1928-29: Leslie Haywood Hounsfield

1928-29: Leslie Haywood Hounsfield

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Biography 1959 Obituary:
Hounsfield, who was born in 1877, received his education at Brighton Grammar School and Battersea Polytechnic. He was apprenticed to James Simpson and Sons, Ltd. (later Worthington-Simpson, Ltd.), and in 1898 he obtained a Whitworth Exhibition and entered the Royal College of Science. His career was interrupted by service in the South African war; later he spent some time assisting Col. R. E. B. Crompton, and then with Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies, Ltd.

For many years he was engaged on research on internal-combustion engines, and was the designer of the 'Trojan' motor car. He was Managing Director of Trojan, Ltd., Croydon, for several years, and was at one time connected with Leyland Motors, Ltd. Mr. Hounsfield was responsible for 15 patents in connection with motor cars.

He held the post of Managing Director of Tensometer, Ltd., manufacturers of testing machines and equipment, in which branch of engineering science he spent much of his later life, and he was also Managing Director of Hounsfield, Ltd. He designed a whole range of portable machines for testing materials of all kinds.

Mr. Hounsfield served as President of the Institution of Automobile Engineers in 1928-29, on whose Council he served continuously for 40 years. He had a profound effect upon its educational policy and was awarded the Institution Medal in this connection. He worked selflessly in all areas of I.A.E. activity and fully lived out the message of his Presidential Address which he entitled 'The Integrity of the Technical Man'.

He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1907, transferred to Member in 1914, and elected to Honorary Membership in 1947. He was also an Associate Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

His death occurred on 17th September 1957.