James Richardson (1869-1929)
James Richardson (1869-1929) of the Post Office
1929 Obituary [1]
JAMES RICHARDSON was born on the 20th February, 1869, and died on the 3rd April, 1929.
He commenced his career in a clerical capacity and was transferred to the engineering branch of the Post Office in 1901. In this department he was engaged on telephone development questions in its early stages, but was mainly concerned with exchange construction and maintenance problems, in addition to such other general telephone matters as came under the purview of the headquarters staff of the Engineer-in-Chief.
After a period of six years in this capacity he was transferred to Glasgow on promotion and was closely identified with the transfer of the Glasgow Corporation telephone system after its acquisition by the Post Office. He was also associated with the opening of the Glasgow Central Exchange, to which most of the Corporation subscribers in the city area were diverted and to which the subscribers of the National Telephone Co. from the historic Royal Exchange in Glasgow were transferred when the company's undertaking was absorbed by the State. Many of the smaller exchange systems in the area were directly under his control for engineering purposes.
He was the Executive Engineer in charge of the first automatic telephone exchange in Scotland, at Paisley, in 1916, subsequently the internal section of the Glasgow City district came within his responsibility, where he interested himself keenly in questions of transmission and in many circuit problems arising out of the necessity for interworking between exchanges of various types and designs which required to be co-ordinated and developed.
He invariably offered his services to assist a colleague or a subordinate freely in any difficulty arising in the course of his official duties, and he will be long remembered in the West of Scotland and elsewhere for his kindly advice and encouragement to the younger members of his staff. His breezy personality and lovable disposition endeared him to his immediate colleagues. He was ultimately promoted to be Assistant Superintending Engineer in the South-Eastern District, and was superannuated only about a month before his death.
He joined the Institution in 1921 as an Associate Member and became a Member in the same year.