Brian Lucy
Brian Lucy (1898-1949)
1950 Obituary [1]
"BRIAN LUCY was born at Wolverhampton in 1898 but was educated and had his early engineering training in New South Wales. Mr. Lucy came of an engineering family and it was through his father's appointment as assistant chief mechanical engineer of the New South Wales Railways that he made his first acquaintance with Australia in 1905.
In 1916 he entered the civil engineering department of the New South Wales Railways as a cadet draughtsman, but the following year joined the Government Flying School at Richmond, New South Wales, and later that year was granted the Australian Aero Club's pilot's certificate No. 56.
In 1918 he came to England, became a Cadet in the R.F.C., and obtained his "Wings" a few days before the Armistice. In 1919 he returned to Australia and was appointed draughtsman in the C.M.E.'s department of the New South Wales Railways and worked on steam locomotives and rolling stock. He became interested in railcars, and in 1922 was placed in charge of railcar design. A further two years were spent on design and production of railcars before returning to England to become senior draughtsman at Leyland Motors. He spent 1927-29 in a similar position with General Motors Trust Corporation, Michigan, United States.
In 1929 he returned to Leyland Motors and held various positions during his ten years with the firm. He was sent by them to New Zealand in 1936, to act in an advisory capacity to the Government Railways in the design of railcars. He resigned in 1939, at which time he held the position of assistant chief engineer. He became a member of the Mechanization Board in September 1939, and left to take up an appointment with Dennis Brothers as chief engineer in January 1940. He was closely in touch with fighting vehicle mechanical development and was later requested to return to the Ministry of Supply as Deputy Director F.V.D.D. in August 1943. He occupied this post until April 1944, during which time he was responsible for the design and development of the various carriers.
He then returned to Dennis Brothers, and had business trips to South Africa and America for the firm. Mr. Lucy died on 30th September 1949. He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1940."
E. Johnson, B.Sc., M.I.Mech.E.