Robert Thatcher Rolfe
Robert Thatcher Rolfe (c1884-1958) of W. H. Allen, Sons and Co
1958 Obituary [1]
WE regret to record the death of Mr. Robert Thatcher Rolfe, which occurred suddenly at h1s home at Goldington Road Bedford, on December 9.
Mr. Rolfe, who was seventy-four, had spent over forty years on the staff of W. H. Allen, Sons and Co., Ltd., and until his retirement four years ago was chief metallurgist. Since his retirement Mr. Wolfe had served the firm as a consultant and, in fact, had visited the Queen's Engineering Works only a few hours before his death.
Mr. Rolfe was educated at the Richmond County School and at King's College, London.
He spent five years in London with Riley and Harbord, metallurgical chemists and, subsequently, a year or so with the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company at Buchan's River.
He joined W. H Allen, Sons and Co., Ltd., in 1912.
During his career., Mr. Rolfe made many valuable contributions to metallurgical literature. He was the author of a book entitled Steels for the User and presented a number of papers to professional institutions. Mr. Rolfe was a fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry, a Fellow of the Institution of Metallurgists, a member of the Iron and Steel Institute and a member of the Institute of Metals. He was awarded the O.B.E. in 1952.
For us, Mr. Rolfe's death is a personal loss. For many years he had served THE ENGINEER as a reviewer of books on metallurgical subjects and for some months past he had regularly provided our "Metallurgical Topics."