Frederick Kennerley Preston
Frederick Kennerley Preston (1871-1934) of Mirrlees Watson Co
1934 Obituary [1]
FREDERICK KENNERLEY PRESTON was for twenty-five years associated with The Mirrlees Watson Company, Ltd., for whom he was resident engineer in the South Yorkshire and East Derbyshire district, and since 1925 had also represented Messrs. Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day, Ltd.
He was born in 1871, and in 1885 he commenced a six years' apprenticeship in the Grantham works of Messrs. R. Hornsby and Sons, Ltd., after which he studied for a year at University College, Nottingham. He became a Whitworth Exhibitioner and National Scholar in Mechanical Science in 1892, and after three years' study at the Royal College of Science, London, he was appointed senior demonstrator and lecturer in mechanical engineering at the University of Sheffield, where he carried out an exhaustive research on superheated steam with Professor William Ripper, M.I.Mech.E.
He became manager and engineer to Messrs. J. Chesterman and Company, Ltd., of Sheffield, in 1897, and four years later was appointed chief technical instructor to the Brush Electrical Engineering Company of Loughborough.
He subsequently occupied in succession the positions of general manager and engineer to Messrs. Matthews and Yates, Ltd., of Swinton, near Manchester; chief assistant engineer to the Bradford Dyers' Association; and chief engineer to Messrs. Malcomess and Company, Ltd., of East London, South Africa, for whom he designed and installed various forms of pumping machinery for water works.
In 1909 he returned to England to take up his position with the Mirrlees Watson Company, Ltd.
Mr. Preston was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1903 and was transferred to Membership in 1906. He was also an Associate Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
His death occurred on 24th December 1934.