James Foster-Smith
James Foster-Smith (1880-1947)
1947 Obituary [1]
"JAMES FOSTER-SMITH, whose death occurred on 24th January 1947, was the managing director of the Wellman Smith Owen Engineering Corporation, Ltd., of Westminster, for nearly thirty years.
He was born in 1880 and received his education at the technical schools in Glasgow, Derby, and Shrewsbury. On the termination of a seven years' apprenticeship at the Perseverance Ironworks, Shrewsbury, in 1901, he was employed for about a year by Messrs. Westman and Baker, engineers, of Toronto. He then joined the staff of Messrs. William Beardmore, Ltd., at Glasgow, and was engaged in that firm's crane department as a draughtsman. Subsequently he accepted an appointment as chief engineer to Messrs. Wellman, Seaver and Head, of Westminster, to whom he was responsible for the design and construction of steelworks handling machinery and furnace plant. He also travelled on the firm's behalf in Canada and the United States. In 1912 he became the manager of the crane department for Messrs. Babcock and Wilcox in London, but after holding this position for some years he took up his final appointment with the Wellman Smith Owen Corporation. Mr. Foster-Smith was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1907 and was transferred to Membership in 1914. "