Richard Joseph Walsh Cousins
Richard Joseph Walsh Cousins (1884-1952), chief designer of Ricardo and Co
1952 Obituary [1]
WE regret to have to record the death of Mr. R. J. W. Cousins, which occurred on Saturday last, February 15th, at 320, Upper Shoreham Road, Shoreham-by-Sea. Mr. Cousins, who was sixty-eight, had been chief designer of Ricardo and Co. (Engineers), 1927, Ltd., for many years.
Richard Joseph Walsh Cousins was born at Bangor on January 8, 1884, and received his general education at the Xaverian Brothers School, Manchester. For his technical studies he attended the Manchester College of Technology and the Kendal Technical School.
In 1901 Mr. Cousins began a three-years' premium apprenticeship with Gilbert Gilkes and Co., Ltd., of Kendal, and on its completion remained with that firm for a further two years, spending one year in the shops and a year in the drawing-office.
He then joined Isaac Braithwaite and Sons, Ltd., Kendal, as a draughtsman, with which firm he worked for nine years or so, mainly on automatic laundry machinery.
Mr. Cousins's long association with Ricardo and Co. (Engineers), 1927, Ltd., actually began during the first world war. He enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps in 1915 and was subsequently put on to technical work. This led to his being assigned, in 1917, to Engine Patents, Ltd. - the predecessor of Ricardo and Co., Ltd. - for work associated with Sir Henry Ricardo's appointment as consultant to the Air Ministry.
On demobilisation in 1919 Mr. Cousins was offered a post in the laboratory established at Shoreham-by-the-Sea by Ricardo and Co., Ltd., first taking charge of the drawing-office and shortly afterwards becoming chief designer for the company. Among work for which ·Mr. Cousins was responsible during his long period of service at Shoreham, was the detail design of the first standard variable comparative fuel test engine, and the torsional lay-out of many large auxiliary sets for cruisers and battleships.
He also designed the first automatic fuel-air controls for the Whittle jet aircraft and the sensitive speed control for its turbine.
Since 1938 Mr. Cousins had been a regular contributor to Kempe's Engineers' Year Book on the subject of internal combustion engines.
He was elected a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1948.
1953 Obituary [2]
RICHARD JOSEPH WALSH COUSINS was born at Bangor, North Wales, in 1884, and served an apprenticeship with Gilbert Gilkes and Company, Kendal, from 1901 to 1906.
He was then employed in that town as a draughtsman by Isaac Braithwaite and Sons, Ltd., until 1915, when he joined the Royal Flying Corps and was engaged on the design of aircraft engines.
In 1917 his services were lent to Engine Patents, Ltd. (now Ricardo and Company, Engineers (1927), Ltd.), and two years later he went to Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, to take charge of the firm's drawing office in the research laboratory.
In 1926 he was appointed chief designer, a position he held with distinction until his death, which occurred on 15th February 1952 at the age of sixty-eight.
His work was held in high esteem by the many firms in the internal-combustion-engine industry, both at home and abroad, for which Ricardo and Company acted as consultants. He was responsible for the design of the first automatic barostatic fuel—air control for the Whittle jet engine and sensitive speed control for the turbine.
Mr. Cousins had been a Member of the Institution since 1948.