Joseph Wilkinson (1868-1921) of Hull Tramways
1919 Tramways Electrical Engineer's Office, Hull.[1]
1922 M.I.Mech.E., M.I.E.E., Elec. Engr. to Hull Corpn. Tramways, Tramway Power Station Bdgs., Osborne Street, Hull. Address: 4, Morpeth Street, Hull.[2]
1921 Obituary [3]
JOSEPH WILKINSON was born at Evenwood, Co. Durham, in 1868.
At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to Cox, Walker and Co., Darlington, and was a student in the Darlington Technical School during the same period.
Two years later he went to J. H. Holmes and Co., Newcastle-on-Tyne, and continued his studies at the Durham College of Science until 1888, when he was appointed electrical engineer to the Transatlantic Co. of Cadiz and Barcelona.
During 1890-1891 he supervised the electrical equipment of Chilian war vessels then under construction at Birkenhead, afterwards joining the staff of Siemens Brothers and Co.
He was next appointed chief assistant to the resident engineer for the equipment of electric tramways at Hobart, Tasmania, and on the completion of the work became resident engineer for Siemens Brothers in the equipment of the Blackburn tramways.
In 1899 he was transferred to Hull, becoming assistant engineer to the Corporation in 1901, and Tramways Engineer in 1903.
In 1919 he left the service of the Corporation and commenced business on his own account as consulting engineer, practising as such at the time of his death, which took place on 7th July 1921, at the age of fifty-three.
He became a Member of this Institution in 1907.
1922 Obituary [4]
JOSEPH WILKINSON, born in 1868, was the eldest son of Mr. John Wilkinson, of Middleton-in-Teesdale.
From 1884 to 1886 he was apprenticed to Messrs. Cox-Walker and Co., Darlington, and was also a student at the Darlington Technical School.
He then joined the firm of Messrs. J. H. Holmes and Co., Newcastle-on-Tyne, and continued his studies at the Durham College of Science. Amongst other work, he carried out a great deal of ship lighting.
In 1888 and 1889 he was employed by the Transatlantic Company of Cadiz and Barcelona as electrical engineer on the " Alfonso XII " and " Alfonso XIII."
In 1890 he joined the Chilian Navy and supervised the electrical equipment of the torpedo boat destroyer "Almirante Condell," subsequently sailing in that vessel to Valparaiso.
On his return to England in 1891 he became an assistant engineer in Messrs. Siemens Brothers and Co., and shortly afterwards went to Tasmania in connection with the installation of the electrical tramway system at Hobart.
He then returned to England and acted as resident engineer for Messrs. Siemens Brothers in connection with the equipment of the Blackburn tramways. He was transferred from Blackburn to Hull in 1899 in connection with the equipment of the Hull tramway system, and in 1903 was appointed tramways electrical engineer in that city, a position which he held for about 16 years, eventually retiring to practise as a consulting engineer.
He died suddenly from heart trouble on 7th July, 1921.
He was elected a Member of the Institution in 1903.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1919 Institution of Electrical Engineers: Members
- ↑ Presumably a directory entry written before his death
- ↑ 1921 Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Obituaries
- ↑ 1922 Institution of Electrical Engineers: Obituaries