Difference between revisions of "William Henry Preece"
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Preece was born in Caernarfon (Gwynedd), Wales. He was educated at King's College School, London. He went on to contribute many inventions and improvements, including a railway signalling system that increased safety. | Preece was born in Caernarfon (Gwynedd), Wales. He was educated at King's College School, London. He went on to contribute many inventions and improvements, including a railway signalling system that increased safety. | ||
Spent a short period in the engineering offices of [[Edwin Clark]]<ref> Obituary: The Times, 7 November 1913</ref>. | |||
1853 Joined the engineering staff of the [[Electric Telegraph Co]]. | 1853 Joined the engineering staff of the [[Electric Telegraph Co]]. | ||
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1853 Helped [[Michael Faraday]] with some telegraphic experiments, | 1853 Helped [[Michael Faraday]] with some telegraphic experiments, | ||
1856 Appointed superintendent of the Electric Telegraph Company's south-western district at Southampton. He also supervised the telegraphs of the [[London and South Western Railway]] | 1856 Appointed superintendent of the Electric Telegraph Company's south-western district at Southampton. | ||
From 1858 to 1862, he also engineer to the [[Channel Island Telegraph Co]]. | |||
1860 He also supervised the telegraphs of the [[London and South Western Railway]] | |||
1870 Joined the Post Office as Divisional engineer for the Southern District of the telegraphic system when the Government bought out the c.30 private telegraph companies. | |||
1877 Appointed electrician to the Post Office. | |||
1877 Was the first to import Bell telephones into the UK, which he demonstrated at an exhibition at Plymouth | |||
1880 President of the Society of Telegraph Engineers | 1880 President of the Society of Telegraph Engineers | ||
1885 Preece and [[Arthur West Heaviside]] (the brother of [[Oliver Heaviside]]) experimented with parallel telegraph lines and an unwired telephone receiver, discovering radio induction (later identified with the effects of crosstalk). | 1885 Preece and [[Arthur West Heaviside]] (the brother of [[Oliver Heaviside]]) experimented with parallel telegraph lines and an unwired telephone receiver, discovering radio induction (later identified with the effects of crosstalk). | ||
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1892 Preece also developed a wireless telegraphy and telephony system and implemented it in England. | 1892 Preece also developed a wireless telegraphy and telephony system and implemented it in England. | ||
1893 President of the [[Institution of Electrical Engineers]] | |||
1897 He encouraged [[Guglielmo Marconi]] by obtaining assistance from the Post Office for his work. With Marconi he made radio experiments from Lavernock Point in south Wales to the island of Flatholm, and became one of Marconi's most ardent supporters. Preece believed that the Earth’s magnetic field was critical in the propagation of radio waves over long distances. | 1897 He encouraged [[Guglielmo Marconi]] by obtaining assistance from the Post Office for his work. With Marconi he made radio experiments from Lavernock Point in south Wales to the island of Flatholm, and became one of Marconi's most ardent supporters. Preece believed that the Earth’s magnetic field was critical in the propagation of radio waves over long distances. | ||
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1899 President of the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]] | 1899 President of the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]] | ||
1899 After retirement from the Post Office, he was active with his sons, Llewellyn and Arthur, in the engineering firm of [[Preece, Cardew and Snell|Preece and Cardew]]. Preece also continued as a government consultant until 1904. | 1899 After retirement from the Post Office, he was active with his sons, Llewellyn and Arthur, and Major Cardew in the engineering firm of [[Preece, Cardew and Snell|Preece and Cardew]]. Preece also continued as a government consultant until 1904. | ||
1913 Died at home in Wales | 1913 Died at home in Wales | ||
Revision as of 14:04, 6 January 2012
Sir William Henry Preece C.B., F.R.S. (15 February 1834 - 6 November 1913) was a Welsh electrical engineer and inventor.
Preece was born in Caernarfon (Gwynedd), Wales. He was educated at King's College School, London. He went on to contribute many inventions and improvements, including a railway signalling system that increased safety.
Spent a short period in the engineering offices of Edwin Clark[1].
1853 Joined the engineering staff of the Electric Telegraph Co.
1853 Helped Michael Faraday with some telegraphic experiments,
1856 Appointed superintendent of the Electric Telegraph Company's south-western district at Southampton.
From 1858 to 1862, he also engineer to the Channel Island Telegraph Co.
1860 He also supervised the telegraphs of the London and South Western Railway
1870 Joined the Post Office as Divisional engineer for the Southern District of the telegraphic system when the Government bought out the c.30 private telegraph companies.
1877 Appointed electrician to the Post Office.
1877 Was the first to import Bell telephones into the UK, which he demonstrated at an exhibition at Plymouth
1880 President of the Society of Telegraph Engineers
1885 Preece and Arthur West Heaviside (the brother of Oliver Heaviside) experimented with parallel telegraph lines and an unwired telephone receiver, discovering radio induction (later identified with the effects of crosstalk).
1887 He had a long-standing rivalry with Oliver Heaviside - Heaviside had found theoretically that the clarity of telegraph and telephone signals could be greatly improved by loading transmission lines with extra inductance. Reasoning from inadequate experiments, Preece had already declared inductance to be prejudicial to clear signalling; Preece took steps to block Heaviside's publication; Heaviside thereafter took every opportunity to denounce Preece.
In 1889 Preece assembled a group of men at Coniston Water in the Lake District in Cumberland and succeeded in transmitting and receiving Morse radio signals over a distance of about 1 mile across water.
1892 Became Engineer-in-Chief of the General Post Office.
1892 Preece also developed a wireless telegraphy and telephony system and implemented it in England.
1893 President of the Institution of Electrical Engineers
1897 He encouraged Guglielmo Marconi by obtaining assistance from the Post Office for his work. With Marconi he made radio experiments from Lavernock Point in south Wales to the island of Flatholm, and became one of Marconi's most ardent supporters. Preece believed that the Earth’s magnetic field was critical in the propagation of radio waves over long distances.
1899 Preece was knighted
1899 President of the Institution of Civil Engineers
1899 After retirement from the Post Office, he was active with his sons, Llewellyn and Arthur, and Major Cardew in the engineering firm of Preece and Cardew. Preece also continued as a government consultant until 1904.
1913 Died at home in Wales
See Also
- Obituary in The Engineer, 1913/11/14.
Sources of Information
- ↑ Obituary: The Times, 7 November 1913