James Lamont Miller
James Lamont Miller (1882-1938)
1938 Obituary [1]
JAMES LAMONT MILLER had a varied engineering career, which included several appointments held in India. He was born in Kilmarnock in 1882 and served his apprenticeship from 1897 to 1904 with Messrs. George Russell and Company, Ltd., engineers, of Motherwell. In the latter year he joined Messrs. Baird, Colville and Sons, Ltd., of Motherwell as deputy chief electrical and mechanical engineer, and in 1911 went to India, holding a similar position, for the Equitable Coal Company, Ltd., Bengal; he supervised the installation of a large number of electric and hydraulic hoists, boilers, and air compressors for the firm.
He returned to England in 1916 and became engineering manager to an Aberdeen engineering firm, Messrs. John Blaikie and Sons. He subsequently joined Messrs. John Stirk and Sons, Ltd., engineers and iron founders, of Halifax, as chief electrical engineer. In 1921 he joined the British Thomson-Houston Company, Ltd., as a construction engineer on the firm's Indian construction staff, and supervised the erection of turbo-alternators, condensing plants, motors, and switchgear for mill electrification schemes. Some of this plant was for the American Manufacturing Company's Calcutta branch, and in 1922 Mr. Miller joined this firm as chief power plant engineer, and took charge of the operation of the machinery he had installed. In 1924 he returned to England, re-joining the British Thomson-Houston Company, and went to Newfoundland as foreman erector, in charge of the installation of large water-driven turbo-alternators.
Two years later he was appointed charge engineer to the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley, and Dukinfield Tramways and Electricity Board, and remained in the service of the board until his death, which occurred on 25th June 1938.
He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1920.