Person

Chapman, Wilfrid Dinsey (1891 - 1955)

Born
16 May 1891
Wandsworth, London, England
Died
6 May 1955
Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Civil engineer

Summary

Wilfrid Chapman made his name as a pioneer in the use of electric arc welding for structural purposes. In 1931 Chapman joined E.M.F. Electric Co. Pty. Ltd. as engineer in charge of research and development. He made significant advances in the theory and practice of electric welding, and did much to spread knowledge of the new technology among practising engineers. He moved to Australian Paper Manufacturers Ltd. in 1936, as engineer for development and research into the use of eucalypts for making pulp, at the Maryvale pulp-mill. He travelled extensively in Gippsland, which deepened his interest in the region's forests.

Details

In 1947, Eucalyptus chapmania, also known as Bogong Snow Gum, was named for him. Wilfrid Chapman was the first to discover the tree while being part-time commissioner of the Victorian State Electricity Commission and involved in the Hydro Scheme planning. One tree was marked with a commemorative plaque and was a landmark beside the road between Mount Beauty and Falls Creek. Despite being severely burnt in the 2003 fires, it resprouted but died a few years later. A sample of the Bogong Snow Gum was planted in the Maranoa Gardens in Balwyn, Victoria and is identified by a plaque. His father Frederick Chapman had contributed in setting up the Maranoa Gardens.

He was actively associated with the University of Melbourne, Australian National Research Council and ANZAAS.

From 1959 the annual oration of the Victorian division, Institution of Engineers Australia, was named in his honour as the "W.D. Chapman Oration".

He is also recognised and memorialised by the silver "Dr. Wilfred Chapman Medal" awarded by the Australian Welding Institute.

Some Associated Engineering Works:

* 1925 Strengthening Echuca Bridge, Victoria /NSW;
* 1925 Strengthening Princes Bridge, Melbourne;
* 1929 Railway viaducts at Glenroy and Albion, Victoria;
* 1929 Spencer Street Bridge, Melbourne;
* 1930 Reconstruction Hawthorn Bridge, Victoria;

Chronology

1902
Life event - Migrated with his parents to Melbourne
1908 - 1915
Career position - Junior engineer, later assistant engineer, Railway Construction Branch, Board of Land and Works
1915 - 1919
Military service - First World War. Australian Imperial Forces, Army Medical Corps, and later Lieutenant, Australian Machine Gun Corps
1919
Career event - Foundation Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
1919 - 1931
Career position - Assistant engineer / Engineer, Railways Construction Branch, Board of Land and Works
1923
Education - Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE), University of Melbourne [Completion delayed by Military service]
1925
Education - Master of Civil Engineering (MCE), University of Melbourne
1925 - 1926
Career position - Part time lecturer, Civil engineering, University of Melbourne
1930
Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
1931
Career event - Associate Member (AssocMInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1931 - 1936
Career position - Engineer in charge of research and development, E.M.F. Electric Co. Pty. Ltd.
1932
Career event - Chairman, Melbourne division, Institution of Engineers Australia
1933
Lecture - "Welding Codes" presented to Newcastle division, Institution of Engineers Australia
1935
Career event - Scientific Research Grant, Welding of Joints [With David Victor Isaacs]
1935 - 1939
Career position - Member of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Melbourne
1936 - 1938
Career position - Engineer, Australian Paper Manufacturers Ltd.
1936 - 1940
Career position - Honorary Secretary, Victorian Committee of Management, Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1939
Career position - Engineer, Malcolm Moore Ltd.
1939 - 1945
Military service - Second World War. Lieutenant Colonel, Army Field Workshop, Middle East. Later Colonel / temporary Brigadier, Chief Ordnance Mechanical Engineer, H.Q., A.I.F. (M.E.) and Chief Superintendent of Design, M.G.O. Branch
1941
Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1943 - 1944
Career position - Chairman, Victorian Committee of Management, Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1944 - 1945
Career event - President, Institution of Engineers Australia
1944 - 1955
Career position - Part-time Commissioner, State Electricity Commission of Victoria
1945
Military service - Honorary Brigadier, Reserve of Officers
1945 - c. 1947
Career position - Director of Civil Engineering, Railway Standardization Division, Commonwealth Department of Transport
1946
Career position - Vice-chairman, Standards Association of Australia
1947
Career event - Representative of Institution of Engineers Australia, on the Standards Association of Australia
1947
Taxonomy event - Eucalyptus chapmaniana Cameron was named in honour of Chapman, who identified the type
1949
Award - Doctor of Engineering (honoris causa) (HonDEng), University of Western Australia
1950
Career event - Representative of Institution of Engineers Australia, Conference of Engineering Institutions of the British Commonwealth in South Africa

Colleague

  • Isaacs, David Victor (1904 - 1991)

    Chapman and Isaacs were both pioneers and leaders in the development and application of electric arc welding in structures, and together in 1935 received a scientific research grant, to enable them to further research the welding of joints.

  • Moon, Allan Ramsay (1898 - 1951)

    Chapman and Moon graduated together at the University of Melbourne, and both became pioneers and leaders in the development and application of electric arc welding.

Related Corporate Bodies

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

Book Sections

Journal Articles

  • 'Obituary [Wilfred Dinsey Chapman]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 27 (1955), 98. Details
  • Chapman, W. D., 'Strengthening of Echuca Bridge by Electric Welding', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1 (1929), 9- Discussion p.57. Details
  • Chapman, W. D., 'Spencer Street Bridge, I - Subaqueous Foundation Work', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1 (1929), 211- Discussion p.409. Details
  • Chapman, W. D., 'Railway Viaducts on the Albion-Broadmeadows Line', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 2 (1930), 189-197. Details
  • Chapman, W. D., 'Economical Overhead Bridges', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 2 (1930), 442-. Details
  • Chapman, W. D., 'Reconstruction of Hawthorn Bridge', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 3 (1931), 81-. Details
  • Chapman, W. D., 'The Future of the Engineering Profession', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 6 (1934), 457-. Details
  • Chapman, W. D., 'Presidential Address', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 17 (1945), 37-. Details
  • Chapman, W. D., 'Transport in Australia', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 21 (1949), 41-. Details
  • Chapman, W. D., 'Prevention of Deterioration of Stores and Equipment in Tropical Areas', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 22 (1950), 269-. Details
  • Chapman, W. D., 'The Standardisation of Railway Gauges in Australia', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 24 (1952), 151-. Details
  • Chapman, W. D., 'Economic Considerations relating to Priority of Public Works', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 26 (1954), 293-. Details
  • Institution of Engineers Australia, 'Twenty-third Annual Report [1942]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 15 (1943), 35-51. 'Engineering Standardisation - The Institution [of Engineers Australia] has been represented on the Council of the Standards Association during 1942 by: Sir Henry Barraclough, Mr R J Boyd, Mr H G Carter, Colonel W D Chapman, Mr A J Gibson and Mr T H Upton', p.38. Details

Resources

See also

Roseanne Walker; Neville Walsh; Christine Moje

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