Arthur Rubbra
| Arthur Rubbra | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
29 October 1903 Northampton, England |
| Died | 24 November 1982 (aged 79) Southport, Merseyside |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Bristol University |
| Spouse(s) | Lilian Webster |
| Engineering career | |
| Institutions |
Armstrong Siddeley Rolls-Royce Limited |
| Projects | Rolls-Royce Merlin |
| Significant advance | Aero engines |
| Awards |
CBE, awarded 1961 Royal Aeronautical Society Gold Medal, awarded 1969 |
Arthur Alexander Cecil Rubbra CBE (29 October 1903 – 24 November 1982) was an English engineer who designed many of Rolls-Royce's successful aero engines.
Rubbra was born in Northampton on 29 October 1903 to Edmund and Mary Rubbra who ran a watch and jewellery repair business. It is thought that the rare family surname was a form of "Ruborough," the Somerset village near Broomfield where his ancestors came from. His elder brother, Charles Edmund, was a distinguished composer.
As a boy Rubbra was fascinated by steam engines and spent many hours at nearby Blisworth watching trains on the London–Crewe line. He was an accomplished artist and often sketched his favourite subjects. Rubbra attended Northampton Grammar School where he played rugby, and then Bristol University leaving in 1925 with a BSc.
Rubbra's first job was with Armstrong Siddeley although little is known of his time there. He obtained a grant from a fund originally set up by the organisers of the 1851 Great Exhibition, and secured a job as an 'Assistant Tester' in the engine test houses of Rolls-Royce Limited at Derby on 13 July 1925. He was paid the sum of exactly £1 per week at that time. He worked on the Rolls-Royce Eagle XVI 16-cylinder X engine and the later Rolls-Royce Kestrel and Buzzard aero engines.
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