James Frederick William McLaren
James Frederick William McLaren (1884-1936)
1936 Obituary [1]
JAMES FREDERICK WILLIAM MCLAREN was assistant mechanical engineer to the British Petroleum Company, Ltd., from 1926 until 1932, when the firm was merged with Messrs. Shell-Mex, Ltd., after which he continued to hold the same position until his death.
He was born in Wandsworth in 1884, and in 1900 he entered the Battersea works of Messrs. Masson, Scott and Company, as an apprentice. For some years after the termination of his apprenticeship in 1905, he remained with the firm as an improver, and then joined a London firm specializing in land and marine pumping equipment, and in water-purifying and condensing plant.
In 1908 he became London representative, but in the following year he was appointed chief draughtsman to Messrs. Price's Patent Candle Company at Battersea. In this capacity he designed several factories for the firm abroad. He was promoted to be assistant engineer in 1916 and supervised several alterations to the Battersea factory, including the erection of a complete spirit-distilling plant, and the erection of the lubricating oil refinery and the blending plant. He occupied this post until his appointment with the British Petroleum Company. He designed various oil-storage and oil-handling installations for the firm and supervised their erection, later taking charge of the maintenance work.
Mr. McLaren was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1928.
His death occurred on 8th March 1936.