Cecil Kimber
Encyclopedia
Cecil Kimber was an automobile engineer, most famous for his role in being the driving force behind the MG car company
.
he joined his father's company and took an early interest in motor cycles buying a Rex model, but after an accident on a friend's machine that severely damaged his right leg he took to cars and in 1913 bought a 10 hp Singer
. This interest caused him to leave the family firm in 1914 and get a job with Sheffield-Simplex
as assistant to the chief designer. During World War 1 he moved first to AC Cars
and then to component supplier EG Wrigley
. He made a large personal financial investment in Wrigleys but he lost this when the company lost heavily on a deal with Angus-Sanderson
for whom he had styled their radiator. Wrigley had also been a major supplier to the Morris Motor Company
and was bought by them in 1923 and presumably with the help of contacts, Kimber got a job in 1921 as Sales manager with Morris Garages, their agency in Oxford
.
While there he developed a range of special bodies for Morris cars eventually leading in 1928 to the founding of MG as a separate marque specialising in sports cars. The new company moved from Oxford to Abingdon
in 1929 and Kimber became managing director in July 1930. The main shareholder was William Morris
himself and in 1935 he formally sold M.G. to Morris Motors which meant Kimber was no longer in sole control and had to take instructions from head office leading to him becoming increasingly disillusioned with his role.
With the outbreak of World War II, car production stopped and at first MG was reduced to making basic items for the armed forces until Kimber obtained contract work on aircraft but this was done without first obtaining approval and he was asked to resign and left in 1941.
He soon found other work first with coachbuilder Charlesworth and then with specialist piston maker Specialloid.
on Sunday 4 February 1945, having boarded the 6pm express to Leeds. Shortly after leaving the station, the train wheels started slipping on a newly replaced section of rail inside Gasworks Tunnel. However, in the darkness, the driver failed to realise that the train was no longer moving forward and had in fact started to slip back down the hill at a speed of some 6 or 7 mph. A signalman, attempting to avert a collision with another train, switched the points, but unfortunately the train had already slid too far back down the track. The only effect was to derail the final carriage, forcing it onto its side and crushing it against the steel support of the main signal gantry, entirely demolishing the first-class compartment where Kimber had been sitting. He was one of only two casualties.
Cecil Kimber married twice, first to Irene (Rene) Hunt with whom he had two daughters, Lisa and Jean, and after Irene died in 1938 to Muriel Dewar.
He was elected as President of the Automobile Division of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.
MG (car)
The MG Car Company is a former British sports car manufacturer founded in the 1920s by Cecil Kimber. Best known for its two-seat open sports cars, MG also produced saloons and coupés....
.
Biography
He was born in London on 12 April 1888 to Henry Kimber, a printing engineer and his wife Fanny. After attending Stockport Grammar SchoolStockport Grammar School
Stockport Grammar School is a co-educational independent school in Stockport, England, founded in 1487 by the 1482 Lord Mayor of London Sir Edmund Shaa.The school motto is "Vincit qui patitur" – He who endures, conquers....
he joined his father's company and took an early interest in motor cycles buying a Rex model, but after an accident on a friend's machine that severely damaged his right leg he took to cars and in 1913 bought a 10 hp Singer
Singer (car)
Singer was an automobile company founded in 1905 in Coventry, England. It was acquired by the Rootes Group of the United Kingdom in 1956, who continued the brand until 1970...
. This interest caused him to leave the family firm in 1914 and get a job with Sheffield-Simplex
Sheffield-Simplex
Sheffield-Simplex was a British car and motor cycle manufacturer operating from 1907 to 1920 based in Sheffield, Yorkshire, and Kingston upon Thames, Surrey.The company received financial backing from the coal magnate Earl Fitzwilliam...
as assistant to the chief designer. During World War 1 he moved first to AC Cars
AC Cars
AC Cars Group Ltd. formerly known as Auto Carriers Ltd. is a British specialist automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest independent car marques founded in Britain...
and then to component supplier EG Wrigley
EG Wrigley and Company
EG Wrigley and Company Ltd. was a British car, car component, and mechanical parts manufacturer, located at Foundry Lane, Soho, Birmingham.Edward Greenwood Wrigley established a tool making business at 232 Aston Road, Birmingham in 1898. EG Wrigley and Company moved to Foundry lane, Soho,...
. He made a large personal financial investment in Wrigleys but he lost this when the company lost heavily on a deal with Angus-Sanderson
Angus-Sanderson
The Angus-Sanderson was an English automobile manufactured from 1919 to 1927 by Sir William Angus, Sanderson & Company Ltd.In concept it was something like the Bean and Cubitt; the idea was that one model would be mass-produced, as Ford had done so successfully...
for whom he had styled their radiator. Wrigley had also been a major supplier to the Morris Motor Company
Morris Motor Company
The Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque...
and was bought by them in 1923 and presumably with the help of contacts, Kimber got a job in 1921 as Sales manager with Morris Garages, their agency in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
While there he developed a range of special bodies for Morris cars eventually leading in 1928 to the founding of MG as a separate marque specialising in sports cars. The new company moved from Oxford to Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
in 1929 and Kimber became managing director in July 1930. The main shareholder was William Morris
William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield
William Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield GBE, CH , known as Sir William Morris, Bt, between 1929 and 1934 and as The Lord Nuffield between 1934 and 1938, was a British motor manufacturer and philanthropist...
himself and in 1935 he formally sold M.G. to Morris Motors which meant Kimber was no longer in sole control and had to take instructions from head office leading to him becoming increasingly disillusioned with his role.
With the outbreak of World War II, car production stopped and at first MG was reduced to making basic items for the armed forces until Kimber obtained contract work on aircraft but this was done without first obtaining approval and he was asked to resign and left in 1941.
He soon found other work first with coachbuilder Charlesworth and then with specialist piston maker Specialloid.
Death
He was killed in the King's Cross railway accidentKing's Cross railway accident
The King's Cross railway accident occurred on 4 February 1945, at London King's Cross railway station on the East Coast Main Line of the London & North Eastern Railway. Two passengers were killed and 25 injured, as well as the train attendant.-The situation:...
on Sunday 4 February 1945, having boarded the 6pm express to Leeds. Shortly after leaving the station, the train wheels started slipping on a newly replaced section of rail inside Gasworks Tunnel. However, in the darkness, the driver failed to realise that the train was no longer moving forward and had in fact started to slip back down the hill at a speed of some 6 or 7 mph. A signalman, attempting to avert a collision with another train, switched the points, but unfortunately the train had already slid too far back down the track. The only effect was to derail the final carriage, forcing it onto its side and crushing it against the steel support of the main signal gantry, entirely demolishing the first-class compartment where Kimber had been sitting. He was one of only two casualties.
Cecil Kimber married twice, first to Irene (Rene) Hunt with whom he had two daughters, Lisa and Jean, and after Irene died in 1938 to Muriel Dewar.
He was elected as President of the Automobile Division of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.
External references
- Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Editor N. Georgano. HMSO, London. 2000. ISBN 1-57958-293-1
- MG Sportscars. Malcolm Green. CLB. 1997. ISBN 1-85833-606-6