John Smith (1874-1926)
John Smith (c1874-1926), general manager and a director of Thornycroft, Woolston Works, Southampton.
c1874 Born
1889 He passed from school at Greenwich (where he had attracted the attention of Sir William Niven, who was then Director of Studies at the Royal Naval College) to Portsmouth Dockyard as an apprentice shipwright.
1893 He was one of two apprentices selected by Sir William Niven for twelve months' training at the Royal Naval College at Keyham.
1897 Finished his three year course at Royal Naval College at Greenwich.
1898 Entered the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors and went to sea for twelve months in the battleship Majestic when she was the flagship for the old Channel Fleet.
1899 Appointed to the Admiralty where he served for several years on the staff of the Director of Naval Construction.
1904 Appointed as an Instructor in Naval Architecture at the Royal Naval College at Greenwich where he remained in the capacities of junior and senior Instructor until 1907.
He then returned to the Admiralty and was put in charge of the light cruiser design section.
Between 1907 and 1910 he continued to give lectures in naval architecture in Greenwich and from 1908 to 1910 he was a lecturer on 'Stability' to the senior officers attending the War College at Portsmouth.
1911 In early January, Mr Smith was appointed Clyde Admiralty Overseer to supervise the building of battleships, during this year he was associated with the building of the battleship HMS Ajax at the Greenwich yard of Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. However in October 1911, he resigned and accepted a post with J. Samuel White and Co.
1915 Appointed managing Director of J. Samuel White and Co.
1919 Resigned his position with J. Samuel White and Co and was appointed general manager and director of the Woolston Works of Thornycroft.
1926 July 13th. Died at Southampton following an operation for appendicitis.
Memberships
- Prominent member of the Institution of Naval Architects and served on the Council.
- He was a member of the Southampton Harbour Board and Southampton Chamber of Commerce.
- He was also the president of the South Coast Engineering and Shipbuilding Employers' Association.
- A director of the Isle of Wight Steam Packet Co.
- President of the Engineering Society of the University College of Southampton.
- A member of the Technological Education Committee
- Made a Justice of the Peace for the County Borough of Southampton.
1926 Obituary[1]
'The severe loss which has been sustained by Thornycroft in the death of Mr John Smith, general manager and director of the firm's Woolston Works, Southampton, will be fully shared by the large circle of naval architects, shipbuilders and marine engineers whom Mr Smith numbered among his personal friends. He died at Southampton on Tuesday morning last, following an operation for appendicitis, and was only fifty-two years of age........
He had a keen interest in sport, more especially where his employees were concerned, and he himself was an able yachtsman. Another interest, however, which perhaps formed his principal relaxation was the study of antiquarian and archaeological subjects, in which he was locally assisted by his membership of the Hampshire Field Club.
Mr Smith possessed a singular charm of personality and his death is a great loss, not alone to his employers, but also to a wide circle of professional and private friends.
1926 Obituary [2]