Sir Robert Douglas
Sir Robert Douglas, born February 2, 1899, died December 1996 was
a construction engineer and Midlands industrialist of Scottish
background.
He was the Chairman of the company Robert M. Douglas.
The son of a Scottish farmer, Sir Robert was born
in Durisdeer, near Dumfries, in 1899 and was educated at Dumfries
Academy. He joined the army at 17, and during the First World War
served with the Highland Light Infantry and the Cameron Highlanders,
surviving being wounded on the Western Front to become a sergeant.
After his marriage to Millicent Irene Morgan in 1927 (his wife
died in 1980) he moved to Birmingham to join the contracting
business of a Dumfries associate. There, as company secretary,
Douglas discovered he had a talent for estimating and there in 1930,
with a initial capital outlay of #3000, he struck out on his own to
found the Douglas Group which eventually developed into an
international operation with more than 30 companies.
Like
many of his contemporaries in the construction business, Douglas
started in a small way, by sub-contracting to build small stretches
of road for local authorities or developers. His breakthrough came
in 1936 when Lord Beaverbrook, who had taken an early realistically
black view of the Nazi menace, persuaded the Austin company, with
government funding, to build a large shadow factory at Longbridge,
Birmingham, to produce Fairey Aviation fighter bombers.
Douglas was given the contract for all the groundworks to floor
level and by working 24 hours a day earned a substantial bonus on
completing the work. The following year, when Lord Nuffield agreed
to build a second shadow factory at Castle Bromwich to produce
Spitfires, Douglas was again awarded the groundworks contract.
The Second World War saw a great burgeoning of the construction
industry through projects connected with the war effort. Although
large profits were not allowed, companies could grow quickly.
Douglas's did with contracts to build airfields.
After the
war his company made South Wales a major centre of activity and two
large tinplate works - then the largest in Europe - were built at
Trostre and Felindre. It was then that he started his own steel
formwork company, after his client, the Steel Company of Wales,
became frustrated at delays with formwork because of timber
shortages. Without engineering training, but drawing on the
practicality of his farming background, Douglas went on to make his
formwork company a world leader in solving shuttering and shoring
problems.
His civil engineering company was one of the first
to take advantage of the motorway programme of the late 1950s, but
is best known for the two large developments in Birmingham - the
National Exhibition Centre and the International Convention Centre,
incorporating the Symphony Hall.
In a reflection of his rural
background, Sir Robert bought the Dunstall estate near Burton upon
Trent in 1952. Here he assumed the responsibilities of a village
squire and introduced many improvements in the local infrastructure.
A keen farmer on his 500-acre estate, he was a former president and
patron of the Staffordshire Agricultural Society.
A member of
the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works Midland Regional Advisory
Committee from 1940-46, he chaired the Midland Section of the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors in 1942 and 1947, and then became its national president in 1958.
He was
awarded the OBE in 1956 and was knighted in 1976.
An Honorary
Doctor of Science of Aston University and a fellow of the
Chartered Institute of Building, Sir Robert was chairman of the
Douglas Group till 1977 and continued as president after its merger
with Tilbury in 1991 to form Tilbury Douglas plc. He remained
president until his death.
Sir Robert's son John, himself a
former chairman of Tilbury Douglas plc, said of him: ``My father was
a great personality in Birmingham industry and brought the
caution of a Scottish farming background to what is an overextended
industry. He will be greatly missed.'' Sir Robert is survived by his
son, his daughter, Juliet, seven grandchildren, and 14
great-grandchildren.
R M Douglas Charitable Trust - purposes:
1)
Relief of poverty amongst present or past employees (and their families)
of Tilbury Douglas plc (formerly Robert M Douglas (Contractors) Ltd,
whose name was changed to Robert M Douglas Holdings plc), and its
subsidiaries and associated Companies.
2) augmentation of pensions
for the same persons.
3) general charitable purposes in the
ecclesiastical parish of St Mary, Dunstall, Staffordshire.
4) general
charitable purposes at trustees' discretion
Mr John Robert Tomkys Douglas,
OBE, died 13 Jun 2010 aged 79 years, was a trustee in R M
Douglas Charitable Trust, as was Mr
Jonathon MCCallum Douglas. John was Robert's son;
it is assumed that Jonathon was his grandson.
We would welcome confirmation.
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
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