Bennett Pell
Bennett Pell (1842-1912), electrical engineer
1842 Born in Faversham, Kent,[1] son of James (a grocer) and Selina Pell[2]
1851 Living in Boughton Under Blean, Kent[3]
1861 Telegraph clerk, boarding in Lambeth[4]
c.1872 Married Mary[5]
c.1874 Birth of son Frederick Bennett Pell in Java, Batavia[6]
1875 of Blackheath; elected a member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers[7]
c.1875 Birth of son William in the Straits Settlements (Singapore)[8]
c.1879 Birth of daughter Edith in the Straits Settlements (Singapore)[9]
c.1881 Birth of daughter Gertrude in Singapore
1890 Birth of daughter Amy
1891 Electrician, living in Blackheath with Mary E Pell 41 and Amy N Pell 1[10]
1901 Mary E Pell 51, living in Wealdstone, with William M S Pell 26, Edith Pell 22, Gertrude W Pell 20, Amy W Pell 11[11]
1903 Bennett Pell, of Jersey
1911 Retired director of a public company; visiting Exmouth[12]
1911 Mary Elizabeth Pell 61, living in Epsom, with Edith Pell 32 (born Straits Settlement)[13]
1912 Died in Devon
1912 Obituary [14]
BENNETT PELL was born on 16th August, 1842, near Canterbury, and received his professional training at the London station of the Submarine Telegraph Company, where he began work in 1857. On the laying of the first cable to Germany he was transferred to the Continental station at Emden.
In 1860 he joined the United Kingdom Telegraph Company, and although only 18 years of age was placed in charge of their Birmingham station.
At the age of 21 he became connected with the Indo-European Telegraph Department, and occupied important positions at home and in Persia and the Colonies until 1874, when he was appointed general manager of the Eastern Extension Australasia and China Telegraph Company at Singapore. Here he established the first telephone exchange in the East, which was afterwards purchased by the Oriental Telephone Company.
In 1882 Mr. Pell returned to England and took up work with Messrs. Johnson and Phillips, where he brought out the Brockie-Pell arc lamp, and formed a separate company to acquire the rights of manufacture of this lamp.
He retired from the electrical profession in 1898.
He was elected a Member of the Institution in 1875, and was also a Fellow of the Imperial Institute, and a member of the London Chamber of Commerce.
His death occurred at Exmouth on 20th September, 1912.