On 18 March, a letter was sent to Prime Minister Theresa May by the Whitworth Society (
www.whitworthsociety.org).
The letter marked 150 years to the day since Sir Joseph Whitworth — a “legendary 19th-century tool-maker and unsung hero of the industrial revolution” — wrote to then Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, proposing a new engineering scholarship.
Sir Joseph, a Victorian ‘visionary and entrepreneur’, built a machine capable of measuring to a millionth of an inch; he also standardised the common screw thread and devised a new method to find a perfectly flat surface.
Sir Joseph, who started his career as an apprentice at a cotton-spinning mill at the age of 14, believed in combining practical experience with academic studies.
In 1868, he donated £100,000 (the equivalent of over £10 million today) to fund the Whitworth Scholarship, which has been supported by the Whitworth Society since 1923.
It has benefited over 2,400 engineers — both men and women — from all walks of life; it has also brought science and industry closer together, as Sir Joseph envisaged.
The new Whitworth letter was written by Howard Stone, president of the Whitworth Society, who says it “serves as a reminder of Sir Joseph’s indomitable spirit and the power engineers have to change the world — not just for an age but for all time.
“It also comes during a new global revolution — this time digital — and at a time of historic change for the United Kingdom, where billions are being invested in science by government.”
Dr Stone added: “150 years ago, Sir Joseph Whitworth, had the foresight to support the advancement of engineering through engineers with practical experience and theoretical knowledge.
“Today, this combination of skills is just as relevant for the greater good of the nation.”