Page 52 - Redditch People

Redditch People

Devereux had to fight hard to go ahead with his Redditch plans against some members
of the Ministry, but in truth there were many advantages. Because it was marshy the bare
land he wanted was cheap, but most importantly there was a major gas works available.

Heating metal for forging requires vast amounts of gas and a farsighted engineer at the
Redditch Gas Corporation, one C F Wentworth Renole, was willing to put in new gas
holders for the company thereby more than doubling his output. The holders were for
many years sited on the opposite side of Windsor Road but this was not just a case of
building more holders. The gas production process had to be modernised and doubled in
size (no imports of natural gas in those days), skilled workers had to be trained and the
railway sidings and service had to be expanded to take the much greater loads of
incoming coal and outgoing coke (coke is/was the product of coal gas or town gas
manufacture).

When the second world war broke out Colonel Devereux became Director of Light Alloy
Forgings and Stampings, and in 1941 he undertook, for the Ministry of Aircraft Production,
the organisation for the reception and assembly in this country of American aircraft. He
also reorganised the arrangements throughout Great Britain for the repair of aircraft and
aero-engines.

After the war Colonel Devereux continued his research activities and was responsible for
the formation of Almin, Ltd., of which he was managing director. He was also chairman
of International Alloys, Ltd., Southern Forge, Ltd., Renfrew Foundries, Ltd., Warwick
Production Company, Ltd., and Structural and Mechanical Development Engineers, Ltd.

Colonel Devereux took a large share of the responsibility in the founding of the Fulmer
Research Institute, of which he was the chairman.

A keen believer in management worker relations, he was among the first to introduce
co-operative relations in UK Industry, and was the originator of the huge social centre
built for the town of Slough, Bucks,

Joint Master of the Old Berkely Hunt. Colonel Devereux also took a keen interest in
pedigree stock breeding, and was the first farmer in Great Britain to introduce artificial
insemination at his 2000 acre Shorthorn breeding farm and dairv at Little Kimble.

In the course of his career he contributed many papers on industrial research generally
and light metals research in particular to various learned societies. Another matter to
which Colonel Devereux gave much attention towards the end of the war was industrial
reconstruction and development in this country. Two reports which he prepared dealt in
considerable detail with the post-war reconstruction of industry in South Wales, and an
industrial plan for Cumberland.

Colonel Devereux was a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a member of the
Institution of Naval Architects. His interests, apart from his metallurgical and research
work, were many, among them being farming by thoroughly up-to-date methods at
Kimble, in Buckinghamshire. He was awarded the C.B.E. in 1949 in recognition of his
services to research and industry.

He died suddenly while attending Ascot races on June 22, 1952, worn out by his efforts
during those six years of war.

Page: 52 © RLHS 2015