Alexander Duckham

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Alexander Duckham
Born(1877-03-11)11 March 1877
Died1 February 1945(1945-02-01) (aged 67)
NationalityBritish
Known forDuckhams Oils
Scientific career
FieldsTribology, lubricants

Alexander Duckham (11 March 1877 – 1 February 1945) was an English chemist and businessman, best known for the development of machine lubricants. The son of an engineer, after university he specialised in lubrication, working briefly for Fleming's Oil Company before founding his own company, Alexander Duckham & Co, in Millwall in 1899.

Contents

By the outbreak of World War I, he was an authority on technological problems relating to lubrication, and the company went public in about 1920, relocating from Millwall to Hammersmith. By the time he died in 1945, Duckhams had assumed a dominant position for the supply of lubricants and corrosion inhibitors to the motor industry in Britain and other markets. A new manufacturing plant was opened in Staffordshire in 1968, and soon thereafter the company was taken over by BP.

Early career

Duckham was born in Blackheath, London, [1] the second eldest son (his elder brother was Frederick and younger brother Sir Arthur Duckham) of a Falmouth-born mechanical and civil engineer, Frederic Eliot Duckham (1841 - died 13 January 1918 in Blackheath), who had patented improvements in governors for marine engines and invented a 'Hydrostatic Weighing Machine'. [2] His mother was Maud Mary McDougall (1849-1921), sister of John McDougall of the flour-making family, which had a mill at Millwall Dock. His younger brother, Arthur Duckham, became one of the founders of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, and its first President. His elder brother, Frederick, also an engineer, was Director of Tank Design in World War One.

Upon leaving university in 1899, Alexander Duckham, who had worked briefly for Fleming's Oil Company, [3] was encouraged by engineer Sir Alfred Yarrow, who lived nearby (Yarrow occupied Woodlands House in Mycenae Road, Westcombe Park for some years from 1896, close to the Duckham family home in Dartmouth Grove, Blackheath) to specialise in the study of lubrication, and was introduced to engineering firms with lubrication problems. [1] Duckham established Alexander Duckham & Co in Millwall in 1899, [3] and gradually assembled a team of engineers and chemists to whom he could delegate research work, freeing him to focus on lubricant production. [4] Early customers included car dealer and racing driver Selwyn Edge who called weekly at Duckham's Millwall works for an oil change; Duckham, who bought his first car in 1899, also used to accompany Edge to Brooklands. [5]

Yarrow and Lord Fisher subsequently encouraged Duckham to focus on sourcing raw materials for lubricants. From 1905 he helped pioneer the development of the Trinidad oil fields, including a deposit near Tabaquite [6] of high-class crude oil suitable as a base for the preparation of lubricants, [1] establishing a private company, Trinidad Central Oilfields, in 1911. [7] The discovery and development of such lubricants was timely, coinciding with the evolution of internal combustion engines which demanded more advanced lubrication. [3]

As well as being a successful businessman, Duckham was an early aviation pioneer and close friend of cross-channel aviator Louis Blériot – he paid for the stone memorial in Dover marking the place where Blériot landed in 1909 to complete the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft, [8] [9] [10] [Note 1] and 25 years later hosted a dinner at London's Savoy Hotel marking the anniversary of the flight. [11]

Duckhams

Thermometer with an enamel backing, featuring an advert for Duckham's 20-50 motor oil Enamel advert, Duckham's 20-50 motor oil.JPG
Thermometer with an enamel backing, featuring an advert for Duckham's 20–50 motor oil

The outbreak of World War I in 1914 heightened the focus on mechanical efficiency, and the Duckham company was already established as the highest authority on technological problems in matters of lubrication. [4] The company went public (c. 1920) soon after the war finished, [3] and relocated from Millwall to Hammersmith in 1921. [12]

By the time, Alexander Duckham died in 1945 (being succeeded as company chairman by his son Jack), Duckhams had assumed a dominant position in supply of lubricants and corrosion inhibitors to the motor industry and other markets. Behind Castrol, by 1967, it was regarded as the largest independent lubricating oil company in the UK and the third largest supplier of engine oil to motorists, producing the first multigrade oil for motorists. [13] To cope with demand, a new manufacturing plant was opened in Aldridge, Staffordshire in 1968, shortly before the company was acquired by BP in 1969. [12] Duckhams' Hammersmith site closed in 1979, was acquired by Richard Rogers' architects practice (today Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners) in 1983, and was redeveloped to become the Thames Wharf Studios and the River Café. [14] [15] [16]

