John Masson
John Masson (1879-1937)
1937 Obituary [1]
JOHN MASSON, who had a thirty-five years' connection with the College of Technology, Manchester, was born at Clayton, Manchester, in 1879 and was apprenticed in 1894 to Mr. W. H. Peacock, of Townley Iron Works, where he served for three years in the workshops and drawing office. He completed his training under Mr. George Garner at the Clayton Foundry; the firm was one of the pioneers in the manufacture of direct-coupled generators.
In 1902 Mr. Masson entered the College of Technology and was made charge hand of the staff maintaining the plant and the engineering laboratory equipment. He then became part-time instructor in the engineering workshops. During the War he assisted in the organization of the workshops for the production of munitions, paravanes, and small alternators for aircraft signalling apparatus. He was appointed full-time instructor in 1921 and held this position until his death, which occurred at Clayton on 12th June 1937.
Mr. Masson was elected to Associate Membership of the Institution in 1929. He assisted in the carrying out of several researches in the engineering workshops, notably those on heat flow, under Dr. J. T. Nicolson, and on cutting tools, under Professor Dempster Smith, M.B.E., M.I.Mech.E., the latter work being in connexion with the Cutting Tools Research Committee of the Institution.