Richard Saxton White
Richard Saxton White (1847-1922)
1847 Born in Southampton, son of Captain Richard White RN, of the P&O line.
Apprentice with Day, Summers and Co of Southampton
Draughtsman with Denny Brothers of Dumbarton
Moved to work for Robert Napier, Glasgow
Chief draughtsman at Alexander Stephen and Sons' yard at Linthouse,
1875 Appointed manager of the Barrow Shipbuilding Co
1883 Appointed manager of (?) The Fairfield Co[1]
1896 Managing Director of Armstrong Whitworth's Walker Yard
Commissioned in the Northumberland Fusiliers
1907 Transferred with his battalion to the Northumberland Fusiliers
1920 Colonel R. Saxton White was President of the North East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders[2]
1922 Obituary: Transactions of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects[3]
1922 Obituary[4]
"We regret to have to announce the death of Colonel R. Saxton White, the youngest son of the late Captain Richard White, of the Royal Navy and of the P. and O. Company. Colonel White was born at Southampton on June 15th, 1847. He was educated privately and at Southampton College, and he served his apprenticeship with Messrs. Day, Summers and Co of Southampton. After completing his apprenticeship he was associated with W. Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton, as draughtsman, and subsequently with Robert Napier and Sons, Glasgow. In 1875 he was appointed manager of the Barrow Shipbuilding Co, in which position he designed and constructed, among other large steamers the City of Rome for the Inman Line. In 1883 he became manager of the Walker shipyard of what was then Sir W. G Armstrong, Mitchell and Co, Newcastle-upon-Tyne where he was associated with the late Colonel Henry F. Swan in the development of the construction of vessels for the carriage of petroleum in bulk, as well as of other important passenger, ice-breaking and general trade vessels. In 1890 he received the appointment of manager of the shipyard and director of the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, under the late Sir Wm. Pearce, Bart., and while holding it he designed and constructed the Cunarders Campania and Lucania and other fast, ocean-going cross-Channel steamers.
In 1896 Colonel White returned to the Walker shipyard as general manager and local director, where under his direction many unique designs were developed and important, vessels constructed. On the amalgamation of the Armstrong and Walker shipyards in 1919 he was appointed consultative general manager, which position he held up to his retirement in December, 1920.
Colonel White was a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, of the Institution of Naval Architects, of which he was a vice-president, of the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland, and of the North-East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders, of which he was a past-president, and also a Fellow. He was, moreover, a member of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights and was a Freeman of the City of London. He served on the Commission appointed by the Homo Office for the consideration of the census of production question, and took great interest in all matters affecting the relations between Capital and Labour, being strongly of opinion that tho interests of both might best la« reconciled by the existence of trade unions having strong executives and equally strong federations of employers, whereby the principles of collective bargaining might, best, be assured to the advantages of both employers and employed. For many years Colonel White took an active interest in the Volunteer and Territorial Forces and served in all ranks. In 1992 he succeeded Colonel Swan in the command of the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. He held the Volunteer Decoration, and was also on the Commission of tho Peace for the county of Northumberland."
1922 Obituary [5]
RICHARD SAXTON WHITE, V.D., J.P., died on August 13, 1922, at his residence, Culverdene, Westcliff Road, Bournemouth.
Colonel White was the youngest son of the late Captain Richard White, R.N., of Weymouth, and later of the P. & O. Company. He was born at Southampton on June 15, 1847, and served his apprenticeship with Messrs. Day, Summers & Company, Southampton, afterwards joining Messrs. W. Denny & Brothers, Dumbarton, later becoming associated with Messrs. Robert Napier & Sons, Glasgow.
In 1875 he was appointed manager of the Barrow Shipbuilding Company.
In 1883 he became manager of the Walker Shipyard of Sir W. G. Armstrong, Mitchell & Company, Ltd., Newcastle-on-Tyne, where he was associated with the late Colonel Henry F. Swan, C.B.
In 1890 he received the appointment of manager of the Shipyard and director of the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Ltd., under the late Sir William Pearce, Bart.
He returned to Walker Shipyard in 1896 as general manager and local director.
Elected a member of the Institute of Metals on May 12, 1911. Colonel White was also a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Naval Architects (of which he was a Vice-President), the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland, and the North-East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders, of which he was a Past-President. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, and a Freeman of the City of London. Colonel White served on the Commission appointed by the Home Office for the consideration of the Census of Production question. For many years he took an active interest in the Volunteer and Territorial Forces, serving in all ranks.
