William Thomas Bell
William Thomas Bell (c1868-1958) of Robey and Co
1958 Obituary [1]
MR. WILLIAM THOMAS BELL, who died at his home at South Park, Lincoln, on January 27 at the age of ninety, had served the firm of Robey and Co., Ltd., continuously for over seventy years. He has been fitting!y referred to as the oldest business man in Lincoln. There is an added distinction in that his father was a partner in the Robey organisation prior to the formation of the present company in 1893.
Mr. Bell was educated at Lincoln School and at Mill Hill, and entered the Robey works as an apprentice in 1885. When his apprenticeship was completed, he spent some time in the design department and later went to Germany to take charge of a branch which the firm had opened in that country.
In 1910, Mr. Bell was appointed a director of the company and four years later he became managing director.
In 1922, he was elected chairman of Robey and Co., Ltd., which office he combined with that of managing director. Thus he continued as the head of the company: with which he had served his apprenticeship, right up till the time of his death.
Mr. Bell was a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, his association with the Institution going back over sixty years for he was accepted as a graduate in 1890. He received the O.B.E. in 1918, and was a Justice of the Peace for the City of Lincoln.