John Pountney Udal
John Pountney Udal (1875-1934)
1934 February 2nd. Died
1934 Obituary [1]
JOHN POUNTNEY UDAL spent the greater part of his professional career in works for the manufacture of explosives and allied chemicals.
He was a native of Birmingham and in 1891 entered Mason College, where he studied science and electrical engineering.
In 1894 he joined Messrs. Taylor and Challen as an apprentice.
Early in 1898 he was appointed engineer to Messrs. Kynoch, first at Kynochtown, Essex, and three years later at their works at Arklow, Ireland. In 1902 he became works manager at Arklow.
He went to South Africa in 1907 in the firm's interest, and was given the entire responsibility of fixing a site and arranging for the establishment of an explosives factory in Natal. The site chosen was at Umbogintwini, near Durban, and Mr. Udal supervised the erection of the whole plant and afterwards became general manager.
He remained in charge until 1915, when he was recalled to manage the works at Arklow for about a year, after which he again returned to South Africa and remained there as general manager until 1919. In that year his firm became merged with Messrs. Nobel's Explosives Company, and later with Imperial Chemical Industries.
Mr. Udal took charge of the engineering section of the Witton works of his old company for Messrs. Nobel until this section was closed in 1923. Just prior to this event, he had developed automatic guards for the protection of operators working power presses. He went into business on his own account, having extended his invention to cover guillotines and other printing machinery, and was so engaged until his death, which occurred on 2nd February 1934, in his fifty-ninth year.
He had been an Associate Member of the Institution since 1914.