LIFE

1881 CENSUS
Thomas probably abroad
Emily (23y; b. Colchester, Essex)
- Clare E. (1y; St Pancras)

1891 CENSUS (Eastbourne, Sussex):
Thomas (35y; b. Ireland) retired surgeon Major (Army officer)
Emily (34y; b. Essex, Colchester)
- Clara (11y; St Pancras)
- Nora (6y; East Indies)
- Hugh (5y; Paddington)
- Leonard (4y; Plymouth)
residence: Eastbourne, Sussex

1901 CENSUS
Emily MURTAGH (39y [why not 44y?]; b. <1862> Colchester, Essex, ENGLAND)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1901 CENSUS (Brackley, Northamptonshire):
Hugh D. L. MURTAGH (15y; b. <1886>, London) boarder
residence: Brackley, Northamptonshire

1911 CENSUS (2 Apr 1911)
Hugh de Lacy MURTAGH (25y; b. <1886>, Marylebone, London) technical engineer // sound recording expert for talking machines
Eleanor Sara MURTAGH (28y; b. <1883>, Fulham, London)
residence: 29, St George's Mans[ions?], London W. 6

recorder GRAMCO (ag ah ai(j))
from May 1909 - Aug 1914 recording in Milan



Hugh de Lucy (= Lacy) MURTAGH (43y; b. <1886>, London) engineer speaks French/Danish/English
+ Sigrid Berga MURTAGH (40y; b. <1889>, Oslo (=Christiania) speaks Norwegian/Danish
SS "MAJESTIC"
16 Oct 1929, Southampton
22 Oct 1929, New York



Hugh de Lacy MURTAGH (46y; b. <1886>, London) fire control engineer
+ Sigrid MURTAGH (42y; b. <1890>, Christiania (= Oslo), NORWAY
SS "LACONIA"
15 Oct 1932, Liverpool
25 Oct 1932, New York
Here they are presented as Americans



Hugh MURTAGH (48y) engineer
+ Sigrid MURTAGH (45y)
SS "PENNLAND"
dep. New York: .. May 1934
arr. Southampton: 27 May 1934
c/o Sperry Gyroscope Co. Brentford
country of residence: U.S.A.

Patent:US2069417
Patent: US 2069417
Titel: Fire control system
Datum: 02.02.1937
Ort: Brooklyn
Land: USA
Person: Hugh Murtagh Bruna A. Wittkuhns
Firma: Sperry (P) Gyroscope Comp. Inc.

Another Gramophone Company recording engineer who worked for the Sperry Gyroscope Co. was Edmund J. Pearse

World War II is a period when there is a good record of a difficult period in the Chamber’s history as copies of all the Annual Reports are held in the Local History Collection at Chiswick Library. Membership in February 1941 was 123, a net decrease on the year of one. The report was kept as brief as possible to save paper and evening meetings during the winter had been cancelled because of the bombing. The Annual Dinner had not been held but a successful golf meeting was recorded as having taken place at Fulwell Golf Club.
Interesting and entertaining addresses had been given through the year by members as follows: ‘Gyroscopes’ by Mr H. Murtagh, Chief Engineer of the Sperry Gyroscope Co Ltd.

It seems that Sperry Gyroscope Co Ltd started in Shepherds Bush (the address is London W12) in 1915 and moved to the Great West Road in Brentford on the bank of the Grand Union Canal in 1931. The company offices were in Victoria (London SW).
A book entitled The History of the Great West Road: its social and economic influence on the surrounding area by James Marshall (now out of print) says they were making 'gyroscopic compasses, gyrostabilisers, searchlights and similar apparatus. It was known worldwide for its ship's compasses which were fitted to all the great ocean liners and were standard equipment throughout the Royal Navy. The company manufactured aircraft instruments for both military and civil use. Their directional gyro and artificial horizon were fitted in almost every plane flying.'
It seems that the Air Minister visited the factory in 1939 during the build up to the War and at that time they were making gyroscopic instruments and auto-pilot systems for the Air Force and the Navy and were training personnel in the use of the instruments.
A second factory had been opened about that time at Stonehouse in Gloucestershire as part of the Government's dispersal programme that aimed to reduce the vulnerability of the aircraft industry to bomb damage but the Brentford factory was working 24 hours a day.
By the late 1950s the company took over empty premises along the Great West Road and had a branch factory in Feltham a few miles west of Brentford. They also continued production in Gloustershire. The company moved from Brentford 30 miles west to Bracknell the 1960s.