William Harding Scott
William Hardy Scott O.B.E.- click here to see a copy of the actual O.B.E. |
Clare Scott |
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May we start by allowing you to read a letter from Clare Scott (pictured above) to her grandchildren The letter tells much about the kind of man WH Scott was and the importance of his work to this country - click here.
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William Harding Scott was born in 13 May 1862. His parents were James and Ellen Scott. He was educated in a State school however he went on to study in the Science and Art Department of South Kensington College. He received an Honour in 'Electricity and Magnetism'.
On a domestic note, he was married twice. His first wife was called Alice but unfortunately she died in 1895. His second wife was named Clare - nee Reavell (born 30 June 1869).
William Harding Scott first arrived in Norwich in 1883, by that time he was 20 years old. At that time, he had taken a job with the Hammond Co. This brought him to Norwich where Colmans, the mustard people, wanted him to install ‘the electric light’ in one of their flour mills, by way of an experiment.
He promptly set himself to find out how it worked and how things were made, and he started a business on his own account, in a small place in King Street which was known as the Gothic Works. Here he got about 20 men together (some of them fishermen, who were used to making nets and were consequently handy with their fingers) and started making dynamos, and putting electric light in two or three factories and shops.
It is clear that he was a very original thinker whose ideas went way beyond engineering. For example, LS introduced profit sharing for employees in the 1920's and he had correspondence in the local press on "the open mind".
In addition to the above, he was clearly a perfectionist and we are told of the story of an electric motor delivered to a train station to be ready for delivery to a customer. Mr Scott suddenly decided "we can do better than that". He took the motor from the train station in the early hours of the morning and carried out more improvements on it before returning it for delivery.
William Harding Scott was awarded the OBE however for his own reasons he refused to accept a Knighthood.
In his latter years, it appears he was disillusioned with the way the world scene was changing and lost the joy and interest he once had as a young man.
At his 75th birthday celebration, he was noted have explained how thankful he was to have two sons who could carry on the name.
In 1938 things took a tragic turn when his son Tom died. It is understood that when Scott returned from the funeral he suffered a heart attack.
Just two years later his son, Jim, also died
Read:
'LSE THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS' – written by Michael Lloyd 24 September 1985
- this detailed account fills in details of WH Scott's early years.