Arthur Duckham
Sir Arthur McDougall Duckham GBE KCB (8 July 1879 – 14 February 1932) was one of the founders of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, and its first President.
Duckham was born in Blackheath, London. He became a trainee gas engineer, while also taking evening classes at King's College, London, and was appointed assistant superintendent of a London gasworks. Along with Harold Woodall he formed a company Woodall-Duckham which developed the continuous vertical retort for manufacturing gas from coal. He married Maud Peppercorn, daughter of Arthur Douglas Peppercorn and they had three children.[1]
During the First World War he was involved in the supply of coal-derived chemicals for use in the manufacture of explosives, becoming Deputy Controller of Munitions Supply in 1915. He performed a number of other executive and advisor roles, notably Chairman of the Advisory Committee, Ministry of Munitions, which resulted in the him being knighted with the Order of the Bath (KCB).[2] He also received the Légion d'honneur (Cross of Officer).[3]
After the war his business flourished, expanding into other areas of chemical engineering. He joined the Institution of Civil Engineers (which then included all non-military engineers) in 1918, but chaired the committee which created the Institution of Chemical Engineers, and became its first President.[1]
In 1928 he led a British trade mission to Australia, and following this received a further knighthood, GBE.[4]
He died 14 February 1932 at Ashtead, Surrey.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography accessed 28 July 2009
- ↑ London Gazette 9 February 1917 page 1458
- ↑ London Gazette 22 October 1920 page 101197
- ↑ London Gazette 31 May 1929 page 3675