Ricardo John Henry Sayers
Ricardo John Henry Sayers (c1860-1934) of West's Gas Improvement Co
1934 Obituary [1]
RICARDO JOHN HENRY SAYERS was associated with Messrs. West's Gas Improvement Company for fifty-three years.
He was born in London and was educated at Finsbury College.
In 1874 he became a pupil of Mr. Stephen Holman, of Messrs. Tangye Brothers and Holman and served until 1878, when he was apprenticed to Mr. John West, M.I.Mech.E., at the Albion Works of Messrs. West's Gas Improvement Company at Miles Platting, Manchester.
At the early age of 20 he was promoted to the position of chief draughtsman and secretary, and in 1896 he was appointed chief engineer to the company. The firm employed about 500 hands at that time.
Mr. Sayers held this position until 1919 when he became London manager, retiring in 1932. He was associated with the development of gas plant machinery from its early days, and designed details for various types of retort charging and discharging machines manufactured by the firm, including those operated by compressed air, steam, electricity, or by rope drives. In addition he designed the first band type of coal conveyer to be introduced into a gas works.
In 1902 he was elected to Membership of the Institution.
His death occurred in Manchester on 8th May 1934, in his seventy-fourth year.