Robert Goodwin (1877-1922)
1923 Obituary [1]
ROBERT GOODWIN was born at Tibshelf, Derbyshire, on 14th July 1877.
He was educated at the Moravian School, Ockbrook, and at Nottingham University College, and served his apprenticeship with Messrs. Clench and Co., engineers and boiler-makers, of Chesterfield.
He then went to Messrs. Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies, of Ipswich, as draughtsman, and afterwards to Messrs. Richard Hornsby and Sons, Ltd., Grantham, in the same capacity.
Having thus gained a varied experience in steam and gas engines and agricultural machinery, he went to Lisbon, where he was for many years chief engineer and works manager with Messrs. F. Street and Co. He supervised the installation of cocoa and rubber machinery in Portuguese West Africa, and during the War was engaged in the manufacture of canning machinery which up to that time had not been attempted in Portugal. Owing to the great demand for this latter class of machinery for canning foods for the Allied Armies, and for machinery for the manufacture of munitions for the Portuguese Government, the resources of the works were taxed to the utmost, and the extraordinary difficulties of manufacture owing to the impossibility of obtaining from abroad the necessary tools and materials called for great resourcefulness, initiative, and technical skill from Mr. Goodwin.
In 1919 he went to Messrs. Harker, Sumner and Co., of Manchester, machinery exporters, as technical manager of their Lisbon branch; this post he held until the time of his death, which occurred on 10th November 1922, after a short illness and quite unexpectedly, at the age of forty-five.
He became an Associate Member of this Institution in 1905.