Sir Walter John Worboys (22 February 1900 – 17 March 1969), was an Australian-born British businessman and chemist. He is best known for widely reforming road traffic signage in the United Kingdom.
Sir Walter John Worboys | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 22, 1900 |
| Died | March 17, 1969 (aged 69) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Scotch College |
| Alma mater | University of Western Australia Lincoln College, University of Oxford |
| Occupation(s) | businessman research chemist |
| Employer(s) | Brunner Mond & Co ICI Council of Industrial Design (1947-1960) Design Centre |
| Known for | reforming road traffic signage, creator of the transport font |
| Notable work | Worboys Committee 1964 Traffic Signs Regulations |
| Title | Rhodes Scholar D.Phil. Sir |
| Awards | Knighthood |
Biography edit
He was born in Perth, Western Australia,[1] and educated at Scotch College and the University of Western Australia. Elected a Rhodes Scholar in 1922, he gained his D.Phil. after a further period of study at Lincoln College, Oxford.[2] His first job was as a research chemist at Brunner Mond & Co. From there he moved to ICI, eventually reaching the rank of director.
In 1947 he joined the Council of Industrial Design, a body set up by the Board of Trade in 1944. He was chairman of the council from 1953 until 1960, during which time he set up the Design Centre, a permanent exhibition of the council’s work. The establishment of the Design Centre proved to be a turning point in the history of the council, which until that time had attracted more critics than friends.[3]
In 1961 he was appointed to chair a committee to bring in a new era of modern road signage.[3] The committee reported in 1963,[4] advocating a total overhaul of the style of British road signs, introducing a new style that has lasted until the present day. The report recommended the pictorial design found on many European road signs, along with a British-designed font that was to become known as the Transport font.[5]
Worboys died on 17 March 1969.[6]
Notes edit
- ^ “Who was Who” 1897-2007 London, A & C Black, 2007 ISBN 978-0-19-954087-7
- ^ "Rhodes Scholars: Complete List, 1903-2011". The Rhodes SCholarships. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
- ^ a b "Worboys, Sir Walter John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/37022. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Hansard : Traffic Signs Committee Report". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 13 March 1963. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ^ "Jock Kinneir + Margaret Calvert". Design Museum. 2006. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ^ Obituary: Sir Walter Worboys The Times Tuesday, Mar 18, 1969; pg. 12; Issue 57512; col G
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