Eric Jewitt
Former Principal of Walsall Technical College
and Northampton College of Technology, Eric
Jewitt, studied Electrical Engineering at Bradford
Technical College, attaining his Bachelor of
Science in 1932. He returned as Lecturer from
1933 to 1935.
Eric Jewitt studied Electrical Engineering at Bradford
Technical College, and graduated as Bachelor of
Science with First Class Honours in 1932. He was
awarded a Diploma in Electrical Engineering in 1931
and a Diploma in Power Production and Transmission
in 1932.
For a 2 year period, from 1933 to 1935, he returned
to Bradford Technical College as Lecturer, until
his appointment as Lecturer in Mathematics and
Electrical Transmission and Distribution of Power at
Derby Technical College in September 1935.
During WW2, having a reserved occupation, Eric
trained servicemen in Wireless Telegraphy and Radar,
and also worked closely with Rolls Royce in Derby.
There was always much speculation in the family
about what they exactly did there!
Born on the 12th December 1910 in London. The family then moved to Primrose
Terrace in Bradford. He was appointed Principal of
Walsall Technical College in 1950, aged only 39, and
then Principal of Northampton College of Technology
in 1955, until his retirement in 1973.
His niece, Helen, recalls “Uncle Eric was an amazing
man. He never visited our house empty handed,
often turning up with a hard backed encyclopaedia
or general knowledge book - he did so much to
nurture my young enquiring mind.
He was such a great family man. Christmas
wouldn’t have been Christmas without a visit to
Northampton. He always made sure he cooked the
most magnificent full Christmas dinner with all the
trimmings, not just for his children, Michael, Mary
and Peter, and grandchildren, Douglas, Richard and
Atul, but for the whole extended family - a spread
that would have expanded the waistline of good old
Father Christmas himself!
He also took an interest in his roots, spending many,
many years researching his ancestral lines. And he
always made sure the family tree was kept up to
date, adding a new ‘twig’ for each new member
born. He also followed in the footsteps of his Uncle
John - by claiming his pension for over 30 years!
In his 90’s, Uncle Eric still enjoyed sitting out in the
garden in his shorts, completing The Times' crossword – they certainly don’t make ‘em like they used to!”
Photograph of painting supplied by Michael Jewitt