Colonel Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton, inventor, late 19th-early 20th century

Colonel Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton, inventor, late 19th-early 20th century. Photograph of Crompton (1845-1940) in military uniform. Crompton was a pioneer of electric street lighting, including King's Cross Station and the Law Courts. He was instrumental in setting up a public electricity supply to London. Serving in the Electrical Engineers in the Boer War, he used his improved arc lamp design to develop the military searchlight. During WW1 he advised on the design and production of the 'Landship', a type of tank. He also produced generating equipment for power stations, and one of the first domestic cookers. He was awarded the Faraday Medal in 1926. His manufacturing company, Crompton and Co, kept the Crompton name until the 1960s when it was taken over by Hawker Siddeley. ©SSPL/Science Museum