Wallace Charles Devereux
Colonel Wallace Charles Devereux (c1893-1952)
Having worked at Peter Hooker Ltd, went onto found High Duty Alloys with some of his colleagues when Hookers went out of business.
1952 Obituary [1]
We record with regret the death of Colonel Wallace Charles Devereux, which occurred, suddenly, on Saturday last, June 21st, at his home at "Meads," Stoke Park, Bucks.
Colonel Devereux, who was fifty-nine, had for many years occupied a prominent place in the light metals industry of this country.
Wallace Devereux was educated at King Edward's Grammar School, Aston, Birmingham, and subsequently studied engineering and metallurgy.
As a young man, in the first world war, he was appointed to the responsible position of superintendent of the National Aircraft Factory No. 1.
In the 1920s he was engaged in work related to industrial reconstruction on the Continent, and later founded High Duty Alloys, Ltd., at Slough, for research into and the commercial production of high-strength alloys.
When the second world war broke out Colonel Devereux became Director of Light Alloy Forgings and Stampings, and in 1941 he undertook, for the Ministry of Aircraft Production, the organisation for the reception and assembly in this country of American aircraft. He also reorganised the arrangements throughout Great Britain for the repair of aircraft and aero-engines.
After the war Colonel Devereux continued his research activities and was responsible for the formation of Almin, Ltd., of which he was managing director. He was also chairman of International Alloys, Ltd., Southern Forge, Ltd., Renfrew Foundries, Ltd., Warwick Production Company, Ltd., and Structural and Mechanical Development Engineers, Ltd.
In addition, Colonel Devereux took a large share of the responsibility in the founding of the Fulmer Research Institute, of which he was the chairman.
In the course of his career he contributed many papers on industrial research generally and light metals research in particular to various learned societies. Another matter to which Colonel Devereux gave much attention towards the end of the war was industrial reconstruction and development in this country. Two reports which he prepared dealt in considerable detail with the post-war reconstruction of industry in South Wales, and an industrial plan for Cumberland.
Colonel Devereux was a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a member of the Institution of Naval Architects. His interests, apart from his metallurgical and research work, were many, among them being farming by thoroughly up-to-date methods at Kimble, in Buckinghamshire. He was awarded the C.B.E. in 1949 in recognition of his services to research and industry.