Bernard Joseph Vavasour
Bernard Joseph Vavasour (c1886-1946)
1946 Obituary [1]
BERNARD JOSEPH VAVASOUR was associated with the engineering side of the oil industry during most of his career. He served his apprenticeship with Messrs. Manning, Wardle and Company, Ltd., locomotive engineers, of Leeds, and with the Brush Electrical Company, of Loughborough, from 1901 to 1907.
After five years at sea as junior engineer and electrician in ships of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, Ltd., he joined the Mexican Eagle Oil Company as pump station engineer, and two years later was made pipe line superintendent.
During the war of 1914-18 he served in France for two years and was granted a commission as lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery. He was then attached to the Ministry of Munitions as supervisor of gun production in the North West Area. In 1921 he returned to the Mexican Eagle Oil Company to resume his former appointment, but ill-health compelled him to resign two years later. After acting as assistant engineer to the Shell Mex Company, in London, for three years, he accepted an appointment as chief engineer of a refinery in the Dutch West Indies, of which he was in entire charge for over a year during the absence of the manager.
From 1937 to 1940 he was mainly engaged on constructional work at the Glaxo Laboratories, but for a brief period was similarly employed by the Manchester Oil Refinery Company, Ltd. He then joined the headquarter's staff of the Inspector General of Armaments at Woolwich, where he remained up to the time of his death, which occurred on 24th January 1946 in his sixtieth year.
Mr. Vavasour had been an Associate Member of the Institution since 1934.