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. After service in the RAF in the First World War, 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]
Studied and carried out research for six years under Lord Kelvin at Glasgow University (B.Sc, 1892, D.Sc. 1898[3]).
Entered Trinity College, Cambridge as research student.
1896-1898: Assistant Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering at the Heriot-Watt College.[4]
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.[5]
1898: In November 1898, Erskine-Murray resigned from Heriot-Watt to become Marconi's principal experimental assistant, working initially at the Haven Hotel near Poole. [6]
1899: Married Alleine, daughter of Major-General Gildea [7]
1899: Left the Haven experimental station in July 1899 to take charge of technical work at the Hall Street factory in Chelmsford. [8]
1900: Became lecturer and demonstrator in physics and electrical engineering at University College, Nottingham.[9]
1905: Assumed a similar position at the George Coats Technical College, Paisley.[9]
Undertook consulting work.[9]
1907-1911: Lecturer on radio telegraphy at the Northampton Institute, Clerkenwell.[9]
1913: Became a partner in the firm of Clark Forde, Taylor and Erskine-Murray, consulting engineers.[9]
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. [4]
1918: Working at the Wireless Experimental Establishment at Biggin Hill; patent on electric vacuous bulb thermionic devices.[10]
Experimental Engineer at H.M. Signal School, Royal Navy Barracks, Portsmouth.
1927: Died, 12th February 1927 at the age of 58 in Portsmouth.[9]
Fellow of the Institute of Physics; Fellow of the Institute of Radio Engineers (New York); Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.
Published Works
Erskine-Murray was the author of the standard textbook 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 Ernst Ruhmer's 1907 Drahtlose Telephonie classic from the German into English.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Statutory Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Scotland.
- ↑ "James Robert Erskine-Murray" on thepeerage.com
- ↑ University of Glasgow records.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The Year Book of Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony, 1925. Biographical Notices"
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 The Late Dr. Erskine-Murray. The Engineer, 18 February 1927. 143 p.175
- ↑ The Engineer 1919/11/21