Herbert Austin

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Herbert 'PA' Austin, 1st Baron Austin KBE (November 8, 1866 – May 23, 1941) was an English automobile designer and builder.

He was born in Little Missenden, the son of a farmer in Buckinghamshire, but the family moved to Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire in 1870 when his father was appointed farm bailiff.[1] Herbert Austin first went to the village school, later continuing his education at Rotherham Grammar School.[1]

In 1884 he emigrated to Australia, with an uncle, on his mother's side, who lived in Melbourne, Australia, but had recently returned to England on a family visit.[1] They travelled to Australia by ship, via the Cape.[1]

Contents

[edit] Life in Melbourne, Australia

He initially started work with his uncle, who was Works Manager at a general engineering firm, Mephan Ferguson, in north Melbourne.[1] However, after two years he left and joined another company, called Cowen, who were agents for printing equipment and Crossley gas engines.[1] After that he worked for Longlands Foundry Company in Melbourne, which made locomotive boilers and wheels and mining equipment for gold mining.[1]

He also attended Hothan Art School in Melbourne, to continue his interest in drawing.[1] During this time he submitted a design for a swing bridge over the Yarra River, at Spencer Street, Melbourne, but did not win the competition organised by the Government of Victoria.[1]

He met and married his wife, Helen Dron, in Melbourne. She was born in Melbourne, the seventh daughter of Scottish parents. Herbert and Helen were married on 26 December 1887 and bought a house in Melbourne. They had a son Vernon, who was killed in 1915 whilst serving in First World War and two daughters, Irene (born in 1891) and Zoe (later to become Mrs Lambert).

Three days before they were married he left the Longlands Foundry Company, to work as manager of an engineering workshop, owned by Richard Pick-up Parks, who had developed a new sheep-shearing machine for Fredrick York Wolseley.[1]

After spending three months improving the sheep-shearing machine, Herbert Austin was asked to join the Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company, founded in 1887, in Sydney. Shortly after joining he was sent to a sheep shearing station at Avoca on the New South Wales / Victoria border to study the machines in use.[1] Austin had patented the improvements he had made to the sheep shearing machines in his own name, but sold the patents to the Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company on 10 March 1893 in exchanges for shares.[1]

[edit] Motor cars

He returned to England by ship, with Frederick Wolseley, docking at Tilbury in November 1893.[1]

Wolseley, had closed down the Sydney-based company and transferred it to a company registered in London. Wolseley set up a factory in Broad Street, Birmingham, where Austin became Manager. Fredrick Wolseley resigned from the company in 1894[2]. The Broad Street factory was not large enough so Austin bought a bigger one in Aston, Birmingham.[2] During slack periods in the year they built bicycles.[2]

Becoming interested in motor cars Austin built two different types in his own time. A version of one of these was taken up by the Wolseley Sheep-Shearing Machine Company and listed for sale in 1900. In 1901 Vickers bought out the car interests of Wolseley to form the Wolseley Tool & Motor Company and Austin moved to the new company, in Adderley Park, Birmingham, but was allowed to continue working part-time for the Wolseley Sheep-Shearing Machine Company.[3] He was Chairman of the Board of the Wolseley Sheep-Shearing Machine Company from 1911 to 1933.

In 1905 Austin resigned from the Wolseley Tool & Motor Company taking some of the senior staff with him.[4] His brother Harry also joined him in this new venture, having worked with him at Wolseley in Birmingham.[2] Austin raised capital of £37,000 and embarked on a search of a factory that could accommodate his idea for a new car manufacturer.[4] He took over an old print works, outside Birmingham, in Longbridge, which was then in the County of Worcestershire;[4] Longbridge did not became a suburb of Birmingham until 1911 when the city's boundaries were expanded.

Austin was producing 17 different models by 1908. The company turned its resources to the war effort in 1914.

The Austin car works at Longbridge were later to become one of the greatest car manufacturers in the world.

In 1917, he was knighted for his services to the war effort and received the Belgium Order of the Crown of Leopold II, for the employment of 3,000 Belgium refugees at Longbridge.[5] The car business was difficult after the war and the Austin company was threatened with bankruptcy in 1921 and a receiver was appointed. The Baby Austin was launched in 1922 and offered for sale at £225 putting it within the budget of customers who had never owned a car. Output of the Baby Austin reached 25,000 annually by 1925; the price was reduced each year.

From 1918 to 1924 served as Conservative Member of Parliament forBirmingham King's Norton but never made a speech in the House of Commons and in 1936 he was created Baron Austin of Longbridge.

His landmark designs helped battle Germany in both world wars from fighter aeroplanes to tank tracks built at his Longbridge works, he was also famous for the Austin Seven designed at his home, Lickey Grange, which helped Austin become Britain's biggest motor manufacturer in 1934, and the 12/4.

In 1937 he received a Doctor of Laws (LL.D) from the University of Birmingham.[5]

The Austin Motor company supported the World War II effort and specialised in making aircraft;[6] Horsa glider fuselages;[6] specialist army vehicles;[6] hydraulic motors for gun turrets;[6] ammunition boxes, magazines for machine guns, Tommy Guns and Oerlikon gun;[6] marine engines for ships lifeboats;[6] and pressings for jerrycans.[6]

He died from a heart attack and a bout of pneumonia.

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Lambert, Chapter 1: Early Days
  2. ^ a b c d Lambert, Chapter 2: Experimental Cars
  3. ^ Lambert, Chapter 3: Vickers and Wolseley
  4. ^ a b c Lambert, Chapter 6: The Austin Motor Company is formed
  5. ^ a b Lambert, Appendix 3
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Lambert, Chapter 14: The End of a Career

[edit] References

  • Lambert, Z.E. & Wyatt, R.J. (1968). Lord Austin - the Man, Altrincham: Sidgewick and Jackson Limited.
  • Sharratt, Barney (2000. Men and Motors of the Austin: The inside story of a century of car making at Longbridge. Sparkford: Haynes Publishing.
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