Edward Alfred James
Edward Alfred James (c1895-1943)
1943 Obituary [1]
EDWARD ALFRED JAMES received his technical education at the Central Technical School, Birmingham, and served his apprenticeship with the Lanchester Motor Company from 1911 to 1914. He then joined H.M. Forces and on demobilization continued his practical training with Messrs. John Thompson, Ltd., Wolverhampton, from 1919 to 1922. He remained with the firm for a further period of eleven years, being first employed in the drawing office and as an outside erector.
In 1926 he was appointed supervisory engineer in India, where he was in charge of steam plant installations, and was responsible for final contracts. Returning to England two years later, he was appointed resident engineer in charge of the Oxford Electric Company and Swindon Corporation power stations on behalf of the firm, his last position being assistant supervising engineer for all home contracts, which included important boiler plant erection at the Metropolitan Water Board's stations at Deptford and Surbiton. On the completion of the latter in 1933, he entered the service of the Board, and after being in charge of the generating plant at Surbiton for a period of four years was appointed engineering assistant to act in an advisory capacity for all generating plant, comprising over 400 boilers. His wide experience enabled him to deal successfully with the many problems arising in connexion with modern boiler plants.
Latterly, however, he had devoted his entire attention to the care, maintenance and test of the A.R.P. plant, which had greatly increased in volume. Mr. James, whose death occurred on 14th January 1943, in his forty-eighth year, was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1939.