He leaves a widow, one son, and two daughters.
1922 Obituary[6]
"THE LATE COLONEL R. SAXTON WHITE-
An outstanding figure in shipbuilding circles on the North-East Coast has passed away in the person of Col. Richard Saxton White, V.D., J.P., who, we regret to announce, died at his residence “ Culverdene,” Bournemouth West, on Sunday, the 13th inst. Col. White, who was the youngest son of the late Captain Richard White, of the Royal Navy and of the P. and 0. Company, was bom at Southampton on June 15, 1847, so that he was in his seventy-sixth year at. the time of his death.
He was educated privately and also at Southampton College, afterwards serving a six years’ appre-ticeship with Messrs. Day, Summers and Co., Southampton. Here he passed through all departments of iron shipbuilding, including a period of 12 months in the drawing office. He then entered the service of Messrs. W. Denny and Brothers, at Dumbarton, where he remained for nearly five years, the greater part of this time being spent in the drawing office, of which he took charge during the later part of his engagement with this firm. After short periods of service with Messrs. Robert Napier and Sons, Glasgow, and Messrs. Alex. Stephen and Son, Glasgow, where he had charge of the drawing office and acted partially as outside manager, he was appointed shipbuilding manager to the Barrow Shipbuilding Co in 1875. Here he was responsible for the design and construction of many important vessels, including the City 'of Rome for the Inman Line.
His next appointment, received in 1883, was that of manager of the Walker Yard of Messrs. Sir W. G. Armstrong, Mitchell and Co., Neweastle-on-Tyne, and here he' was associated with the late Col. Henry F. Swan, C.B., in the development of the construction of vessels for the transport of petroleum in hulk, as well as in the design and construction of a number of passenger steamers, ice-breakers, and general cargo carriers. In 1890 he became associated with the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, Govan, holding the appointment of shipyard manager and director under the late Sir William Pearce, Bart. While with the Fairfield Company, Col. Saxton White was responsible for the design and construction of a number of fast cross-Channel boats and oceangoing steamers, of which the Cunard liners Campania and Lucania were the most important. A very full account of these epoch-making vessels will he found in Engineering, Vol. LV, on page 463.
In 1896, the subject of our memoir returned to the Walker Yard of Messrs. Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth and Co., Limited, in the capacity of general manager and. local director, and many important vessels, including some of unique design, emanated from the yard under his regime. On the amalgamation of the Armstrong and Walker shipyards in 1919, Col. White was appointed consulting general manager, which position he held until his retirement in December, 1920.
The deceased gentleman was elected a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1905, and had been a member of the Institution of Naval Architects since 1877. He took a prominent part in the work of the latter institution, of which he was elected a member of council in 1912 and became vice-president in 1914, He was also a member of the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland and a past-president and fellow of the North-East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders.
Col. White was also a member of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, a Freeman of the City of London, and was appointed on the Commission of the Peace for the County of Northumberland. His public work, we may mention, included a period of service on the Commission appointed by the Home Office in connection with the Census of Production. He showed great interest in all matters affecting the relationship between capital and labour, and for several years was a member of the Central Board of the Shipbuilding Employers’ Federation, of which body he acted as vice-president from 1908 to 1911. In labour matters he held the view that differences between the parties could best he reconciled by the existence of trade unions with strong executives and equally strong federations of employers, so that the principles of collective bargaining could be utilised to the advantage of both sides.
No account, however brief, of Col. White’s career would be complete without some reference to the active interest he took in the Volunteer and Territorial Forces. After passing through all ranks over a period of many yeais, he took command, in 1902, of the Second Volunteer Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers, and, in 1907, when the Territorial Force was formed, he was transferred to that Force with the whole of his battalion, which became the Fifth Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers. Col. White held the Volunteer Decoration, and, on his retirement, received the thanks of the Army Council for his work in connection with the Volunteer and Territorial Forces. He leaves a widow, a son and two daughters, to whom the sympathy of a large circle of friends will be freely extended."
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Engineering, Volume 114, 1922
- ↑ Transactions, Volume 36 [1]
- ↑ Volume 64
- ↑ The Engineer 1922/08/18
- ↑ 1922 Institute of Metals: Obituaries
- ↑ Engineering 1922/08/18
- Obituary in Shipbuilding & Shipping Record: A Journal of Shipbuilding, Marine Engineering, Dock, Harbours & Shipping, Volume 20, 1923 [2]