Dr Richard Joseph Simon Seligman, metallurgist and chemical engineer
of Wimbledon
1878 Born on his father's farm in Wimbledon; he was son of a city banker[1]
Educated at Harrow, the City and Guilds Central Technical College in London, then Hamburg and Zurich where he gained a PhD
1904 Joined British Aluminium Co as chief chemist
1908 Left British Aluminium; obtained licence to develop a Swiss patent for welding aluminium. Pioneered autogenous welding of aluminium, and applying welding to vessels used in the milk industry.
1910 Founded the Aluminium Plant and Vessel Co[2]; chairman of the company, where he was joined by his brother Gerald[3]
1923 Conceived the idea of the plate heat exchanger and took out the first patent of this device
President of the Institute of Metals[4]
1941 Largely through his advice the UK government adopted the high temperature, short residence time method of pastuerizing milk
1948 Chairman of the successor company, APV[5]
1958 President of APV
1972 Died at his office in Crawley[6]