John Westbeech Kempster

John Westbeech Kempster (c1865-1947)

Born the son of John Kempster

1879 Elected IEE.

1903 of Ireland

1917 of Belfast

1922 M.I.Mech.E., M.I. & S.I., Man. Dir., Harland and Wolff, Ltd., Queen's Island, Belfast.

1947 Died. 'The death Ms taken place at Guildford, Surrey, at the age of 82, of Mr. John Westbeech Kempster, a former managing director of Harland and Wolff, Ltd., and an outstanding figure in Belfast shipbuilding earlier in the present century. Mr. Kempster was an electrical engineer who joined Harland & Wolff. Ltd., in 1902. He was appointed a managing director in 1907. and four years later became chairman of the managing directors, in which capacity he was responsible for much of the development of the Belfast works. On the acquisition of Caird & Co. by the firm he became managing director of the Greenock yard. In later years he represented Harland & Wolff, Ltd., in London until his retirement from the Board in 1932. He was also a director of National Shipbuilders Security, Ltd.. and was a well known writer on economics. Born in Birmingham of East Anglian parents, Mr. Kempster could trace his family back to Christopher Kempster, who was Wren's master builder for St. Paul's Cathedral. In the years when he lived in Belfast he became a prominent personality and in 1915 be was appointed by Lord Perrie a Deputy Lieutenant for the city.'

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