Percival Herbert Symonds
Percival Herbert Symonds (1878-1938)
1938 Obituary [1]
PERCIVAL HERBERT SYMONDS was for many years special sales representative of the English Electric Company. He was born in 1878 and received his technical education at Rutherford College, and at the Durham College of Science, Newcastle upon Tyne.
From 1895 to 1898 he served his apprenticeship with Messrs. Upfield and Sons, general engineers, of Hastings, and after remaining with the firm for another year he joined Messrs. Wigham Richardson and Company, Ltd., as a draughtsman in their engine works at Newcastle. He subsequently became assistant to the shipyard engineer, and in 1903 was promoted to be chief draughtsman and chief of the testing department under Mr. John Tweedy, M.I.Mech.E.
Two years later he was appointed leading draughtsman in the turbine department of the British Westinghouse Electrical and Manufacturing Company, Ltd., at Trafford Park, and in 1907 he took up a similar position with Messrs. Willans and Robinson, Ltd., Rugby. He went to Loughborough in 1910 as engineer in the sales department of the Brush Electrical Engineering Company, Ltd., but returned to Messrs. Willans and Robinson three years later as branch manager. In 1918 he joined Messrs. Dick, Kerr and Company, Ltd., as branch manager in London. His connection with the English Electric Company, which was formed to take over Messrs. Willans and Robinson and other companies, dated from 1920.
Mr. Symonds was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1906 and was transferred to Membership in 1918. He was also an Associate Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. His death occurred on 23rd May 1938.