Walter Somers
Encyclopedia
Walter Somers was an English
engineer
and businessman who established a forge
company, later known as Walter Somers Limited, producing a range of steel products including items for military use by the British Admiralty during World War I.
In 1866 Somers was given a loan of £100 by his father and took on a short lease on an ironworks complex at Mucklow Hill, Halesowen
, establishing a forgemaster business. Initially focused on production of chains and anchors, the business later also produced axles and railway buffers
. By the last decade of the 19th century, it was delivering forgings to Admiralty specifications - a customer relationship that continued throughout World War I. Somers' company also produced parts of the anchors used on the RMS Titanic.
In 1907 Somers bought Belle Vue House on Mucklow Hill, installing electricity in the house. Overhead lines from a generator at Somers' works supplied current for the house until the 1920s when it connected to public services.
Somers died in 1917, leaving the company under the direction of his two sons, Seth and Frank. Frank Somers was managing director until 1954.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and businessman who established a forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
company, later known as Walter Somers Limited, producing a range of steel products including items for military use by the British Admiralty during World War I.
In 1866 Somers was given a loan of £100 by his father and took on a short lease on an ironworks complex at Mucklow Hill, Halesowen
Halesowen
Halesowen is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England.The population, as measured by the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,273...
, establishing a forgemaster business. Initially focused on production of chains and anchors, the business later also produced axles and railway buffers
Buffer (rail transport)
A buffer is a part of the buffers-and-chain coupling system used on the railway systems of many countries, among them most of those in Europe, for attaching railway vehicles to one another....
. By the last decade of the 19th century, it was delivering forgings to Admiralty specifications - a customer relationship that continued throughout World War I. Somers' company also produced parts of the anchors used on the RMS Titanic.
In 1907 Somers bought Belle Vue House on Mucklow Hill, installing electricity in the house. Overhead lines from a generator at Somers' works supplied current for the house until the 1920s when it connected to public services.
Somers died in 1917, leaving the company under the direction of his two sons, Seth and Frank. Frank Somers was managing director until 1954.