Alfred Buchanan Allan
Alfred Buchanan Allan (1878-1948)
1949 Obituary [1]
"ALEXANDER BUCHANAN ALLAN, who was born in 1878, received his education at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College and served his apprenticeship with Messrs. Alley and Maclellan, Ltd., engineers and shipbuilders, of Glasgow, from 1897 to 1902.
A year later he joined Messrs. Reavell and Company, Ltd., at Ipswich, as a draughtsman, and during his association with that firm, which lasted for many years, was closely concerned with the design of many important works for leading concerns in the country, including colliery plant, steam turbines, vacuum pump and condensing plant, air compressor plant, and other contracts.
He subsequently joined the staff of Messrs. Hughes and Lancaster, Engineers, Acrefair, North Wales, and in 1908 was made superintendent of design for air compressors and power units in connection with the "Shone" ejector system of drainage, and two years later he was appointed engineer in charge of the design and layout of the power installations for the Cairo main drainage scheme, an operation which continued for a number of years. Subsequently he established the engineering firm of Messrs. Allan, Irwin and Company, in Glasgow, and continued in business until his death, which occurred on 15th November 1948. Mr. Allan was the inventor of Allan's patent vertical high-speed air compressors. He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1904 and was transferred to Membership in 1917."