James Robert Erskine-Murray
Dr. James Robert Erskine-Murray (1868-1927) was a protégé of Lord Kelvin, one of Marconi's first engineers and a partner at Clark Forde, Taylor and Erskine-Murray. Latterly, he was Experimental Engineer at H.M. Signal School, Portsmouth.
1868: Born in Edinburgh on the 24th October 1868, he was the eldest child[1] of Alexander Erskine Erskine-Murray (1832-1907) and Helen (née Pringle).[2]
Studies and carries out research for six years under Lord Kelvin at Glasgow University.
Enters Trinity College, Cambridge as research student.
1896-1898: Assistant Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering at the Heriot-Watt College.
1897: Proposed by Lord Kelvin among others, Erskine-Murray was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (F.R.S.E.) on the 1st February 1897.[3]
1898: In November 1898, resigns from Heriot-Watt to become Marconi's principal experimental assistant, working initially at the Haven Hotel near Poole. [4]
1899: Married Alleine, daughter of Major-General Gildea [5]
1899: Leaves the Haven experimental station in 1899 to take charge of technical work at the Hall Street factory in Chelmsford. [6]
1900: Became lecturer and demonstrator in physics and electrical engineering at University College, Nottingham.[7]
1905: Assumed a similar position at the George Coats Technical College, Paisley.[7]
Undertook consulting work.[7]
1907-1911: Lecturer on radio telegraphy at the Northampton Institute, Clerkenwell.[7]
1913: Becomes a partner in the firm of Clark Forde, Taylor and Erskine-Murray, consulting engineers.[7]
1914-18. Served as Lieut.-Commander during the War with the Royal Air Force in charge of the design of wireless instruments and of experimental work till May, 1922. [8]
1918: Wireless Experimental Establishment at Biggin Hill; patent on electric vacuous bulb thermionic devices.[9]
Experimental Engineer at H.M. Signal School, Royal Navy Barracks, Portsmouth.
1927: Died, 12th February 1927 at the age of 58 in Portsmouth.[7]
Fellow of the Institute of Physics; Fellow of the Institute of Radio Engineers; Member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers.
Published Works
Erskine-Murray was the author of what was probably the standard text on wireless in the period running up to and during the Great War. A Handbook of Wireless Telegraphy: its Theory and Practice for the use of electrical engineers, students, and operators went through five editions in the period from 1907 to 1914. He also wrote Wireless Telephones and how they work. (1910, 1911 and 1923) and translated the classic 1907 Drahtlose Telephonie by Ernst Ruhmer into English from the German.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Statutory Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Scotland.
- ↑ "James Robert Erskine-Murray" on thepeerage.com
- ↑ Royal Society of Edinburgh (2002) Former Fellows of The Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1783–2002. Biographical Index Part Two.
- ↑ Baker, W.J. (1970) A History of the Marconi Company. p.40
- ↑ F.G.B. (1928). James Robert Erskine-Murray, D.Sc., M.I.E.E. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 47 1928 pp.371-2
- ↑ Burns, Russell W. (2003) Communications: An International History of the Formative Years. London:Institution of Electrical Engineers.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 The Late Dr. Erskine-Murray. The Engineer, 18 February 1927. 143 p.175
- ↑ "Year Book of Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony, 1925. Biographical Notices"
- ↑ The Engineer 1919/11/21