Sir Archibald Page (1875-1949) M.I.E.E., M.Inst.C.E.
Sir Archibald Page, 1940 - picture by Walter Stoneman - National Portrait Gallery
Born in 1875 in Alloa, Archibald Page was educated at Alloa and Dollar Academy. He studied at the Heriot Watt College, Edinburgh,
From 1893 to 1898 he was apprenticed to R.G. Abercrombie at Broad Street Engineering Works, Alloa, serving a Mechanical Engineering apprenticeship. He attended the Royal Technical College, Glasgow, becoming an Electrical Engineer. He took further training in Glasgow with Mavor and Coulson, who were pioneers in electrical machinery and electricity generation.
In 1905 he joined the Glasgow Corporation Electricity Department, initially as Junior Engineer at Port Dundas Generating Station, ultimately becoming Deputy City Electrical Engineer.
In 1917 he became associated with the affairs of the Clyde Valley Electrical Company, who built several power stations in and around the Glasgow area. He became a Member of Council of the Institution of Electrical Engineers and Chairman of the Scottish Territorial Centre of the Institution, Session 1917-8.
In 1919 he was appointed General Manager of the Clyde Valley Electrical Company.
In 1920 he was appointed one of H.M. Electricity Commissioners, keeping this appointment until 1925.
1925-1927 Director and General Manager, County of London Elec. Supply Co., Ltd.
In 1927 Archibald Page was president of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.
From 1927 to 1944, he worked for the Central Electricity Board, from 1927-1932 as Chief Engineer and General Manager, from 1932 to 1935 as General Manager and from 1st January 1935* until 1944 as Chairman.
** In 1930 Archibald Page was knighted.
The Central Electricity Board established the UK's first synchronised AC grid, running at 132 kilovolts and 50 Hertz, which by 1933 was a collection of local grids, with emergency interlinks, covering most of England. This started operating as a national system, the National Grid, in 1938.
In 1943, Sir Archibald Page was awarded the IEE Faraday Medal.
The CEB ceased to exist when the electricity industry was nationalised in Britain by the Electricity Act 1947 and taken over by the British Electricity Authority.
Sir Archibald Page died on the 7th of March, 1949, in Surrey, England.
In 1950, the screw steamer collier 'Sir Archibald Page' was built by William Pickersgill & Sons, Ltd. at Southwick for the British Electricity Authority. It operated until 1980.
References :
* Hansard, Commons Sitting, November 1934.
Graces Guide
Picture : National Portrait Gallery.
** Electricity before nationalisation : a study of the development of the electricity supply industry in Britain to 1948 by Leslie Hannah.