Letter to G. K. Menzies, Secretary, Royal Society of Arts, dated November 25, 1924
Homestead, Hindhead, Surrey, England: Alfred Fernandez Yarrow, 1924. Original manuscript, typed letter signed. Single sheet, typed on one side. The format is approximately 8 inches by 10 inches. It is date stamped on 28 Nov. 1924 by the Royal Society of Arts. The letter is typed on the author's stationery. The contents read: Dear Sir, I have your letter of the 25th and have made a note of the meeting on Thursday the 4th of December at 4 o'clock in connection with the Thomas Gray Memorial Trust Committee, and I hope to attend. Yours truly, A. F. Yarrow. George Kenneth Menzies first became associated with the Royal Society of Arts when in 1908 he was appointed Assistant Secretary. In 1917 he succeeded Sir Henry Wood as Secretary, and held that position until 1935. Sir Alfred Fernandez Yarrow, 1st Baronet, (13 January 1842 – 24 January 1932) was a British shipbuilder who started a shipbuilding dynasty, Yarrow Shipbuilders. Yarrow was born of humble origins in East London. After serving an apprenticeship in nearby Stepney, he opened a yard – Yarrow and Hedley (a partnership) – at Folly Wall, Poplar on the Isle of Dogs in 1865 to build steam river launches. Yarrow's stern wheel steamers, designed with a shallow draft suitable for river navigation, were used in the early stages of the 1884 Nile Expedition. Yarrow ventured into military vessels from the early 1870s, building torpedo boats for the Argentine and Japanese navies, among other customers. Then in 1892 he built the first two destroyers for the Royal Navy: Havock and Hornet of the Havock class. He struck up a strong friendship and correspondence with Lord Fisher ("Jackie Fisher"), and subsequently Yarrow Shipbuilders became a lead contractor for the Royal Navy for smaller, but almost always fast, boats. By this time, the Hedley partnership had been dissolved (1875), and the company was known as Yarrow & Co. Yarrow's strong naval engineering capabilities and inventive mind were behind a number of inventions designed to drive ships ever faster, and in 1912 he was appointed to the Royal Commission on Fuel and Engines. Long after he died, the shipyard remained famous throughout navies of the world for building smaller fast vessels. He was honored in 1922 as a Fellow of the Royal Society. Condition: Good.
Keywords: Alfred Fernandez Yarrow, Royal Society of Arts, George Kenneth Menzies, Member, Fellow, Entrepreneur, Shipbuilder, Thomas Gray Memorial Trust
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