William Taylor
TAYLOR, William Henry, HonMIEE MIEAust (1883-1963)
William was born in London, England, on August 19, 1883, the son of master mariner Captain John Taylor and his wife Isabella Taylor.
William’s education was at George Green’s School, located on the Isle of Dogs, London. He then attended Kings College London. He quickly gained employment and was a shift engineer at the first turbine power station built in England at Carville, Newcastle-on-Tyne and later at the power station of the underground electrical railways at Lotts Road, Chelsea.
William married Annie Suttie Olsen, also the child of a master mariner, on April 22, 1911, in Essex, England. They had two sons, who both became engineers. They were John Charles Edward Taylor (born 1912) and Peter William Taylor (born 1917).
In 1914 he was selected by the firm of Merz and McClellan to come to Perth to supervise the construction and commence operation of the East Perth Power Station. At the time he was recruited he was the Deputy Engineer and Tramways Engineer at the Walthamstow Borough Council, London.
William progressively commissioned the East Perth Power Station and was also responsible for the 6,000 volt and 20,000 volt metropolitan distribution system including transmission lines, switchgear and sub-stations. His first posting was as Electrical Superintendent Tramways at the WAGR.
He was nominated to attend the first World Power Conference in London in July 1924. He was also appointed Chairman of the South West Power Scheme Committee established in 1926.
In his overseas travels, William was impressed at the use of Trolley Buses. A strong advocate for this form of transport he introduced them to Perth in 1933.
By 1938, he was the General Manager Tramways, Electricity Supply and State Ferries. In 1939 he was a Member of the Royal Commission on the Collie Power Scheme.
During World War 2 he was Chairman of the Naval Welfare and Comforts Fund for Western Australia.
He played a key role in the design of the South Fremantle Power Station and in 1944 travelled to the United Kingdom and America to finalise designs and specifications and to facilitate letting of tenders.
In 1946 he became the first General Manager of the Metropolitan System of the State Electricity Commission. In a historic touch, he drove the first pile for the South Fremantle Power Station the same as he had done for the East Perth Power Station in 1914.
In March 1946, he was appointed to the inaugural Board of Commissioners of the State Energy Commission.
William retired on August 19, 1948, continuing on the Board of Commissioners of the State Energy Commission until March 1949.
In 1951 he was made an Honorary Life Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers London. He was also a Foundation Member of the Institution of Engineers having joined in 1922.
William also had acted as a consultant for the Collie Power Company that opened in 1931. It was the first to use pulverised coal in Australia.
William died at Mount Lawley on March 8, 1963, aged 79 and was survived by his wife and two sons.
References:
Power for the People, A history of gas and electricity in Western Australia, SECWA, 1994.
West Australian, 7.5.1914, p. 7.
Western Mail 10.11.1916, p. 43.
Collie Mail, 8.1.1926, p. 2.
West Australian, 2.4.1946, p. 5.
West Australian, 10.8.1948, p. 13.
West Australian, 13.1.1951, p. 10.
