1970 Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Obituaries

Note: This is a sub-section of 1970 Institution of Mechanical Engineers

The 24 Obituaries in the 1970 'The Chartered Mechanical Engineer'

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George Roesch

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F. E. Evans

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Mr C. J. Tafft (Fellow) died recently aged 62.

Mr Tafft gained his technical experience with the Singer Motor Co. From 1930-42 he was with Dennis Bros. Ltd where he became Deputy Chief Inspector. In 1942 he joined the Ministry of Supply where he subsequently became Principal Scientific Officer, Fighting Vehicle Design Dept. He was particularly concerned with the design and development of IC and compression ignition engines.

A former committee member of the Southern Branch, Mr Tafft became a Member of the Institution in 1947.

It is with deep regret that the Institution records the passing of an old friend.

Prof. E. B. Pearson (Companion) a recognised expert on Instrumentation and Automatic Control died recently aged 60.

Prof. Pearson spent some time at the Royal Aircraft Establishment and was particularly concerned with aircraft torpedoes and powdered gun turrets, he has also written a number of publications on these subjects. In 1955 he was appointed an official examiner to the Institution and in 1958 was made a Companion.

His death has caused great sorrow to his many friends and colleagues.

Mr George Roesch, (Member), one of the most original and interesting figures in the world of motorcar design in the 1920s, died in November at the age of 78.

After working his way through the French motor industry, he came to England in 1914 and two years later joined Clement Talbot Ltd as Chief Engineer. His genius had to wait until 1925 before it received public acknowledgement. A return to first principles in his design for the Talbot had produced an efficient and profitable engine with a compression ratio of 10:1 and speeds of 5000 rev/min. After gaining such a commanding lead with his engine, he turned to the chassis; in 1932 the transmission was semi-automatic and in 1934 all-independent suspension was under construction and the new Talbot had a backbone frame.

However, while he was a genius as a designer, he could also be extremely difficult as a colleague or as a casual acquaintance. His qualities as a perfectionist made him something of a tyrant and he could often seem devious and perverse. Yet his close friends knew him as a generous host and a very pleasant companion. In his later years he felt that he had been forgotten and yet he was undoubtedly the father of the modern production car. The automobile industry owes him a great deal, and his genius will be greatly missed.

Lord Jackson, FRS (Fellow) died recently, aged 65.

After receiving his BSc and DSc from Manchester University, and a DPhil from Oxford, he was appointed Professor of Electronics at Manchester in 1938. During the 1939-45 war, Lord Jackson served on many government committees and worked at the signals and radar research establishments of the Ministry of Supply. In 1946 he became Professor and Head of the Electrical Engineering Department at Imperial College and seven years later joined Metropolitan-Vickers as Director of Research and Education.

Lord Jackson devoted much time and energy to the service of education. In 1967 he was appointed Pro Rector of Imperial College. He was President of the British Association for Commercial and Industrial Education from 1962-1970 ; President of the Association of Technical Institutions and of the Electrical Research Association for 1969-1970; and President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He was also a member of the University Grants Committee from 19541964. His generous advice was freely given to generations of students, academics and administrators.

Along with his work for education, Lord Jackson contributed a great deal to the engineering community. He was President of IEE in 1959. He served as Chairman of the Television Advisory Committee and of the Engineering Advisory Committee to the BBC ; Chairman of the Committee on Manpower Resources for Science and Technology ; a member of the Council for Scientific Policy from 1963-1968; and a member of the CEI Parliamentary Advisory Committee in 1970. The nation has reason to be grateful for his far-sighted approach to manpower problems and his influence will be felt for many years to come. His services were rewarded with a knighthood in 1958 and with a life peerage in 1967.

A quiet, courteous and generous man, Lord Jackson's death will be keenly felt by his many friends and colleagues. Our profession, and this Institution, have lost a true friend. Mr Roger Gresham Cooke, CBE, MP, died recently, aged 63.

Educated at Winchester, New College, Oxford, and Trinity College, Cambridge, he was called to the Bar in 1930 and practiced until 1935 when he became secretary of the British Road Federation. He joined United Steel Companies as secretary in 1938, and, in 1946, became director of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. In 1955 he was elected Conservative MP for Twickenham.

His keen interest in the motor industry has been evident throughout his Commons career. He laid major stress on the need for improvement in road communications, the importance of dual carriageways, and many other aspects of road safety.

The Institution has particular cause to be grateful to him for the foundation of the Gresham Cooke Prize, which provides for awards to be made each year for a paper or papers on any aspect of design, research, development or production related to British motor vehicles or any of their components which has contributed to their export potential. He was also an untiring worker on behalf of all non-chartered engineering personnel. As Chairman of the Standing Conference for National Qualification and Title, he negotiated with CEI for a national three-tier registration scheme for all connected with the engineering industry. His recent success in forming the Standing Conference for Technician Engineers and Technicians Ltd will provide him with a lasting memorial.

