The eldest son of Oliver V.S. Bulleid was born on 23 December 1912 in Doncaster (Day-Lewis). Now probably best known as the author of three major biographical works on locomotive enginees: Master builders of steam and lives of his father and Aspinall, H.A.V. was a fully trained locomotive engineer: he was educated at Cambridge and then at Derby (Larkin), and worked as the Chief Engineer at the Britsh Nylon Spinners plant in Pontypool (Dr Peter W. Allen, an Oxford chemist who worked at BNS before joining BRPRA and into whose shoes KPJ eventually stepped) when asked about Bulleid considered that he was "far too senior" to have had any contact with him at Pontypool. The first gives great insights into the lives of Ivatt, father and son (former was H.A.V.'s maternal grandfather), Gresley and his father, as well as Churchward and Stanier.
He worked briefly at Derby in the LMS experimental section.
Books
The Aspinall Era. London: Ian Allan,1967.
Excellent for coverage of Aspinall's patents and for his work at Inchicore
(including that of McDonnell); also information about Ivatt, Webb (relationship
with his star Pupils), Ramsbotton, Barton Wright and Hoy.
Bulleid of the Southern. Ian Allan,
1977. 229pp
Includes an appendix by Author's mother: Ivatt's daughter which records
death of Ivatt's eldest son in 1898 and observations on Gresley and the
Fowlers.
Master builders of steam. London, Ian
Allan, 1963. 190 p. + 32 plates. 109 illus. (incl. 12 ports.), 39
diagrs., 17 tables, 2 plans.
This book is of major importance as HAV Bulleid was a trained locomotive
engineer (Cambridge University and where), although most of his professional
life was spent within the polymer industry (British Nylon Spinners at Pontypool).
Further, until recently he was one of the few writers with access to the
private proceedings of the Association of Railway Locomotive Engineers. His
pantheon includes: Churchward, Gresley, Stanier and his father .
2006-03-26