1940/41 & /42
F.C. Clarke Sub-Centre chairman for two sessions during 1941/42 the second World War.

Mr. Frederick Charles Clarke B.Sc., A.R.C.Sc., A.M.I.E.E., principal of Rotherham's new Technical College, was a foundation scholar at the Plymouth Corporation Grammer School, proceeding with a National Scholarship to the Royal College of Science, London, where he was chairman of the College Union. He has filled the positions of assistant master at the Tavistock Grammer School, science master at the Plymouth Corporation Grammer School, demonstrator in physics at the Royal College of Science and Birkbeck College, and in electrical engineering at Chelsea Polytechnic. Formerly senior master of the Junior Engineering School, chief lecturer in physics, and recognised teacher of London University at the West Ham Municipal College. Served as Territorial Officer during the 1914-18 War, and retired with rank of Major and the Territorial Decoration.

Interestingly, Rotherham Technical College provided the Chairmen for four of the years between 1940 and 1945, the exception being G H Fletcher in 1943/44.

11th September, Meeting at the King's Head Hotel convened to discuss the programme, if any, for the 1940/41 session. It was agreed to wait until the General meeting arranged for the 16th October.

19th March 1941, meeting back at the Royal Victoria Hotel agrees a grant of £25 for the Student Section.

1942/43
Sub-Centre chairman Dr Arthur William Ashton, lecturer in the Electrical Engineering Department, Rotherham Technical College. His son E G Ashton became Head of the Department and for many years audited Sub-Centre and Centre accounts for the IEE.

1943/44
Sub-Centre chairman G H Fletcher, Chief Engineer and Manager, Sheffield works, Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd. Originally based at Trafford Park he was transferred to Sheffield, as chief engineer in early 1922, when the separate traction motor engineering department was set up. In 1930 he replaced G H Nelson as Chief Engineer and Manager following the latters resignation. He was elected President of the Comité Mixte, an international body composed of representatives of electrical and transport undertakings, in 1937, and he joined the Board of the M-V Export Company in 1948. His wide interests in engineering were shown by a number of academic and industrial appointments in the Sheffield district.

20th October, Sub-Centre committee meeting at the Royal Victoria Hotel, Mr R H Coates appointed Honorary Secretary and served for the next 2 years.

Paper produced on the breakdown of Sub-Centre membership of 318.
 
Members  24
Associate Members  103
Companions  1
Associates  20
Graduates  82
Students  88

A minute indicated that the typewriter had reached a stage when it was practically unusable. An estimate had been received,

i) for a complete re-build for £13
ii) for an overhaul for £5

It was agreed to re-build the typewriter that had been purchased in 1933 for a sum of £5.

From the minutes dated 15th September 1943 it is noted that 'it is the custom of the Sheffield Sub-Centre, every three years to nominate a Vice Chairman to the North Midland Centre. Mr Fordham Cooper having been so nominated in March 1940 so that a nominee is now required'.

1944/45
Sub-Centre chairman R A H Sutcliffe, Head of Electrical Engineering Department, Rotherham Technical College.

3rd May, Sub-Centre committee meeting held at the Royal Victoria Hotel, This meeting appears to have been somewhat of a watershed.

The time of future committee meetings was changed from 5.15pm to 6.00pm. This was the first change in the meeting start time since 1926. A proposal to move the start time of papers from 6.15pm to 7.00 pm was however not approved. Clearly too much change at once was to be avoided. The total grant from the Leeds Centre for the Sheffield Sub-Centre was increased from £30 to £174 for the session.

The minutes of this and all subsequent committee meetings were in the order of five pages in length. Previously minutes of all Sub-Centre committee meetings since 1926 were only one page in length.

1945/46
Alfred Haddock Sub-Centre chairman for the session. Alfred was area Engineer, Sheffield Sub Area, YEB. He became Area Manager, Sheffield and Chief Commercial Officer, YEB. He was a very keen supporter of the IEE and attended most meetings in Sheffield or Leeds. He nearly always sat in the same place and took an active part in the discussions.

4th April, First joint meeting between North Western Centre, North Midland Centre and Sheffield Sub-Centre held in Sheffield. (These meetings continued annually at different venues until the last one was held in 1951 at Huddersfield). However, joint meetings between the North Midland Centre and the Sheffield Sub-Centre continued from 1952 onwards at Barnsley until the last one was held in March 1971.

The minutes for 17th July 1946 record that 'arrangements should be made for the printing of a booklet on similar lines to the two previous ones'.

E W Connon appointed Honorary Secretary and served for the next 3 years.

1946/47
Sub-Centre chairman William Tyler Wardale, Engineer and Manager, Sheffield Corporation Tramways Department.

Between 1894 and 1899 he was apprenticed to L. Gardener & Sons Ltd who manufactured engines. These ran on gas, petroleum and other liquid fuels. He would not, however, have gas as a fuel in the home nor did he approve of the motor car despite being offered one by the Sheffield Corporation. He remained faithful to his bicycle, a nine gear custom built by Sheffield Langsett, on which he toured all over the country until into his late 80's.

