James Lester Clark
James Lester Clark (1869-1935)
1935 Obituary [1]
JAMES LESTER CLARK was for several years a salvage officer attached to companies in South Africa and Portuguese East Africa.
He was born in 1869 and received his education at University College School and the Royal Medical College, Epsom. He served a five years' apprenticeship, terminating in 1891, with Messrs. Denny and Company, Dumbarton, after which he went to sea for two years as engineer on vessels owned by the New Zealand Shipping Company.
He then became assistant manager to Messrs. Peter Brotherhood, Belvedere Road, London, and later went into partnership in the Glasgow firm of Messrs. Clark and Aiton, naval architects and consulting engineers.
In 1905 he took over a marine motor and boat building business at Weybridge, and built a number of yachts and other craft. He also invented and patented a special form of ballast tank and devised a sugar planter which ploughed, planted, and ridged at the same time.
Four years later he went to South Africa as consultant and superintendent for various salvage companies, and at a later date became associated with similar companies in Portuguese East Africa.
On his retirement in 1923 he returned to England and lived at Lymington until his death, which occurred on 2nd February 1935.
Mr. Clark had been an Associate Member of the Institution since 1894.