Joseph Richards Thorpe
Joseph Richards Thorpe (1880-1947)
1948 Obituary [1]
"JOSEPH RICHARDS THORPE, who was born in 1880, received his education at the Lincoln Technical School and served his apprenticeship from 1897 to 1901 with Messrs. Ruston Proctor and Company, of Lincoln, in whose employment he continued for a further two years. He then joined Messrs. Richard Garrett and Sons, Ltd., general engineers of Leiston, Suffolk, and began a connection which lasted for twenty-six years. After successively filling the positions of tool-room foreman, machine shop superintendent, and works superintendent he finally was made works manager. On vacating this position in 1929 he became superintendent and production engineer to Messrs. Thomas Aveling, Ltd. Four years later he secured an appointment with Messrs. John Fowler and Company, of Leeds, as production engineer. His last position, which he had held from 1939, was that of plant engineer to the same firm. Mr. Thorpe, whose death occurred on 2nd March 1947, was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1918."