He was originally educated at William Hulme's Grammer School, Manchester. Later, in 1900/01, he studied Electrical Engineering at the Manchester Technical School and then went to Lairds Ship builders at Birkenhead. In 1902 he was Shift Engineer with the County Borough of Rochdale and then Assistant Electrical Engineer with the Peterorough Corporation Electricity Works, which supplied the electricity for the tramways and lighting and power for the city. In 1903 he became Electrical Engineer on the Power Station supply branch of the Sheffield Corporation Tramways and Motors, where he was to remain until he retired in 1943.

Before the 1914-18 war he wrote various articles on electrical engineering including 'Village Electrical Installations'. He also wrote numerous articles in the technical press on mechanical and electrical engineering relating to tramway systems.

2nd October, Sub-Centre committee meeting held at the Royal Victoria Hotel, It was proposed to move the status of the Sub-Centre to that of Centre. Doubt was expressed about the number of members, as Sheffield was not the largest Sub-Centre in the country.

30th October, First post war Faraday lecture held in Sheffield at the Victoria Hall, 1580 people heard T.E. Allibone deliver his lecture "Atoms, Electrons and Engineers".

7th April, report prepared by J H Teece, Hon Secretary to support application for Centre status. The case was based largely on the rapid expansion of the Sub-Centre.
 

	1941	1947	Increase
Members	20	26	30%
Associate Members	118	181	52%
Associates	22	36	64%
Graduates	71	122	72%
Students	43	141	228%
TOTAL	274	506	84%

There were ten meetings per session with an average attendance of 66 (46/47). The proposed name for the Centre was "North East Midland Centre"

1947/48
Sub-Centre chairman John A Walker, Sales Engineer Metropolitan-Vickers Ltd, Sheffield. He joined Metropolitan-Vickers in 1919 and worked in the motor sales department and the control sales department before being appointed to Sheffield. In 1954 he was appointed assistant manager of the Sheffield office.

Sheffield Sub-Centre makes its first application for Centre status to the Council of the IEE, this was eventually rejected because the membership was deemed to be too small. It was to be a further ten years before the next application was made for Centre status.

4th December, Minutes of Council Meeting contain the following complex definition of the proposed Sheffield Centre and reference to the Sheffield application for Centre status.

"Sheffield Sub-Centre

Those parts of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire bounded by a line drawn from the River Humber immediately south-east of Goole through Barnsley and Penistone (including those towns) to the Yorkshire county boundary, thence due south to the northern boundary of the South Midland Centre, containing then in an easterly direction along that boundary to the Nottinghamshire county boundary, then following this boundary in a northerly direction to the point where it is intersected by a line drawn from Clay Cross to Worksop, thence to Retford, Gainsborough and Scunthorpe (including those towns) turning westwards to a point on the Yorkshire county boundary half-a-mile east of Medge Hall Railway Station, thence northwards along that boundary to the River Humber, and following the river in a westerly direction for a distance of 5 miles.

The Council approved this report, it being noted that the committees of the North-Western Centre, the South Midland Centre and the Sheffield Sub-Centre, were in agreement with the suggestions contained therein".

From 1948 the Sheffield Sub-Centre held meetings outside Sheffield, at Barnsley and Scunthorpe. The meetings at Barnsley eventually became joint meetings with the North Midland Centre. The Scunthorpe meetings were organised from Sheffield in the main until the 1957/58 session, when a significant change took place by the extension of the Sub-Centre boundary to include an area in the North of Lincolnshire.

The summer visit was to Harrogate with a visit to Bolton Abbey.

1948/49
Sub-Centre chairman Wilfred Wallace Grimes, Manager (Chesterfield Area) East Midland Electricity Board.

Wilfred was the engineer and manager of Chesterfield Electricity Department from 1943 to 1948, when the electricity supply industry was nationalised, and he continued as the district manager for the The East Midlands Electricity Board.

He began his career as an engineering apprentice with Hunter and English of London before joining the electricity department of West Ham as a junior technical assistant at their generating station in 1928. By 1941 he was an assistant district engineer when he left to become deputy distribution and commercial engineer with the Chesterfield undertaking, and was appointed as engineer and manager in 1943 following the resignation of the previous incumbent D. H. Davies. (IEE Sheffield Sub-Centre Chairman in 1934/35).

In 1958 he was transferred to Lincoln as district manager and in 1961 moved to Grantham as deputy sub-area manager. In the same year he became sub-area manager of Lincolnshire. When the Board was reorganised in 1968 he was appointed Eastern group manager, retiring in 1971.

16th September, Minutes of Council Meeting contain the following reference to the Sheffield application for Centre status.

"Sheffield Sub-Centre

The Committee have discussed at some length the petition of the Sheffield Sub-Centre that the latter should be raised to full Centre status but do not consider that the numbers would justify such a measure.

The Council accepted this recommendation".

15th December, letter received from Mr Brasher at Savoy Place stating that Centre status had been rejected as membership was not sufficiently large for Centre status. It would be a further ten years before the next application was made for Centre status.

J A Walker appointed Honorary Secretary and served for the next 6 years.

1949/50
Chairman J R Phillips, Chief Electrical Engineer, Hadfields East Hecla works.

16th November, Sub-Centre committee meetings moved to the Grand Hotel, Leopold Street. Meetings had previously been held at the Royal Victoria Hotel since 1926 (apart from short time during the second World War). There is no mention in the minutes as to why the change was made.