Albert Lennox Stanton
Albert Lennox Stanton (1880-1939)
1940 Obituary [1]
ALBERT LENNOX STANTON was born in Leeds in 1880 and served his apprenticeship from 1897 to 1900, first in a Government engineering works in the North Midlands and later with the London and North Western Railway. During the next three years he studied mechanical and electrical engineering subjects at the University of London and having obtained his diploma he went to Portsmouth as assistant superintendent of equipment to the borough corporation.
In 1905 he left for the United States, and after holding the position of assistant engineer for the constructional division of the New York Central R.R., he joined the San Francisco Gas and Electric Company, by whom he was engaged on the salvaging of machinery and on reconstruction work after the earthquake and fire of 1906. Subsequently he was employed as an engineer in charge of construction of the Panama Canal. He became maintenance engineer to the Southern Pacific Lighting and Power Company, California, in the same year, and in 1908 he was appointed inspecting and testing engineer to the New York Edison Company (power generation division).
In 1909 he returned to England and joined the National Telephone Company as equipment engineer in the constructional division, later being promoted to chief district electrician for South Wales. He was made a staff officer of the G.P.O. Engineering Department in 1912, and held the position of acting chief engineering inspector for six years, during which he carried out many heavy constructional works in South Wales, and laid a considerable amount of submarine cables. During 1918-20 he was advisory technical engineer and works engineer to the Cosmos Engineering Company, of Bristol; he carried out the rearrangement of the works layout and installed special hydraulic plant and testing equipment for the Air Board.
In 1920 Mr. Stanton went to India as deputy power house superintendent of the Bombay Electric Supply and Tramways Company, Ltd., and in the following year he received an appointment to the Government of Bombay as a senior executive engineer (first grade) and was attached to the Third Project (Railway and Industrial) of the Development Directorate, with the title of electrical and mechanical engineer. While occupying this position Mr. Stanton carried out important schemes for electric power generation, transmission, and distribution, and installed a large amount of electrical and mechanical plant for locomotive workshops, waterworks, irrigation, and sewage disposal. In addition he was responsible for the testing and inspection of material used for these schemes. He also acted, with Government sanction, as advisory engineer to the Poona Electric Supply Company. During 1923 he carried out special inspection duties on waterworks and electric supply stations in the United Provinces, Delhi, and Baroda.
In 1926 he returned to England and went into business as a consulting engineer. He was chiefly concerned with electricity supply and was president of the Overhead Lines Association for the electrical development of rural areas. He also served on the General Committee of the British Association. He took a great interest in the Channel Tunnel project and gave evidence thereon before a Parliamentary Committee in 1939. Mr. Stanton was the author of several notable papers, chiefly dealing with electrical and hydraulic subjects, which he presented to various technical societies.
He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1920 and was transferred to Membership in 1924. In addition he was a Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. His death occurred on 24th November 1939.