Alfred William Macaulay
Alfred William Macauley (1888-1923) of the Skefko Ball Bearing Co
1924 Obituary [1]
ALFRED WILLIAM MACAULAY was born in Glasgow on 31st December 1888, and was educated at the Technical College.
He served an apprenticeship of five years at the works of the North British Locomotive Co., Glasgow, subsequently going into the drawing office.
After having been employed for a short time in the drawing offices of Messrs. Robert Stephenson and Co., of Darlington, and Messrs. Vickers, London, he became in 1916 chief draughtsman to the Skefko Ball Bearing Co., Ltd., Luton, being appointed Technical Manager in 1921. This position he held until his death.
He was a pioneer in the application of ball and roller bearings to heavy machinery, and did much to further their use in electric traction.
The greater part of his leisure time was devoted to the preparation of lectures and the writing of articles for publication, and he was just completing a work entitled "The Ball and Roller Bearing Handbook," when his death took place suddenly at Luton, on 31st December 1923, at the age of thirty-five.
He became an Associate Member of this Institution in 1923.
1924 Obituary [2]
"The sudden death, at the early age of thirty-five, is announced of Mr. A. W. Macaulay, technical manager in the service of the Skefko Ball Bearing Co, Ltd, Luton, England.
Mr. Macaulay entered the service of the Skefko Ball Bearing Co as chief draughtsman in August, 1916. In July, 1921, he was appointed technical manager.
He was a pioneer in the application of ball and roller bearings to heavy machinery, such as rolling mills, and did much to further their use in electric traction. He was considered a leading authority on anti-friction bearings, and, in addition to superintending business, he was indefatigable in spreading among machinery users and others in the United Kingdom a knowledge of correct ball bearing principles. The greater part of his leisure time was devoted to the preparation of lectures, and to writing for publication articles of very high order technically, on ball and roller bearings and kindred subjects. At the time of his death he was still engaged on reading the proofs of work entitled "The Ball and Roller Bearing Handbook".
1924 Obituary[3]
"The Late Mr. A. W. Macaulay.—The very sudden death of Mr. Alfred William Macaulay, the technical manager of the Skefko Ball Bearing Company, Limited, of Luton, which occurred on Monday, December 31, has removed, at the early age of 35 years, one of the most enthusiastic exponents of the reduction of the waste caused by friction in machinery. His service with the company started in 1916, and after five years as chief draughtsman, he became technical manager. In the application of ball and roller bearings to heavy duties, such as those found in rolling mills and in electric traction equipment, he did much pioneer work. He was the author of numerous articles and papers on the subject, which appeared in the technical journals and the transactions of the Institutions of Automobile Engineers, Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland, Marine Engineers and the Iron and Steel Institute, and a work which he had just completed, entitled “The Ball and Roller Bearing Handbooks,” will be published shortly."