of Thames House, Millbank, Westminster, London, SW1. Telephone: Victoria 9226. Telegraphic Address: "Aceterator, Sowest, London". (1937)
1886 Brin's Oxygen Co was registered by the Sharp brothers on 26 January, to acquire certain patent rights.
1886 Mr. Sharp employed Kenneth Sutherland Murray as assistant engineer at the Horseferry-road Oxygen Works. [1]
1906 The name was changed to the British Oxygen Co. [2]
By 1908 the company also had a works at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
1909 Acquired Scottish and Irish Oxygen Co.
By 1914 the company also had works at Cardiff and Greenwich.
1917 Advert for gases and equipment. [3]
1919 Advert for gases and equipment. [4]
1920 British Oxygen took over Sparklets Ltd. The Horseferry Road works were becoming congested and so production was transferred to Sparklets' under-employed Edmonton site.
1925 K. S. Murray who was for many years the managing director of the company, was elected to the chairmanship of the company, which was rendered vacant by the death of E. B. Ellice Clark.[5]
1926 T. G. Allen was joint managing director, and K. S. Murray was chairman and managing director.[6]
1927 Advert for oxygen. [7]
1930 Acquired Allen-Liversidge, the leading supplier of acetylene[8]
1936 Acquired the Quasi-Arc Co. Ltd from Turner & Newall, taking the company into the electric arc field.
1937 Manufacturers of oxygen, dissolved acetylene, industrial gases and equipment. "Alda" Welding Equipment. [9]
1937 British Industrial Fair Advert for B. O. C. Oxygen Cutting Machine. Oxy-Acetylene Welding, Cutting, Leadburning and Brazing Equipment. Oxygen Cutting Machines for cutting steel shapes and steel sections. Acetylene Flarelights, Ferro-Arc Electrodes, Metal Spraying Equipment. All Equipment will be demonstrated. (Engineering/Metals/Quarry, Roads and Mining/Transport Section - Stand Nos. D.511; D.410 and D.324). [10]
1939 See Aircraft Industry Suppliers
Post-WWII The firm's interests in the chemical field grew greatly, in conjunction with Norsk Hydro
1955 British Oxygen Chemicals Ltd was formed.
1955 All operating companies were put into new subsidiary companies:[11]
- UK Gases Division
- Industrial and Medical Divisions
- Engineering Division
- Electric Welding
- Chemicals Division
and the formation of a new joint venture British Oxygen Linde
1959 British Oxygen Aro Equipment continued developing products; production would start later in the year; British Oxygen Wimpey continued to be involved in engaged in the government rocket research project at Spadeadam; other subsidiaries were Sparklets and Woodside Die Sinking Co[12]
By 1961 the company operated through several divisions[13]:
- UK Gases Division
- Engineering Division, including British Oxygen Linde
- Electric Welding
- Chemicals Division
1963 Motor Show exhibitor. Gases and equipment for welding. [14]
1967 Acquired Murex Ltd which would contribute welding and specialist metal activities that would fit with the business[15]
1968 Acquired Edwards High Vacuum, a move supported by the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation because of Edwards recognised leadership in the high vacuum field but relatively small size[16]
1969 Acquired High Speed Steel Alloys which would be complementary to BOC's metallurgical business which was led by Murex[17]
1970 B.O.C. acquired the Deloro Smelting and Refining Co of Canada and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Deloro Stellite of Swindon[18]
1971 Established joint venture in arc welding with Holec of Holland who would contribute the welding branch of Smit of Nijmegen[19]
1974 Development of laser technology.[20]
1974 Extractor developed to remove arc welding fumes. The Starcrest SEF2 was a wall mounted motor unit fitted with a flexible glass fibre hose surrounding a three-jointed cantilever arm.[21]
1975 The name of the parent company was changed to BOC International Ltd; BOC Ltd was formed to take over the bulk of the trading in the UK.
1982 The holding company was renamed BOC Group plc.
2006 BOC was acquired by Linde AG.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/images/1/10/Er19350816.pdf page 172.
- ↑ The Stock Exchange Year Book 1908
- ↑ Mechanical World Year Book 1917. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p120
- ↑ Mechanical World Year Book 1919. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p160
- ↑ The Engineer 1925/05/22
- ↑ The Engineer 1926/11/12
- ↑ Mechanical World Year Book 1927. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p120
- ↑ The Times, Jul 06, 1938
- ↑ 1937 The Aeroplane Directory of the Aviation and Allied Industries
- ↑ 1937 British Industries Fair Advert p606; and p339
- ↑ The Times, May 25, 1955
- ↑ The Times, Mar 26, 1959
- ↑ The Times, Jan 24, 1961
- ↑ 1963 Motor Show
- ↑ The Times , Jun 14, 1967
- ↑ The Times, Jan 13, 1968
- ↑ The Times, May 24, 1969
- ↑ The Times, Dec 17, 1970
- ↑ The Times, Jan 16, 1971
- ↑ 1974/01/03 and 1974/01/10
- ↑ The Engineer 1974/05/09
- Archives of the British chemical industry, 1750-1914: a handlist. By Peter J. T. Morris and Colin A. Russell. Edited by John Graham Smith. 1988.