Archibald Goodman Frazer-Nash (1889-1965) of GN Car Co and Frazer-Nash, was an early English manufacturer of cyclecars and sports cars in England.
1889 June 30th. Born at Sindh, India
1891 His mother is shown as a widow [1]
1901 Living at 136 Haverstock Hill, Hampstead (age 11 born Sindle, Hyderabad, India). With his widow mother Lilias F. Nash (age 41 born Haverstock Hill), a Medical Practioner. Also his brother Malcolm F. (age 9 born Haverstock Hill) and his mother's sister Frances M. Goodman (age 40 born Haverstock Hill). Two servants and a boarder. [2]
In 1910, he partnered with Henry Ronald Godfrey to produce the G.N., a two-cylinder light car, first sold in 1911, which stayed in production through 1922.
1911 Living at The Elms, Golders Green Road, London (age 21 born Sindh, India), a Mechanical Engineer - Motor (own account). With his widowed mother Lilias Emily Nash (age 51 born London), LRCP and S Glasq Medical Super. of The Elms, Hendon. Also his brother Malcolm Frazer Nash (age 19 born Hampstead), Apprenticed to Analytical Chemist. Also numerous other staff ofthe nursing home. [3]
1923 Formed the Frazer-Nash company to produce an evolution of the GN, which became the Frazer Nash car. Frazer Nash was reconstituted as A. F. N. Ltd. in 1927.
The new company was taken over by H. J. ("Aldy" or "HJ") Aldington in 1929. At the same time Archie Frazer Nash resigned from any management role although he remained a shareholder.
In 1929, he started a separate engineering company, Nash and Thompson which designed a very successful machine-gun turret, the Frazer-Nash hydraulic aircraft turret, used in British bombers in WWII.
1930 Captain Archibald Frazer-Nash of Kingston Hiil, racing at Brooklands in an Austin 92 [4]
1937 Director of R. B. Pullin and Co when it went public [5]
1938 Archie added a hyphen to his name, changing it from "Frazer Nash" to "Frazer-Nash", so both forms are correct, depending on the reference period.
1965 March 10th. Died.
1994 Bio notes.[6]
1965 Obituary [7]
Capt. A. G. Frazer-Nash (Member), the gifted inventor and designer of the car which bears his name, died on 10th March aged 75.
Born in India in 1889, he demonstrated his mechanical ability at an early age and before his sixteenth birthday he had designed and built his own motor cycle. His cars, and those he produced with H. R. Godfrey, won over 150 awards in races and hill-climbs in Britain and abroad.
His inventions included a safe load indicator for cranes; safety flare-brackets for aircraft and the Frazer-Nash hydraulic gun turret. Since 1945, in conjunction with Frazer-Nash Ltd, he designed and supplied mechanisms for the Ministry of Aviation and the UKAEA. His partners in the Company intend to carry on this consulting business, of which he was Chairman.
Capt. Frazer-Nash joined the Institution in 1931 and was a member of the Automobile Division. His death robs us of yet another of the great pioneers of automobile engineering to whom we all owe so much.
1965 Obituary [8]
'We regret to record the death on March 10 of Mr. A. G. Frazer-Nash, M.I.Mech.E., chairman of Frazer-Nash Ltd., Kingston. Mr. Frazer-Nash, who was born in 1889, was best known for his work on motor cars, but he was also responsible for many inventions in the mechanical engineering field. Before he reached the age of sixteen he held an able-bodied seaman's certificate, and had designed and built his own motor cycle. Later, in association with Mr. H. R. Godfrey he designed and produced the G. N. car. Subsequently, he designed the Frazer-Nash car and in these and G.N.s won over 150 awards in races and hill-climbs at home and abroad. He was a founder and council member of the British Racing Drivers' Club. Among his best-known inventions were the Nash (now Vickers-Nash) safe load indicator for cranes, safety flare-brackets for aircraft, and the Frazer-Nash hydraulic gun turret, which was used extensively in the 1939-45 war on aircraft, tanks and marine craft. Since 1945, in conjunction with Frazer-Nash Ltd., he designed and supplied mechanisms for the Ministry of Aviation, and United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, including safety gear for 'Zephyr', the first breeder reactor at Harwell, and liquid metal components. Mr. Frazer-Nash also practiced as a consulting engineer, and arrangements have been made to continue his consulting work, through Frazer-Nash Ltd., with Mr. Alec Woods, B.Sc. (Eng.), A.M.I.Mech.E., and Mr. Dave Aland, A.M.I.Mech.E., both of whom have been connected with the company for many years.'
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1891 census
- ↑ 1901 Census
- ↑ 1911 Census
- ↑ The Times, May 14, 1930
- ↑ The Times 8 March 1937
- ↑ Brooklands Reunion Programme. 1994/06/26
- ↑ 1965 Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Obituaries
- ↑ The Engineer 1965/04/09, p657.
- [1] Wikipedia