Fred Pritchard
Fred Pritchard (1883-1936)
1936 Obituary [1]
FRED PRITCHARD was in business for several years as an electrical engineer and contractor, and carried out several important installations for local authorities in connexion with homing estates and public institutions.
He was born in Leominster, Herefordshire, in 1883, and studied electrical engineering at Finsbury Technical College, London, from 1898 to 1900. In the latter year he became an assistant in the London office of the British Thomson-Houston Company, Ltd., but shortly afterwards enlisted for active service in the South African War.
He afterwards worked for three years in the engineer's department of the Vereeniging Coal Mines.
On his return to England he entered the electrical engineer's department of the Midland Railway.
In 1907 he went to Malaya and joined Messrs. Huttenbach, Brothers and Company, eventually becoming principal engineer in the machinery and electrical departments. He was responsible for supplying and erecting a wide variety of machinery and mining plant in Malaya, Siam, and Burma.
In 1915 he was appointed joint manager of the Singapore branch of Messrs. Fraser and Chalmers, of Erith, and held the power of attorney for the firm.
He returned to England later in 1920 and acquired an electrical contracting business in Rugby, trading under the style of the Rugby Electrical Company.
Five years later he sold the business and acquired that of the Kingsdown Electrical Company, Croydon, with which he was concerned until his death. He also extended his business to include radio engineering and neon signs.
Mr. Pritchard died on 24th May 1936.
He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1920, and was also an Associate Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.