Percy Montague Baker
Percy Montague Baker (1872-1935)
1922 M.B.E., B.Sc., A.M.I. Mech.E., A.M.I.E.E., Electrical Engineer, 27, Livingstone Road, Handsworth, Birmingham. T. N.: Regent 4024. b. 1872. Ed. Birmingham, Mason College and elsewhere. Graduate of London University in Science and in Engineering. Professional Career: Worked in various small works. Took up educational work. Lecturer in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering in Wolverhampton Technical School. Professor of Electrical Engineering in the Central Technological College for Bombay Presidency. Consulting Engineer in Bombay. Inspector of Technical Schools in the Presidency of Bombay. Chief Works: Power and lighting equipments in Cotton Mills and other manufacturing concerns in Bombay. Consulting Electrical Engineer for certain Indian States. Pubic Positions: Secretary The Engineering Society, Technical School, Birmingham. At present organizing Instructional Factories for the training of Disabled Soldiers and Sailors for various industries under the Ministry of Labour. Clubs: Royal Societies, London; Royal Yacht, Bombay; Bombay Gymkhana. War Services.—Assisted in the production of high explosive shells in Bombay till March, 1916. Returned to England and became a Technical Adviser to the Training Department of the Ministry of Munitions on engineering matters; carried on this work till after the Armistice.
1935 Obituary [1]
PERCY MONTAGUE BAKER, M.B.E., was deputy electrical engineer for the Borough of Chiswick. He had previously been mains superintendent for the same borough from 1923 to 1927.
Mr. Baker was born in Birmingham, and received his technical education at the Municipal Technical College, in the workshops of which he also received part of his practical training, the remainder being obtained in his father's gun factory in Birmingham.
In 1901 he graduated with first-class honours at the University of London, and thereafter devoted several years to the teaching of engineering subjects in technical schools in West Bromwich and Wolverhampton.
He joined the Electric Power Engineering Company, Birmingham, as a designer in 1908.
In 1911 he was appointed professor of electrical engineering and physics at the Central Technological College of Bombay Presidency, at Byculla, and reorganized the engineering syllabus, developing particularly the practical course work.
When the war broke out, he returned to England and joined the Ministry of Munitions, for whom he undertook the training of men and women for the workshops. He set up a series of instructional factories for the purpose, and after the war he joined the Ministry of Labour as director of instructional factories; these numbered 55, and had accommodation for the training of 20,000 disabled ex-service men.
Mr. Baker was a frequent contributor to discussions at the Institution, of which he had been an Associate Member since 1909. He was also an Associate Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.
He was the author of three books on the general subject of machines. His death occurred at Chiswick on 23rd August 1935, at the age of 62.