Oliver Lyle

Sir Oliver Lyle
OBE
Born1891
Weybridge, Surrey
Died1961
London
SpouseLilian Spicer
ParentJohn Lyle & Margaret Macgregor Yorke
Engineering career
DisciplineEnergy engineering
Employer(s)Tate & Lyle
ProjectsSteam Efficiency at Thames Refinery

Sir Oliver Lyle, OBE (1891–1961) was a British sugar technologist during the early 20th century.

Early life

Lyle was born in Weybridge, Surrey in 1891 (the year his grandfather, Abram Lyle died), to John Lyle, a sugar refiner and ship owner.[1] He grew up in Surrey.

Military

During World War I, Lyle was an officer in the Highland Light Infantry.[2]

Work at Tate & Lyle

Lyle started work at what had been Abram Lyle's sugar factory at Plaistow when he was 21 and did various manual jobs such as boiling sugar in the refinery pans; in 1921 sugar refiners: Henry Tate & Sons and Abram Lyle & Sons merged to form Tate & Lyle.[3] Later he and his older brother, Philip, became joint refinery directors. Philip died in 1955.[4] Oliver was now the sole male survivor of the third generation of sugar Lyles. Oliver Lyle was a meticulous record-keeper, as can be seen in his pocketbook, which he carried around with him for over 30 years.[5]

Other activities

Lyle was an investor in Noel Macklin's Invicta Cars.[6][7][8][9]

Family

Lyle married Lilian Spicer in Chertsey, Surrey in 1914.[10] The couple had five children. Their eldest son, John, went on to work in the family business.

Honours

In 1919, Lyle was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.[11] In the 1954 New Year Honours, he was knighted for services in promoting fuel efficiency.[11][12]

Publications

  • The Efficient Use of Steam. H.M. Stationery Office. 1947. ISBN 9780114101305.[13]
  • Technology for sugar refinery workers. Chapman & Hall. 1950.
  • The Plaistow Story. Tate & Lyle. 1960.

See also

See also: Silvertown; Henry Tate; Greenock; The Sugar Girls; Leonard Lyle, 1st Baron Lyle of Westbourne; Lyle Hill; and 1954 New Year Honours

References

Citations

  1. ^ "Penmon, St Georges Avenue, Weybridge, Chertsey, Surrey, England". 1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription. 1891. Retrieved 18 September 2014. – via Findmypast (subscription required)
  2. ^ "No. 29077". The London Gazette. 19 February 1915. p. 1732.
  3. ^ "Tate & Lyle Home".
  4. ^ Whalley, H. C. S. (17 September 1955). "Mr Philip Lyle" (PDF). Nature. 176: 534. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  5. ^ Chalmin 1990.
  6. ^ Andrew English (30 April 2012). "Invicta goes bust". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Bonhams : 1931 Invicta 4½-Litre S-Type Low-chassis Tourer Chassis no. S46 Engine no. 7423". Bonhams. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  8. ^ Williams, Jean; Williams, Simon (2013). "Sir (Albert) Noel Campbell Macklin (1886–1946), racing motor car and warship manufacturer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/101214. hdl:2086/10570. ISBN 978-0-19-861411-1. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  9. ^ Baldwin 1994.
  10. ^ "England & Wales marriages 1837–2008 Transcription". Findmypast. Retrieved 18 September 2014. – via Findmypast (subscription required)
  11. ^ a b "Lyle, Sir Oliver", Who Was Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, 2021). Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  12. ^ "No. 40053". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1953. p. 2.
  13. ^ Harris, P. S. (1994). "Management accounting for food industry environmental issues". Food Industry and the Environment. pp. 347–398. doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-2097-9_10. ISBN 978-1-4613-5872-5.

Sources