Mr Gresham Cooke was also a distinguished Parliamentarian. In every aspect of his life he was kind, courteous and full of zest ; the Institution and the country has lost a delightful friend and, loyal champion.

Mr Oliver Vaughn Snell Bulleid, CBE, CEng (Hon. Fellow), noted railway engineer and among the last designers of steam locomotives, died in Malta, aged 87.

He joined the former Great Northern Railway in 1901 as a premium apprentice, leaving in 1908 to join the French Westinghouse Company. He spent a period as mechanical engineer to the Exhibitions Branch of the Board of Trade and, in 1912, returned to Doncaster to become assistant to Sir Nigel Gresley on the LNER. The partnership lasted until 1937 when Mr Bulleid became Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway.

At that time, the future of the steam locomotive was being threatened by the advent of diesel power. Mr Bulleid concentrated on trying to offset this trend, and his controversial engines were all designed with the objective of increasing the availability of the steam locomotive to make it truly competitive with electric and diesel traction.

The railways were nationalised in 1948 and, in 1949, Mr Bulleid went to Ireland to become Consulting Mechanical Engineer, and later Chief Mechanical Engineer of Coros Iompair Eireann. He played a leading part in the modernisation of the Irish Railways, and considered that period to be one of the ghost interesting of his career. His retirement in 1958 was a great loss to CIE.

A member since 1901 and a Past-President of this Institution, Mr Bulleid was made an Honorary Member in 1951 and received similar recognition for his services to railway engineering from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He presented many papers to the Institution describing innovations in railway engineering which he had introduced and, in February 1965, discussed his work with Mr Rex Wailes in an interview published in the CME.

Mr Bulleid had a profound influence on developments in steam traction for almost 60 years. His brilliance as an engineer and organiser was acknowledged by the whole industry. His achievements could not, however, do more than delay the death of steam.

A well-liked and respected man, Mr Bulleid will be sadly missed by his former colleagues and employees, in whom he took a strong paternalistic interest. His death marks the end of an era.

Mr G. H. Lanchester, CEng (Fellow), died suddenly at his home on 13th February, aged 95.

An engineer to his fingertips, 'Mister George' was somewhat overshadowed in the public mind by his famous brother, but he was admired and respected as a great engineer and designer by all who worked with him. His long involvement with automobiles began in 1895 when he helped his brother to build an experimental single-cylinder car. Later, as Chief Engineer of the Lanchester Company, he took charge of the redesigning of the six-cylinder engine which appeared in 1910 as a 38 hp model. Between the two world wars he was almost entirely responsible for the advanced overhead camshaft six-cylinder engine used in the Lanchester 40. In 1936 he joined Alvis as Chief Engineer and produced the Silver Crest before working on the design and development of light tanks and armoured cars.

Throughout his long life Mister George endeared himself to everyone he met ; kind, thoughtful and with a strong sense of humour, his zest for life was as strong at the end as when he was young. The Institution and the Automobile Division mourn the loss of a great and delightful man.

Mr Ernest E. Chapman, BSc, MIEE, CEng (Member), died at his home on 7th April.

Formerly Technical Director of J. Stone, Deptford (now Stone-Platt), Mr Chapman's capacity for hard work earned him the unstinting admiration of his colleagues. Much of his time was spent abroad and circumstances were often difficult but he always gave of his best. A graduate apprentice with BTH, Rugby, his many friends and colleagues from those days will remember him with affection.

Mr S. A. B. Muirhead (Member), Deputy Managing Director of Alfred Herbert Ltd and Managing Director of Herbert Boring and Drilling Ltd, died on 6th December 1969.

Mr Muirhead had been with Alfred Herbert Ltd since the age of 14, when he began his apprenticeship. In 1932 he was promoted to Plant Efficiency Engineer. In the war he set up the new factory at Lutterworth. He remained as Works Manager there until 1952 when he was made Production Director of the Company. In 1955 he was created Director of Works and Production and later Group Production Director. In 1966 he became Group Deputy Managing Director and in 1968, at the time of the reorganisation, he assumed the additional duties of Managing Director of Herbert Boring and Drilling Ltd.

A Freeman of Coventry since 1926, he was also on the Management Board of the Coventry and District Engineering Employers Association. A well-known and respected figure in the Midlands, Mr Muirhead leaves a gap in the life of the area.

Wing-Commander Thomas Reginald Cave-Browne-Cave, CBE, RAF (Fellow), of Basset, Southampton, died recently aged 84.

