James Black Jeffrey (1879-1920)
1922 Obituary [1]
JAMES BLACK JEFFREY was born 10th October, 1879, being of Scotch parentage, but his early days were spent in Germany, in which country he was educated and also served his apprenticeship to engineering with the firm of Messrs. Blohm & Voss, Hamburg.
He left Germany on the outbreak of the South African war and joined the firm of Elder Dempster & Co., obtaining his Second Class Certificate.
He then left that firm and worked in the drawing office of Messrs. Richardson Westgarth & Co., West Hartlepool, and after a short period on shore he joined the Canadian Pacific Railway Company in June, 1903, being attached to the steamer "Lake Champlain," where he qualified for his First Class Board of Trade Certificate.
He was then transferred to the steamer "Empress of Britain" in 1906, serving until 1911, when he attained the rank of Junior Second Engineer and was transferred to shore duties in the office of the Superintendent Engineer. He was constantly employed as Assistant to the Superintendent Engineer from 1911 until the date of his decease, September, 1920.
He was elected a Member of the Liverpool Engineering Society on 8th March, 1916.