Arthur Percy Morris Fleming was born on the Isle of Wight in 1881 and educated at Portland House Academy, Isle of Wight. He attended Finsbury Technical College, London as a student of electrical engineering. He worked for the London Electric Supply Corporation and Elliott Brothers prior to being selected by the British Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co Ltd in 1900 to attend a training course at its parent company's factory, Westinghouse Electric Company, Pittsburgh, America. British Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co Ltd had recently established itself at Trafford Park, Manchester.
Fleming and the other attendees on the course became known as the “Holy Forty”. They were trained in American methods of manufacturing, which later formed the nucleus of training in the Trafford Park factory. After spending two years in America he arrived at the Trafford Park Works in 1902 as a specialist in electrical insulation.
Fleming was responsible for setting up the initial training for all new schoolboy recruits entering the company. He established and developed a trade apprentice training school in 1914 and was made manager of the company’s training department. As well as developing the training of apprentices, Fleming realised the company would benefit from having its own research department. The First World War delayed his ambitions to set up such a department until 1920. The same year he was awarded a C.B.E. for his wartime contribution towards the detection of submarines as part of the Lancashire Submarine Committee.
Along with his work at British Westinghouse, later to become Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd, Fleming was also member of the Council of the University of Manchester. He served on the governing body of Imperial College of Science and Technology, as well as on the delegacy of the City and Guilds of London Institution, the War Cabinet Engineering Advisory Committee and Lord Hankey’s Technical Personnel Committee. He chaired numerous trade federations and bodies. He was knighted in 1945.
Began as an Engineer in the Transformer Department of Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd, then moved to become Technical Assistant within the Research and Education Department. He was Liaison Engineer with Continental firms and then later Liaison Engineer in the USA for Metropolitan-Vickers.
He was also Director and Secretary of the British Cast Iron Research Association and co-author, with A.P.M. Fleming of “Principles of Apprenticeship Training” and “Research in Industry”.
Date
1916
Scope and ContentBook provides scope training and opportunities for advancement.
Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd was the new trading name given to British Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co on 8 September 1919. The predecessor company had sold its controlling share to the Metropolitan Carriage Wagon Co in 1916 in order to gain membership of the Federation of British Industries. In 1919, Vickers acquired the Metropolitan Carriage Wagon Co, along with its controlling share in British Westinghouse, prompting the change in name to Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd.
The American owned British Westinghouse had established its English operations at Trafford Park in 1899, and Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd continued on the same site from 8 September 1919. The company was initially known for its electricity generators, later diversifying into the manufacture of steam turbines, switchgear, transformers, electronics and railway traction equipment.
The passing of the Electricity (Supply) Act in 1926 provided a boost to the company’s post-war fortunes, with the creation of the National Grid generating demand for the company's products.
In 1928, Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd merged with its rival British Thomson Houston Co Ltd, retaining both names for trading purposes. The following year, on 4 January 1929, Associated Electrical Industries Ltd (AEI) acquired Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd and the British Thomson Houston Co Ltd. Again, both trading names were retained, and a fierce rivalry was established between the firms which the parent company was unable to control.
In 1931, Sir Felix Pole joined Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd as its new chairman. He oversaw a period of expansion for the company leading into the Second World War. In 1939, seeking a more concise name for the company, the Board of Directors decided upon Metrovicks, which became interchangeable with the official company name of Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd. Under Sir Felix Pole's chairmanship, Metropolitan-Vickers developed new products for the aviation industry and during the war was one of the sites where Lancaster bombers were built. In 1941, the company developed the first British axial-flow jet engine, the Metrovick F.2.
Following the Second World War, the company appointed Oliver Lyttelton as chairman, with the aim of increasing the efficiency and productivity of AEI. Despite his success in achieving this aim, Lyttelton was unable to resolve the commercial rivalry between Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd and the British Thomson Houston Co Ltd.
During his second period as chairman, from 1954-1963, Lyttelton, now Lord Chandos, oversaw the development by Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd of the first commercial transistor computer, the Metrovick 950. Chandos also resolved to extinguish the competition and internal divisions between Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd and the British Thomson Houston Co Ltd, and both company names ceased to be used from 1 January 1960, with all subsidiaries going on to trade under the name of Associated Electrical Industries Ltd.
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