Arthur Hewitt Gilling
Arthur Hewitt Gilling (c1871-1940)
Born at Liverpool
1939 M.I.Mech.E., M.I. Loco. E., M.Inst.C.E., A.M.I.E.E., Director and General Manager, R. Y. Pickering and Co., Ltd., Rly. Carriage and Wagon Works, Wishaw, Lanarkshire. Career: Merchant Taylors Sch.; Pupil, David Rollo & Sons, Ltd.; Ldg. Mech. Draughtsman, Elect. Constr. Co. Ltd.; Chf. Engr. Mitrovitch Bros. & Co. Ltd. Chile.; Gen. Mgr. W. G. Bagnall, Ltd.; Chf. Engr. Rio Tinto Mng. Co., Spain.; Mg. Dir. Yorkshire Engine Co. Ltd.; Chf. Engr. Dorada Rly.Co. Ltd., Colombia; Dir. & Gen. Mgr. R..Y. Pickering & Co. Ltd. also Dir. Glasgow Rly. Eng. Co. Ltd. Expert knowledge of Works re-organisation; special experience of Rly. Construction and Equipment; speaks 5 languages.
1941 Obituary [1]
ARTHUR HEWITT GILLING received his technical education at Bootle and Liverpool Schools of Science from 1890 to 1895, and during the same period served his apprenticeship with Messrs. David Rollo and Sons, of Liverpool, marine engineers and shipbuilders. He then went to Wolverhampton as draughtsman to the Electric Construction Company, Ltd., with whom he remained until 1900, when he became chief engineer to Messrs. Mitrovich Brothers, of Chile and Liverpool.
During the succeeding five years he designed and superintended the erection of several large nitrate works, as well as hydraulic plants, harbour works, light railways, and the electric lighting of the City of Antafogasta. He was general manager for Messrs. W. G. Bagnall, Ltd., locomotive and air engineers, of Stafford, from 1905 to 1910, when he went to Spain as chief engineer to the Rio Tinto Copper and Iron Company. In 1914 he became general manager, and later managing director of the Yorkshire Engine Company, Ltd., a position which he retained until 1930.
During this period he was associated with the design of the "Poultney" locomotive, also an automatic brake operating gear for goods trains. After four years in Colombia as chief mechanical engineer to the Dorada Railway, he was appointed general manager to Messrs. R. Y. Pickering and Company, Ltd., carriage and wagon builders, of Wishaw, Lanarkshire, and on the reorganization of the Company was appointed managing director.
Mr. Gilling, whose death occurred on 19th September 1940, in his sixty-eighth year, was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1900, and was transferred to Membership in 1904. He was also a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and an Associate Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.
1940 Obituary.[2]
Arthur Hewitt Gilling, born in 1873, was educated at the Merchant Taylor’s School from 1884 to 1889. He received his engineering training as an apprentice at David Rolls and Sons, Engineers and Shipbuilders, Liverpool (1889-95), the same time he attended evening classes at Bootle and Liverpool Technical Schools.
On completion of his apprenticeship, he joined the Electric Construction Company at Wolverhampton as a Mechanical Draughtsman, but after five years obtained an appointment as Chief Engineer to Mitrovich Brothers, Engineers and Contractors, London and South America.
His next appointment was that of Assistant General Manager of Morris and Bastert, Ltd., of Loughboro in 1908, but after 12 months he joined W. G. Bagnall, Ltd., Locomotive Builders, Stafford, as General Manager.
In 1912 he made a further change, becoming Chief Mechanical Engineer to the Rio Tinto Co. Ltd;, of London and Spain, but returned to Locomotive Building in 1914, when appointed General Manager and Secretary of the Yorkshire Engine Co. of Sheffield, subsequently being appointed Managing Director, which post he held until 1928.
For a time he was London Manager for Brown Bayley’s Steel works, and then in 1930 accepted the appointment of Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Dorada Railway Co., of Colombia, South America.
After three years, he returned to England and took up consulting work until appointed General Manager in 1935 of R. Y. Pickering and Co, of Wishaw.
In 1937 he was made a Director of the Glasgow Railway Engineering Co. Ltd., and in 1938, joined the Board of R. Y. Pickering and Co., retiring from both these appointments in January, 1940.
Mr. Gilling was an energetic man and introduced many improvements in both works production and managerial control for the various concerns he worked for. He spoke Spanish fluently,' and was familiar with French, German and Portuguese. He was elected a Member of the Institution in 1917, and was also a Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Electrical Engineers. His death took place on September 19th, 1940.