Harry Heatly
Harry Heatly (1860-1932), founder of Heatly-Gresham Engineering Co
1932 Obituary [1]
HARRY HEATLY fought the cause of the vacuum brake in competitive litigation with the Westinghouse Brake Company in India and Australia.
He was managing director of Messrs. Heatly and Gresham of Westminster, and during his lengthy experience with automatic brakes patented a number of improvements in their design. He also had to his credit various other inventions ranging from improvements in deck-chairs to the design of internal-combustion engines for motor-boats and taxi-cabs.
He was born in Manchester in 1860 and was apprenticed at the works of Messrs. Gresham and Craven at Salford, whom he also represented throughout his subsequent business career.
At the conclusion of his apprenticeship he joined the Automatic Vacuum Brake Company on whose behalf he travelled extensively in Europe and carried on the litigation already referred to.
In 1900 Mr. Heatly established the first engineering works in Letchworth Garden City, under the title of The Heatly-Gresham Engineering Company, and remained managing director of the firm until his death, which occurred on 9th March 1932.
Mr. Heatly had been a Member of the Institution since 1888.