Herbert Anderson Hartley (c1877-1948)
1949 Obituary [1]
"HERBERT ANDERSON HARTLEY was associated with the engineering firm of Messrs. Reavell and Company, Ltd., of Ipswich, for forty-five years and had succeeded Sir William Reavell as chairman of the company only two months before his death, which occurred at Ipswich on 18th June 1948, at the age of seventy-one.
After completing his general education at Bolton Grammar School and the Manor House School, Clapham, he was employed for a year in the drawing office of Mr. James Weir, consulting engineer, Westminster. From 1893 to 1897 he served an apprenticeship with Messrs. Tannett, Walker and Company, Ltd., of Leeds, and during this period attended classes at the Yorkshire College.
On his return from Germany, which he had visited for the special purpose of studying limit gauges at the Berlin works of Ludwig Loewe, he was engaged for some months as assistant to the late Mr. Houston Stewart, M.I.C.E. In 1900 he joined the staff of Messrs. Ruston, Proctor and Company, Ltd. (now Ruston and Hornsby, Ltd.), at Lincoln, as assistant to the works manager, and in 1903 began his long connection with Messrs. Reavell and Company with the post of works manager. His appointment to the board of directors followed five years later. Mr. Hartley was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1903 and was transferred to Membership in 1921.
He was also a Vice-President of the Institution of Production Engineers and for some years served on the Mechanical Industries Committee of the British Standards Institution. In addition he took a great interest in local educational and religious organizations, being a member of the Ipswich Education Committee and chairman of the Ipswich Charity Commissioners. Besides his engineering duties Mr. Hartley devoted much time and attention at the works to the welfare of the personnel."