James McKie Dewar
James McKie Dewar(c1866-1944)
1946 Obituary [1]
JAMES MCKIE DEWAR was well known as a prominent marine engineer, and had been the principal of Messrs. James M. Dewar and Son, consulting engineers, of Westminster, for over twenty years. He received his technical education at the Royal Technical College, Glasgow, and after serving his apprenticeship at the Kincaid engineering works, Greenock, went to sea as marine engineer on ships of the British India Steam Navigation Company, Ltd. During this period he obtained his Board of Trade First-Class Engineer's Certificate.
In 1892 he joined Messrs. Maudslay, Sons and Field, Ltd., marine engineers, London, and, later, as departmental manager was closely associated with the introduction of the Belleville water-tube boiler into the Royal Navy. On the transference of the works to the Clyde he was appointed manager of the firm's shipbuilding and marine engineering department. In 1903 he entered the London office of Messrs. Cammell, Laird and Company, Ltd., subsequently becoming a local director and their London and foreign representative. After an association of twenty years he began his career as a consultant, during which he specialized in the construction of high-powered motor liners and was concerned with most of the important developments in marine engineering of recent years.
Mr. Dewar, at the time of his death, which occurred on 29th December 1944, at the age of seventy-eight, was chairman of Chadburn's (Ship) Telegraph Company, Ltd., of Bootle, and had been a director for some fourteen years. He was elected a Member of the Institution in 1903 and was also a Member of theInstitution of Naval Architects. In addition he was Vice-President of the Institute of Marine Engineers and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. During the war of 1914-18 he was a member of the Munitions Board and acted as adviser to the Ministry of Shipping and numerous other Government departments, including H.M. Director of Dockyards.