OBITUARY
MR. W. M. DAWSON
Mr. Wilfred M. Dawson, assistant manager of Philip's Lamps, N.Z;, Ltd., died very suddenly at his residence, Karori, last night, at the early age of 37 years. Mr. Dawson had not been in very good health for some weeks, but his death was~quite unexpected. His passing is deeply regretted by many friends and business associates.
Mr. Dawson was born in Invercargill, a son of Mr. Alexander Dawson, and was educated at the Southland Boys' High School and at the Southland Technical College under the Scandrett engineering scholarship. After serving an apprenticeship in the engineering trade in Invercargill he went to sea in Union Steam Ship Company vessels, and was later appointed to take charge of the engineering department of the Ashburton Technical School. He held high qualifications in engineering, and while at Ashburton first became interested in radio transmission. He was one of the first short-wave workers in the Dominion, becoming an associate member of the Institute of Radio Engineers in 1927 and a member of the Institute of Wireless Technology in 1929, by which time he had joined the staff of Philips as technical engineer, being promoted to the position of assistant manager some months ago.
He was a man of many and intense interests, . particularly in short-wave transmission and the fine development of electrical devices, and ranked so highly in his work that he was called upon by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith to install and maintain the transmitting and sending apparatus carried on practically all the flights made by the old Southern Cross across the Tasman. During the breakdown of the telegraphic and telephonic services from Napier after the earthquake, Mr. Dawson was very early on the scene with a portable short-wave transmitter, and spent two heavy days sending descriptive messages to the "Evening Post." Later he worked for some time on ultra-short-wave transmission, and on other technical problems, being a man who enjoyed himself with an abstruse problem.
He leaves a widow and two young children. The funeral will take place on Friday morning.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19350731.2.103
Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Issue 27, 31 July 1935, Page 10
Word Count
342OBITUARY Evening Post, Issue 27, 31 July 1935, Page 10
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