WELDING & FABRICATION 1946-2021: Celebrating 75 Years of Innovation
2021 marks the 75th anniversary of The Welding Institute and the purchase of Abington Hall near Cambridge, upon whose grounds TWI Ltd now exists.
While 1946 was an instrumental year for the formation of today’s Institute (and subsequently TWI Ltd), the roots of the Institute actually go back to the creation of The Institution of Welding Engineers, which was formed in London in 1923.
1923 The idea for The Institution of Welding Engineers was sparked when a group of 20 men gathered at the Holborn Restaurant in London on 26 January 1922. They decided to establish an association to unite acetylene welders with those interested in electric arc welding. This idea came to fruition in February 1923 when The Institution of Welding Engineers was registered under the Companies Act.
The aim of the Institute was to: “Advance and develop the science and practice of welding; to arrange for the reading of papers and lectures; to draw up regulations and recommendations for the guidance of the welding industry; to establish branches and acquire libraries; to promote legislation and establish welding schools; and generally to take steps that may appear desirable to develop the science of welding in all its branches.”
The next ten years saw the income of the Institute grow to £800 per annum with the number of Members reaching 600.
1935
In 1935, the British Advisory Welding Council merged with The Institution of Welding Engineers to form The Institute of Welding. This was important to the later creation of TWI Ltd as it took the scope of the Institute beyond personal professional membership to also include companies (now known as Industrial Members) in order to further support research activities.
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The new Institute determined to: “Undertake a wider and more comprehensive programme of work, and to meet the pressing demands of all branches of engineering for guidance in welding matters.”
1937 Despite the merger of 1935, it wasn’t until two years later that the research- based focus of the Institute began to take hold with the creation of The Welding Research Council in 1937. The Council was designed to provide:
“Status and recognition for the valuable work of the research committees and the standing of their personnel.”
The research aims of the Institute gained a further boost when the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded a three-year grant to fund welding research.
At this point, the Institute didn’t have its own laboratories and so work was primarily supported by UK universities, in what can be seen as a parallel to today’s Innovation Network.
Abington Hall (1938)
much smaller back in 1946, with the first welding shop being established in stables adjoining the Hall and fatigue research beginning in a former army hut under the guidance of Dr Richard Weck.
At this time, the BWRA also owned 29 Park Crescent, London, which was converted into a metallurgical laboratory. The butler’s pantry at Park Crescent was used as the polishing room and the machine shop was situated in the coachman’s quarters.
The stables, where the first welding shop was located.
Ramsay Moon, disillusioned with the small £30,000 grant from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, left after just one year and the responsibility to grow the organisation then fell to Dr Harry Taylor.
The Welding Institute Grant of Arms
1946 The debarring of professional institutions from acting as research associations forced the two arms of the Institute to split in 1946, leading to the creation of the British Welding Research Association (BWRA) as a separate entity to The Institute of Welding.
This same year saw the BWRA buy Abington Hall near Cambridge for £3850, with Allan Ramsay Moon becoming the first Director of Research. This is still the site of the headquarters of TWI Ltd and The Welding Institute today. However, the operation was
1948 The Institute celebrated its silver jubilee with the award of a Grant of Arms by the College of Arms. The coat of arms depicts a joint being made through the application of heat with a Latin motto that translates as ‘out of two, one.’
1957 The Institute of Welding established the School of Welding Technology in response to an overwhelming demand for courses on welding design and construction. The first course, on the
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