7th. He began his business career at the Great Western Railway Company's offices at Weymouth eventually coming to London to join the firm of G. W. Share and Co. In 1890 he opened business on his own account as Edward Le Bas and Co., iron, steel, and metal merchants and agents. The business, which was at first confined to home trade, grew rapidly, and a very large business was done in both import and export with the Continent and, later, with America. The export business w1th Australia, Canada, Egypt, Mexico, and China was an important branch of the business. In 1900, large waterside premises were taken at Millwall to carry stocks and to begin manufacturing, the works eventually being equipped as an engineering shop chiefly connected with tubes, fittings, and pipe work. In 1905 Mr. Le Bas saw the possibilities of steel sheet piling, which he introduced into this country in so successful a manner that works were taken at Greenwich under the title of the British Steel Piling Company. The company transferred eventually to much larger works at Claydon, near Ipswich. Mr. Le Bas was chairman of many other companies. He was a member of the Court of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers, and was one of the older members of the London Metal Exchange. "