Herbert Jewson (1863-1931), director of Hobbies
1931 Obituary [1]
HERBERT JEWSON belonged to a well-known Norwich family, his brother, Richard Jewson, being an ex-Lord Mayor of Norwich and chairman of Messrs. Hobbies.
Mr. Herbert Jewson joined this firm over thirty-five years ago and was for many years a director. Ill-health compelled his retirement about two years ago.
He was educated at Norwich, and after serving his apprenticeship with Messrs. Wallis and Steevens of Basingstoke he later went to Egypt and joined the engineering firm of Messrs. Allen and Alderson. He was also for a time in charge of a gunboat on the Nile. Mr. Jewson also visited Persia to supervise constructional engineering work.
His ingenious inventions of machinery for the manufacture of fretsaws and other tools were the means of his firm now turning out eight to ten million saws annually.
He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1903.
His death occurred at the age of 68 years on 30th November 1931.
1931 Obituary[2]
"The Late Mr. Herbert Jewson.— We regret to note the sudden death, on November 30 last, at Earith, Huntingdonshire, of Mr. Herbert Jewson, engineer director of Messrs. Hobbies, Limited, Dereham, Norfolk. A member of a well-known Norwich family, Mr. Jewson was born in 1863, and received his general education in that city. He served his engineering apprenticeship in the works of Messrs. Wallis and Steevens, Basingstoke, and subsequently proceeded to Egypt to join the engineering firm of Messrs. Allen and Alderson. Later, he went to Persia, where he was in charge of constructional engineering work. Mr. Jewson joined Messrs. Hobbies, Limited, nearly 36 years ago, and was eventually appointed a director. He continued in control of the engineering department until less than two years ago, when ill-health obliged him to give up active interest. Mr. Jewson was responsible for many innovations at Dereham, one of these consisting in ingenious machinery for the manufacture of fret saws, which is now capable of turning out 10,000,000 saws a year. In the interests of his firm, Mr. Jewson had travelled to most parts of the world. He became an associate member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1903, and was a past vice-president of the Institute of British Foundrymen."