Wing-Cdr Cave-Browne-Cave received his early training in the Royal Navy, and served as an engineer officer until 1913. In that year he was seconded to the Royal Naval Air Service, later absorbed into the Royal Air Force, and for the next eighteen years devoted himself to the design, construction and operation of aircraft.

He became Professor of Engineering at University College, Southampton in 1931, and the school of engineering grew steadily under his direction. He retired from the post in 1950.

A first-class innovator, he developed a supersonic wind tunnel driven by steam which cost much less than the usual type using compressed air. He also developed a new system of heating and ventilating motor buses, using warm air from behind the radiator.

He contributed a great deal to Institution life, serving on Council and as Chairman of the Southern Branch.

A kind and generous man, Wing-Cdr Cave-Browne-Cave will be deeply missed by his many friends and colleagues. His death is a great loss to this Institution.

Mr A. T. C. Priddle (Fellow) died in December 1969.

Mr Priddle was closely associated with the introduction of trolleybuses in London, and in 1934 joined AEC Ltd at Southall as Traction Engineer. In 1940 he was seconded to the Ministry of Supply, and became Asst Director of the Dept of Tank Design at what became the FVRDE Chobham establishment. At the termination of the secondment in 1945, he joined CAV Ltd, and became Technical Director and later Joint General Manager. He was also an active member of the Passenger Transport Association. After his retirement from CAV in 1968, he joined the Board of Ricardo and Co at Shoreham.

Mr Priddle had a wide circle of friends in industry and his exuberant personality will be greatly missed.

Mr H. W. Cadman (Fellow), Managing Director of Sovex Ltd until his retirement in 1966, died recently.

Mr Cadman was one of the founders of the Greater London Graduates and Students He served the Institution as a Member of Council and on the Membership Committee.

Mr Jack Dinsdale (Member) died on 5th October 1969.

After gaining experience with a number of firms, including Jigs Ltd of which he was Joint Managing Director for five years, Mr Dinsdale founded Dinsdale Engineering Company Ltd in 1934 and continued as Managing Director until shortly before his death.

He joined the Institution as an Associate Member in 1927. He published a number of short papers on engineering subjects, and was widely known in production engineering circles in connection with the design and manufacture of precision jigs and fixtures.

Mr J. J. P. Dolan (Member) died recently. He had made his career in mining, first in Rhodesia and, after 1926, in South Africa.

Mr Dolan served the Institution as a member of the South African Advisory Committee.

Mr N. E. Hewitt (Member) died recently.

Mr Hewitt worked with MacEwans Machinery Ltd, Penrose, and J. B. MacEwan and Company, Wellington, from 1932-1940. In 1940 he became a lecturer at Canterbury University College, School of Engineering, Christchurch, NZ. He also undertook work as a consultant, primarily in the field of building services.

He served the Institution as a member of the New Zealand Advisory Committee from 1953 until recently.

Mr Edward F. Wooldridge (Fellow) has died tragically at the age of 60. He suffered an acute type of heart attack while at the wheel of his car and, in the accident, three other members of his family were killed.

Mr Wooldridge was a well-known personality in the Yorkshire Branch (now North Midlands Branch), where he served on the Branch Committee for many years, holding office as Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, and Chairman in 1962. He joined the Institution as a Student in 1934, transferring to Graduate in 1935, Associate Member in 1945 and Member in 1959.

He made his career in the steel industry, which he entered in 1927. During the 1939-45 war, he served with the Ministry of Production and returned to steel as a Development Engineer with the USC, a position which he held until late 1969, when he wks appointed Materials Handling Engineer on the Anchor Project at the Scunthorpe Works of the BSC, General Steels Division.

A member of the Iron and Steel Institute, he served on several committees of that body.

A warm and generous character made him friends wherever he went. He helped and encouraged many young members of the Institution and everyone who knew him will be saddened by his untimely death.

Mr Anthony Vickers, BSc (Eng) (Member), died suddenly on 1st July.

Mr Vickers started his engineering apprenticeship with Vickers, Erith, in 1920 and subsequently obtained an honours degree in mechanical engineering at the University of London. He left Vickers in 1930 to become a joint founder of Hydraulic Coupling and Engineering Co. Ltd (later Fluidrive Engineering).

Between 1950 and 1954 he served on the Grand Council of the Federation of British Industries. During this time he was keenly interested in education and he formed the Fluidrive Apprentice Scheme in 1953.

In 1962 he retired as an executive director of the Company and applied himself to the problems of technological advancement in industry. It was in 1968 that he read his wellknown paper on The Engineer and Society to the Institution.

He will be remembered for his deep concern with the socio-economic repercussions of technology and the training of young engineers. His death brings a sad loss to industry and to the Institution.

