R.K. Spencer - Chief Chemist

Richard Spencer was an essential member of the research and development team who was recruited from Marconi's by John Wyborn (who was himself recruited in 1929 from HMV as Chief Engineer) circa 1932.

Richard Spencer brought to the company his speciality subject of acceptance testing of all materials bought out; life testing of the factory's completed output before mass production was allowed to proceed and random tests on completed warehouse stocks to prevent faulty material getting to the customer.

It was due to 'SPEN' as he was known, that the procedures he adopted coupled with the skill of Tony Martin and the rest of the team brought into the company by Eric Cole in 1929 that the reputation of EKCO radio's for quality and reliability soared from 1932 onwards and was to remain a cornerstone of the company for the next 30 years with both the trade and the customers.

Richard Spencer in his 'life test' laboratory – circa 1950's – photograph courtesy Southend Museum Service

The laboratory he created and equipped was the envy of all EKCO's competitors and was capable of testing almost everything that went into a radio set from the simplest component through to the most complex material structures culminating in the life testing of finished sets.

Such was his reputation that Works managers and production personnel could rage and tear their hair out, production lines could be at a standstill, but nobody ever dared challenge or question his ruling. He was a sea green Incorruptible, and there was probably never a single occasion when he was overruled or bullied into allowing something into or out of the factory, which he did not consider good enough.

During the war, he joined the WDU team at Malmesbury accompanied by his faithful assistant 'Pauline Durrent' where his contribution to the reliability and quality of the AI sets cannot be understated and such was his reputation even the AID (Aeronautical Inspection Directorate) unquestionably accepted his rulings.

Richard Spencer and Pauline Durrent in the Life Test Laboratory in WDU Malmesbury

The chief engineer at Malmesbury (Tony Martin) never interfered with his rulings either, and on the odd occasion when he was stone-walling on some vitally-needed part, while two or three hundred people might be idle awaiting his tests, even Eric Cole, would dare do no more than ask him what were the prospects of the suspect part being approved.

Yet for all of this, he was known as a man of quiet, mild and anything but forceful temperament, who never raised his voice or lost his temper and such was the esteem he was held in he never seemed to make an enemy, even by his most frustrated colleagues. When pushed hard by a frantic works manager, is normal response was, 'Are you prepared to take the responsibility?'

Such was his reputation that very few managers or engineers ever tried to pull a fast one on him since in addition to being a outstanding chemist he was also an accomplished scientist, engineer and inventor who was well capable of seeing through any such actions.

As an inventor, he made one outstanding contribution to airborne radar when AI Mark VIII and VIII were being developed in that the problem of flying these sets at high altitude required them to be pressurised and there needed to be some form of equalising the pressure differential. Richard Spencer solved this problem by working with Alex Moulton (who in the 50's became famous for the rubber suspension on the Mini's) at Avon Tyres in inventing a rubber bladder system, which catered for the expansion.

Throughout his life unfortunately, SPEN suffered from poor eyesight where he was very shortsighted and would have to bring an object almost up to his bespectacled eyes to look at it. As he got older the thickness of his glasses got ever greater.

Notwithstanding this condition, SPEN drove for many years and Michael Lipman recounts one alarming car journey with him in 1938 when SPEN insisted on driving to London with him and as he recounts, he was not normally a nervous passenger having driven with some pretty dicey drivers in places as different as the mountains of Serbia, the boulevards of Paris and the streets of Moscow in a blizzard, but he confessed that when they got to Camden Town he was almost a nervous wreck and treated himself to a double Scotch when he got out of the car and avoided ever driving with him again.

Aside from work, he was a very competent musician and created and led the EKCO Orchestra over many years although how he ever read the musical score is anybody's guess. His main passion was the music of Hayden and Mozart although he led the Orchestra for all types of music and his music became a well-liked part of the EKCO musicals staged by the Sports and Social Club, where he was a leading light.

His love of music spilled over into work where he had a large collection of classical music (mostly on 78 RPM records), which he used in order to test the loudspeaker response of radiograms and record players etc. It was said that what he lost in eyesight he made up for in discriminating pitch and tone.

Richard Spencer leading the EKCO Orchestra – photograph courtesy Doreen Acres Note: Mrs Acres is second from left

Larger Version

In Malmesbury during WW2 when relaxation time was at a premium, he organised many chamber concerts, which he held in the drawing room of 'The Priory' just outside the town. He was, of course, the conductor.

Richard Spencer conducting the EKCO orchestra wearing one of his 'trademark' dark pinstripe suits for which he was well known
Photograph courtesy Doreen Acres

Later in the 1950's he became very much one of the elder statesmen of EKCO and was always willing to listen and provide a helping hand to the young engineers in addition to which he travelled widely assisting the overseas companies producing EKCO sets and when he accompanied Derek Cole to Australia to approve the components for Ediswan-EKCO, young reps would come in with sample components, which Richard would put in his mouth as a first test. He would then scrutinise them one inch from the high-powered lenses he needed and invariably after a few minutes of questions, the rep would offer to come back next day with his Chief Engineer.

Being a quintessential Englishman abroad lead to one amusing incident at this time when together they went to a Sydney laundrette to collect their washing and he peered closely at a vest before saying 'Are you sure this is mine? Back came the reply - 'It must be. It's the only woollen vest in Australia'?

Derek Cole visited him frequently until his death 30 years ago and once said to him 'There were some exciting new electronic aids for the short-sighted on Tomorrows World' to which he replied 'Yes. I designed them'. Typically modest he had refused to allow his name to be used.

Chris Poole – May 2008