Family

He married Violet Ethel Narraway in 1902, and they had five children, all born in Greenwich: Alec Narraway Duckham (born c. 1904); Millicent A. M. Duckham (c. 1905); Joan Ethel Duckham (c. 1906); Jack Eliot Duckham (c. 1908); [1] and Ruth Edith Duckham (born 1918).

The family lived for some years from 1907 in Vanbrugh Castle, close to Greenwich Park. In 1920, Duckham donated the house (and another property, Rooks Hill House in Sevenoaks) to the RAF Benevolent Fund to be used as a school for the children of RAF personnel killed in service. Vanbrugh Castle was later sold after the number of pupils declined; sale proceeds were used to educate RAF children, with funds later (1997) transferred to a charitable trust, the Alexander Duckham Memorial Schools Trust. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lubricant</span> Substance introduced to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact

A lubricant is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces, transporting foreign particles, or heating or cooling the surfaces. The property of reducing friction is known as lubricity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackheath, London</span> Area of south-east London, England

Blackheath is an area in Southeast London, straddling the border of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham. Historically within the county of Kent, it is located 1-mile (1.6 km) northeast of Lewisham, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Greenwich and 6.4 miles (10.3 km) southeast of Charing Cross, the traditional centre of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Blériot</span> French aviator, inventor and engineer

Louis Charles Joseph Blériot was a French aviator, inventor, and engineer. He developed the first practical headlamp for cars and established a profitable business manufacturing them, using much of the money he made to finance his attempts to build a successful aircraft. Blériot was the first to use the combination of hand-operated joystick and foot-operated rudder control as used to the present day to operate the aircraft control surfaces. Blériot was also the first to make a working, powered, piloted monoplane. In 1909 he became world-famous for making the first aeroplane flight across the English Channel, winning the prize of £1,000 offered by the Daily Mail newspaper. He was the founder of Blériot Aéronautique, a successful aircraft manufacturing company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motor oil</span> Lubricant used for lubrication of internal combustion engines

Motor oil, engine oil, or engine lubricant is any one of various substances used for the lubrication of internal combustion engines. They typically consist of base oils enhanced with various additives, particularly antiwear additives, detergents, dispersants, and, for multi-grade oils, viscosity index improvers. The main function of motor oil is to reduce friction and wear on moving parts and to clean the engine from sludge and varnish (detergents). It also neutralizes acids that originate from fuel and from oxidation of the lubricant (detergents), improves the sealing of piston rings, and cools the engine by carrying heat away from moving parts.

Westcombe Park is a largely residential area in Blackheath in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, South East London, England. It is bounded by the main London-Dartford railway line to the north, the Blackwall Tunnel southern approach to the east, the Blackheath common to the south and a road, Vanbrugh Hill, to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Yarrow</span> British industrialist and shipbuilder (1842–1932)

Sir Alfred Fernandez Yarrow, 1st Baronet, was a British shipbuilder who started a shipbuilding dynasty, Yarrow Shipbuilders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Rogers</span> British architect (1933–2021)

Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside was a British-Italian architect noted for his modernist and constructivist designs in high-tech architecture. He was the founder at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, previously known as the Richard Rogers Partnership, until June 2020. After Rogers' retirement and death, the firm rebranded to simply RSHP on 30 June 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synthetic oil</span> Lubricant consisting of artificially made chemical compounds

Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially modified or synthesised. Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be synthesized from other raw materials. The base material, however, is still overwhelmingly crude oil that is distilled and then modified physically and chemically. The actual synthesis process and composition of additives is generally a commercial trade secret and will vary among producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plain bearing</span> Simplest type of bearing, with no rolling elements

A plain bearing, or more commonly sliding contact bearing and slide bearing, is the simplest type of bearing, comprising just a bearing surface and no rolling elements. Therefore, the part of the shaft in contact with the bearing slides over the bearing surface. The simplest example of a plain bearing is a shaft rotating in a hole. A simple linear bearing can be a pair of flat surfaces designed to allow motion; e.g., a drawer and the slides it rests on or the ways on the bed of a lathe.

