William Martin-Davey
William Martin-Davey (1863-1915)
1915 Obituary [1]
WILLIAM MARTIN-DAVEY was born at North Shields on 6th January 1863.
He was educated at Aberdeen Park College, London, and received his technical education at the Birkbeck Institute, London.
In 1878 he served an apprenticeship of six months in the drawing office of Messrs. Sewards, of Millwall, after which he entered the workshops of Messrs. John Stewart and Son, Black wall, where he remained until 1883.
In that year he was employed for a short time by Messrs. White and Co., Albert Dock, London, and then sailed as junior engineer in the employ of the British India Steam Navigation Co. until 1886, when he obtained a second class Board of Trade engineer's certificate.
He thereupon became second engineer on board a Spanish steamer, and ultimately chief engineer on taking his first class Board of Trade certificate of competency.
He was next appointed a ship and engineer surveyor to Lloyd's Register of Shipping in 1887, but resigned the appointment four years later to commence practice as a consulting engineer and naval architect in Liverpool.
Subsequently he became senior partner in the firm of Martin-Davey and Herd, of Liverpool. Thinking that there was about to be an immense development of the mercantile marine service of the United States and Canada, following upon the opening of the Panama Canal, he decided to go to Vancouver, B.C.; where he opened new offices.
In the early part of 1915 he was making a semi-business visit to this country, accompanied by his wife and only son, when all three became victims in the loss occasioned by the torpedoing of the R.M.S. "Lusitania" by a German submarine on 7th May 1915. He was fifty-two years of age.
He was elected a Member of this Institution in 1912.