William George Sparks
William George Sparks (c1909-1943)
1944 Obituary [1]
WILLIAM GEORGE SPARKS, whose death on 21st April 1943, at the early age of thirty-four, cut short a promising career, received his practical training in the works of Messrs. Maconochie Brothers, London, from 1923 to 1930.
He then joined the Molins Machine Company, Deptford as a designer and remained in the firm's employment until 1935 when he entered upon his final position at the Crayford works of Messrs. Vickers Armstrongs, Ltd., where he specialized in the design of fire control gear for anti-aircraft guns.
Mr. Sparks, who was elected a Graduate of the Institution in 1936 and was transferred to Associate Membership in 1937, was formerly a lecturer on engineering subjects at one of the senior technical institutes of the London County Council. He had gained an extensive experience of special-purpose machines during the earlier part of his career, which stood him in good stead during his association with Messrs. Vickers Armstrongs, where, in addition to his work on fire control gear, he was engaged on the design of anti-aircraft predictors and other mechanisms.