Mr Thomas A. Marshall, Jr (Companion), Managing Director of the American Society for Testing and Materials, died recently.

Mr Marshall graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1932, with a degree in aeronautical engineering. From 1932 until 1951, except for five years duty with the US Navy during the 1939-45 war, he was employed in the main office of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.

In 1951, Mr Marshall became executive Secretary of the Engineering Manpower Commission, which had just been formed by Engineers' Joint Council, and a year later' was appointed secretary of the EJC as well. From 1954 to 1960, he served on the staff of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, first as assistant secretary, then as senior assistant secretary. He joined the staff of the American Society for Testing and Materials in 1960.

He served as a member of the Panel on Engineering and Commodity Standards appointed by the Secretary of Commerce in 1963 to review the national standards programme in the US. He also participated in the revitalisation of the Pan American Standards Commission.

In addition to his membership of a number of engineering and scientific societies, Mr Marshall was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of the Standards Engineers Society and a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Mr T. W. Clifford (Fellow), a former member of the East Midlands Branch Committee, died recently, aged 62.

Technical Director of Taylor, Taylor and Hobson Ltd, now Rank Precision Industries Ltd, Mr Clifford was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1941 and a Member in 1952. During recent years he served on a number of national committees concerned with technical development and standardisation. He was also keenly interested in the training of young engineers and was a member of the City and Guilds Instrument Making Technical Committee and of the Midlands University Liaison Panel of the Machine Tool Trades Association. He will be remembered with affection by his many friends and colleagues.

Professor C. A. Geneve (Fellow), who died on 20th June, spent twenty-five years at the academic institution that ultimately became Cairo University. As Professor of Mechanical Engineering there, his services included the equipment of new laboratories, the development of new courses, and the inspiration of more than a generation of students, some of whom reached responsible positions in the growing number of industrial establishments in Egypt.

He was the Chairman of the Institution's Egyptian Advisory Committee. Upon returning to London he became a valued servant of BSI.

His influence among colleagues and students was enormous. A well-liked and respected man, his death is a loss to the profession.

Mr F. E. Evans (Fellow), who joined the Institution in 1907, died earlier this year aged 90.

An expert on boilers and the most efficient ways of steam-raising using coal as the fuel, he lectured for the City and Guilds Institute after he retired until ill-health forced him to give it up at the age of 78.

Dr D. G. Sopwith, CBE (Fellow) died on 20th October .

Dr Sopwith received his practical training at the Manchester Dry Docks Co Ltd and, after graduating at the Manchester College of Technology, he entered the Engineering Division of the National Physical Laboratory, becoming its Superintendent in 1948. In 1950 he appointed Acting Director and, in 1951, he went to MERL (now the National Engineering Laboratory) as director. He retired in 1966 but remained at NEL as Special Advisor.

Elected a Graduate of the Institution in 1930, Dr Sopwith became an Associate Member in 1932, transferring to Member in 1948. He won the Institution's Thomas Lowe Gray Prize in 1934 and the Bernard Hall prize in 1948.

He served as Vice-Chairman of the Scottish Branch from 1965 until 1967, when he was elected Chairman. His services to the Institution included membership of the Publications and Library committee and its publications structure panel, of the Journal of Mechanical Engineering Sciences editorial panel, and of various design memoranda committees. He was a PastPresident of the Whitworth Society, a member of Council of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde.

One of the country's leading authorities in materials science research, his colleagues knew him as a warm, kindly man, although exceedingly shy. The profession has lost a fine man and a first-class engineer.

Mr E. W. Isaacs (Fellow) died recently, aged 63.

Mr Isaacs made his career with the Indian Railways, starting as an Assistant Officer in the Mechanical Engineering and Transportation Power Department in 1931 and eventually becoming a member of the Mechanical Engineering Railway Board.

He was President of the Indian Centre of the Institution of Locomotive Engineers from 1957 to 1963.

Mr A. J. Hirst (Member), Chief Technical Engineer of the Dunlop Company Polymer Engineering Division, died recently.

Mr Hirst served his apprenticeship with Austin Motor Company. During the 1939-45 war he was engaged on research into vibration with Rolls-Royce. He joined Dunlop Polymer Engineering (then Metalastik Ltd) in 1945.

An expert on vibration and the use of rubber in engineering, Mr Hirst was best known for his work on rubber suspension. He began work on the design of rubber springs for London Transport trains shortly after the war, and the spring systems he designed have been adopted by London Transport, the Stockholm Underground, the Paris Metro and other railway authorities for locomotives, carriages and wagons. He was also responsible for the development of rubber suspension systems for machinery and for road vehicles, including those used on Midland Red and Daimler Roadliner buses.

His many friends and colleagues will miss him greatly was

Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

1970 Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Obituaries

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