Castrol Limited is a British oil company that markets industrial and automotive lubricants, offering a wide range of oil, greases and similar products for most lubrication applications. The company was originally named CC Wakefield; the name Castrol was originally just the brand name for CC Wakefield's motor oils, but the company eventually changed its name to Castrol when the product name became better-known than the original company name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amsoil</span> American multi-level marketing company

AMSOIL Inc. is an American corporation based in Superior, Wisconsin that primarily formulates and packages synthetic lubricants, fuel additives, and filters. Company founder Albert J. Amatuzio developed several synthetic motor oil formulations throughout the mid-to-late 1960s. He was commercially selling synthetic motor oil by 1968. In 1972, AMSOIL 10W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil became the world's first synthetic motor oil to meet American Petroleum Institute requirements, which prompted the company to adopt "The First in Synthetics®" as its tagline. The company introduced several other synthetic lubricants that represented industry firsts throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. It distributes products in North America via a network of independent dealers paid commissions on sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mudchute Park and Farm</span> Park on the Isle of Dogs, London

Mudchute Park and Farm is a large urban park and farm in Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, just south of Canary Wharf. It is a Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Wakefield, 1st Viscount Wakefield</span> English businessman

Charles Cheers Wakefield, 1st Viscount Wakefield, GCVO, CBE, was an English businessman who founded the Castrol lubricants company, was lord mayor of London and was a significant philanthropist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Duckham</span> British chemical engineer

Sir Arthur McDougall Duckham was one of the founders of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, and its first president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thames Wharf Studios</span>

Thames Wharf Studios, in Hammersmith, London, was originally an industrial site containing the Duckham's oil facility overlooking the River Thames in Hammersmith. It was acquired by the Richard Rogers Partnership in 1983, which converted the industrial complex of redundant 20th century warehouses into offices, workshops, housing and a restaurant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanbrugh Castle</span>

Vanbrugh Castle is a house designed and built by John Vanbrugh around 1719 for his own family. It is located on Maze Hill on the eastern edge of Greenwich Park in London, to the north of Blackheath, with views to the west past the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich down to the Thames reaching as far as the Houses of Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GGB (company)</span>

GGB manufactures self-lubricating, prelubricated plain bearings and tribological polymer coating for various industries and applications. It has production facilities in the U.S., Germany, France, Slovakia, Brazil and China.

Shirley Ellen Schwartz or Ellen Shirley Schwartz was a chemist and research scientist at General Motors, specializing in the study and development of industrial lubricants and automobile oil change indicator systems. She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1996 for her accomplishments in the field of chemistry.

References

Note

  1. The first flight across the English Channel was made in 1785 using a hydrogen balloon.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Alexander Duckham". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  2. "Frederic Eliot Duckham". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Alexander Duckham and Co". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  4. 1 2 "1930 Industrial Britain: Alexander Duckham and Co". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  5. "Oil!". Motorsport. June 1952. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  6. "Tabaquite". Trinidad and Tobago NALIS. Archived from the original on 10 July 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  7. "History of Trinidad's Oil". The Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  8. 1 2 "History". Alexander Duckham Memorial Schools Trust. ADMST. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  9. "Dover, Louis Blériot and the Royal Flying Corps". Hellfire Corner. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  10. "Louis Bleriot Landing in Dover". Dover Museum. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  11. "Dinner given by Alexander Duckham at the Savoy Hotel". Diomedia. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  12. 1 2 "Duckhams". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  13. Wager, Robin (1999). The Duckham's Story: A Century of Fighting Friction. J H Haynes & Co Ltd. ISBN   9781859606391.
  14. Hopkirk, Elizabeth (23 September 2015). "Visitors flock to see Rogers' office for last time". BDonline. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  15. Culbertson, Alix (14 January 2015). "A sad farewell from Hammersmith as famous Richard Rogers architects to leave after 30 years". GetWestLondon. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  16. "Thames Wharf Studios". Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners. Retrieved 21 June 2016.