November 16, 2023 - During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Dowty Mining Equipment was a major supplier of longwall roof supports, face conveyors and belt conveyors to the global mining industry. In this country, readers of CoalZoom will particularly remember Dowty Corporation in Zelienople, PA led by the late Matt Spedding with his team comprising the well-known characters: the late Harry Martin, Bill Harrison, Alan Peacock, and Jim Bond.

At the Dowty Employee Reunion held last fall in Cheltenham, England, John Whitaker, grandson of the first Dowty Group Chairman, A.W. Martin, in a book called “The Best” made a speech with impassioned plea – “please do something to commemorate the remarkable life of Sir George Dowty”.

Accordingly, the Sir George Dowty Memorial Committee was formed headed up by Martin Robins. John then produced a paper detailing the significant contribution made by the Dowty Group in the Battle of Britain during WWII. This paper received many compliments from the highest level.

A sequel detailing “The Contribution of Dowty to the World of Mining” was therefore called for. This paper was written and has just been revised to incorporate a number of suggestions from retired Dowty executives such as Richard Leitch and John Tout as well as Wyn Griffiths, the former Head of Coal Face Engineering of the British National Coal Board (NCB). This definitive paper was also authored by John Whitaker and is can be found here. 

The Committee remain committed to communicating the very significant achievements of Sir George Dowty and believe this paper will be very helpful in this quest.

For more information, please contact Martin Robins martinrobins@btinternet.com.