Biography

Family background

Hugh Amehurst Wallace was born on the 4th August, 1905 in Liverpool and by census day in 1911 he was living at 178 Frederick Street Oldham with his parents, William and Agnes Wallace, Hugh's younger sister, Winifred Mary Wallace, and a 20 year old general domestic servant, Catherine Hughes. Hugh Wallace's father was recorded as a manager/engineer working in a friction clutch factory.

Ten years later, at the 1921 census, William and Agnes were still living at 178 Frederick Street, Oldham, and William was described as a works manager at the British Hele Shaw Patent Clutch Company Ltd in Oldham. Neither Hugh nor his sister Winifred were recorded at home on the 1921 census. Hugh can be found on the census records as a 15 year, 10 month old pupil at Giggleswick School in Yorkshire. After school Hugh studied at the Manchester College of Technology and from 1923 to 1926 he was apprenticed at the same firm as his father, British Hele-Shaw Clutch Co. Ltd.

Before the war started, Hugh was embodied as a Territorial Officer

Service record

During the war Hugh served in the Royal Tank Regiment and was promoted eventually reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. From 1943 to 1945 Hugh's engineering skills and training were brought to use as he became the Assistant Director, in the Department of Tank Design.

In October 1940, the engagement of Major Hugh Wallace to Eileen Mary Phillips, the eldest daughter of Dr and Mrs P.G. Phillips of Collingham Bridge was announced, and they married in the Wetherby district in late 1940 or early 1941. They seem to have setled living at Weston, The Avenue, Collingham, although given his army role we do not know how much time Hugh actually spent in Collingham, but his name remained on the electoral roll for Collingham until about 1948.

After the war

After the war Hugh returned to the same company, but also took important national roles, for example as a Member of Council of the National Association of Drop Forgers and Stampers from 1949. In that year, Hugh was the leader of a team, the Drop Forging Productivity team, which travelled to America in 1949 organised by the AngloAmerican Council on Productivity to study the way American Industry was tackling some of the engineering issues of the day. These roles involved numerous overseas trips including travel to America and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

From about the late 1940s, Hugh left the Collingham area with his family. He died on the 24th April 1956.

Biography last updated 23 October 2024 19:22:58.