Valentine George Barford
Valentine George Barford (c1872-1938)
1873 Born in Northampton, son of Valentine Thomas Barford[1]
1938 Obituary [2]
VALENTINE GEORGE BARFORD held the position of chief draughtsman to Messrs. John I. Thornycroft and Company, Ltd., for the motor vehicle side of their work, for no less than thirty-six years, In the early days of petrol tractors, he was responsible for much of the detailed design of the "C4" tractor of the firm, which was the most successful type in a competition with a £1,000 prize, organized by the War Office, for a military tractor. He also designed a form of spring draw gear for use on internal combustion-engines lorries for drawing trailers; the device, involving the provision of a laminated spring, slipped into the cross member of the frame, which took either a pull or a thrust; it was adopted as standard by the War Office and eventually became almost universal practice.
Mr. Barford was born at Northampton and served his apprenticeship with Messrs. R. Hornsby and Sons, Ltd., of Grantham, from 1888 until 1893, when he entered the drawing office. In 1897 he became leading draughtsman at the Coventry works of the Daimler Motor Company, Ltd., and a year later was appointed chief draughtsman to Messrs. Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies, Ltd., Ipswich. He accepted a similar position with the Wantage Engineering Company in 1900, and two years later he began his long association with Messrs. Thornycroft.
Mr. Barford was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1907. His death occurred at his home at Basingstoke on 8th September 1938, in his sixty-sixth year.
1937/38 Obituary [3]
Valentine George Barford was born in 1872 and obtained his education at King Edward's School, Grantham.
He was apprenticed with Hornsbys, Ltd., of Grantham, and subsequently occupied positions as Draughtsman with Griffin and Co. Ltd., Bath, Daimler Motor Co., Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies, and The Wantage Engineering Co.
He joined John I. Thornycroft and Co., Chiswick, in 1902, and was associated with the firm as Chief Draughtsman for 36 years up to the time of his death. He was responsible for a great deal of work for the Industry, notably on the Technical Committees of the S.M.M. and T. and of the British Standards Institution.
He died in September, 1938, at the age of 66.
He was elected a Member in 1923.
1938 Obituary [4]
"THE LATE; MR. V. G. BARFORD.- It is with regret that we have to record the death of Mr. Valentine George Barford, who for thirty-six years was associated as chief draughtsman with John I. Thornycroft and Co., Ltd. He was born in Northampton, educated at King's School, Grantham, and served his time with Richard Hornsby and Sons, of that town. Subsequently he spent some time in the drawing-office at Grantham and then gained further experience with Messrs. Griffins, of Bath, the Daimler Company of Coventry, Ransomes of Ipswich, and the Wantage Engineering Company. He joined John I. Thornyrroft and Co., Ltd., at Chiswick in 1902, and was largely responsible for the design of the C 4 tractor.
When the works were transferred from Chiswick to Basingstoke, Mr. Barford continued his association with the company in the same capacity. He was a member of the Institution of Automobile Engineers, the American Society of Automobile Engineers, and other bodies, and served on the Technical Committees of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and the British Engineering Standards Institution."