Herbert Talbot
Herbert Talbot (c1860-1943)
1943 Obituary [1]
HERBERT TALBOT, whose death occurred at Hambledon, Surrey, on the 16th August, 1943, at the age of 83, was one of the few remaining pioneers of the electricity supply industry. After serving his apprenticeship with a firm of engineers in the Birmingham district, he joined the Electrical Power Storage Co. in 1883. He was appointed Resident Manager of the Chelsea Electricity Co. in 1890, and he remained in that position until 1892 when he was appointed Borough Electrical Engineer of Nottingham. He held this position until his retirement in September, 1930.
Talbot superintended the design and construction of the original system and the first power station at Nottingham the supply being commenced in September, 1894. Under his able management, the undertaking was successful from its inception, both technically and financially, and during the first 20 years there was not a single occasion of failure of supply, a remarkable record in those early days. The progress and development was so rapid that in less than six years Talbot had to design an additional station at St. Ann's Well Road which was put into commission in 1901. His plans for a large generating station on the Trent were frustrated by the war of 1914-18, and this project did not mature until September, 1925.
Mr. Talbot was keenly interested in all aspects of electrical development, and he introduced schemes for the assisted wiring of premises and the hire of cookers, both of which were immediately successful. He was active in various electrical trade organizations and at a dinner given in his honour at Nottingham in 1928 he received presentations from the Nottingham City Council, the East Midland Advisory Board, the No. 7 Area Joint Board, the District Joint Industrial Council, the staff and employees of the Electricity Department, and the local electrical contractors. He was elected President of the Incorporated Municipal Electrical Association as long ago as 1907. He was one of the oldest members of The Institution, being elected a Member in 1893.