| Laurence Henry Pomeroy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1883 London |
| Died | 1941 |
| Cause of death | heart failure |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | automotive engineer |
Laurence Henry Pomeroy (1883-1941)[1] was an English automotive engineer.
Laurence Pomeroy was born in London and after leaving school served as an apprentice with the North London Railway Company. From there he became a draughtsman with Thornycroft in Basingstoke before moving to Vauxhall Motors in Luton in 1905.
The chief engineer of Vauxhall, F.W. Hodges was given an extended winter holiday in 1907-08 and during this time Pomeroy was asked by managing director Percy Kidner to redesign one of the existing engines to give more power to allow it to be used in cars competing in the RAC 2000 mile trial of 1908. The cars won several classes and Pomeroy was promoted to the post of Works Manager effectively replacing Hodges.
In 1913 he was elected a full member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.[1] He was also a member of the Institute of Automobile Engineers and became their president in 1934-35.
After World War I, in 1919, Pomeroy left Vauxhall and moved to the United States where he worked for the Aluminum Co of America working on increasing the amount of Aluminium used in motor cars. [2]
The British Daimler company and AEC created a joint research company in 1926 called Associated Daimler and Pomeroy was invited to join as consultant which he did in 1926. The company was closed in 1928 and Pomeroy moved to the main Daimler company becoming Managing Director in 1929. A difference of opinion with new chairman Geoffrey Burton, who believed that Daimler should concentrate solely on large cars caused him to resign in 1936. [1]
In 1938 he joined the De Havilland Aircraft company as General Manager of their engine division.
He died of a heart attack on May 27, 1941.
Laurence Pomeroy had one son, also called Laurence who became a renowned motoring and technical journalist.[3]
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