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Charles Hesterman Merz

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In 1916 Merz pointed out that the UK could use its small size to its advantage, by creating a dense distribution grid to feed its industries efficiently. His findings led to the Williamson Report of 1918, which in turn created the Electricity Supply Bill of 1919. The bill was the first step towards
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that Parliament began to take this idea seriously, then appointing him head of a Parliamentary Committee to address the problem. In the same war he was appointed Director of Experiments and Research on the
732: 122:, he developed and patented one of the earliest forms of automatic mains protection. This system was successful and became known as the Merz-Price system. When Price was succeeded by 1417: 126:, Merz worked with him to develop an improved version which became known as the Merz-Hunter system. He was known affectionately within the electricity industry as the "Grid King". 725: 148:
In 1905 he first attempted to influence Parliament to unify the variety of voltages and frequencies in the country's electricity supply industry, but it was not until
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an integrated system. He also sat on the Weir Committee, which produced the more significant Electricity (Supply) Act of 1926, leading to the setting up of the
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campus includes a building named Merz Court which was opened in 1965. The building houses electrical, electronic and chemical engineering facilities.
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CWGC Casualty Record, Metropolitan Borough of Kensington. His age is given as 65 although he had passed his 66th birthday up to ten days earlier.
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in the United Kingdom, building a system in the North East of England in the early 20th century that became the model for the country's
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He was a consultant to a local tramway company on the electrification of their horse-drawn routes and, subsequently, to the
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Merz's own system ran at 40 hertz, 20,000 volts, but he was forced to convert it to 50 hertz to match the European system.
90:(NESCo), which had been founded by his father, in 1889. In 1898 Merz became the first Secretary and Chief Engineer of the 1087: 233:. In the same year, aged 66, he was killed during an air raid, with his two children, at their house at 14 Melbury Road, 176: 598: 311: 87: 1166: 854: 810: 589: 301: 1488: 1066: 529: 154: 1606: 954: 288: 217: 485: 182: 608: 114:
near Newcastle. It was the first three-phase electricity supply system in Great Britain, and was opened by
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A commemorative plaque was unveiled at his former home in Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne in 2013.
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an appointment that led to his nationality being questioned in the House of Commons.
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Newcastle University (UK) Electrical Engineering Building named after Charles Merz
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Redmayne, R. A. S.; Snow, Albert (2011) . "Merz, Charles Hesterman (1874–1940)".
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Redmayne, R. A. S.; Snow, Albert (2011) . "Merz, Charles Hesterman (1874–1940)".
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on 18 June 1901. In the same year he toured the US and Canada. Together with
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Tram Tracks Through Cork, Walter McGrath, Tower Books, Cork, 1981
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and Fellow of the American Institution of Electrical Engineers.
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In 1940 Merz designed the electric drive equipment for the
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Children of Light: How Electricity Changed Britain Forever
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in Newcastle, where his father was a part-time lecturer.
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Pre-nationalisation North East electric power companies
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from Germany) and Alice Mary Richardson, a sister of
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Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology
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Managing Change – Regional Power Systems, 1910–1930
393: 607:John H. Lienhard (2000). "The Age of the Earth". 593:, Thomas Parke Hughes, University of Pennsylvania 517:"Merz, Charles Hesterman (1874-1940) MICE, VPIEE" 422:"Bringer of Electricity - South Tyneside Council" 1548: 1474:Newcastle and District Electric Lighting Company 175:From 1912 to 1915 he was Vice-President of the 54:Merz was the eldest son of industrial chemist 1523:Category:Power stations in North East England 726: 639:(transcript page contains photo of Merz with 486:"Railway Network Electrification | PROV" 446: 1577:Deaths by German airstrikes during The Blitz 685:(online ed.). Oxford University Press. 678: 347:(online ed.). Oxford University Press. 340: 665:Sinclair Knight Merz – Celebrating 40 years 440: 274: 272: 92:Cork Electric Tramways and Lighting Company 733: 719: 66:the Tyneside ship builder. He was born in 299: 86:He then entered an apprenticeship at the 1572:British civilians killed in World War II 397:The History of Electric Wires and Cables 387: 269: 181: 160:Between 1907 and 1913 Merz was hired by 139:British mainline railway electrification 682:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 556:"Harold Wilson opening Merz Court 1965" 344:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 249:manages a Charles Hesterman Merz Fund. 1549: 582:"The Second Industrial Revolution" on 497: 495: 35:who pioneered the use of high-voltage 1479:North Eastern Electric Supply Company 1204: 714: 615:http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1568.htm 1298:North Eastern Energy Recovery Centre 613:. Episode 1568. NPR. KUHF-FM Houston 523: 1612:Scientists from Newcastle upon Tyne 1567:Alumni of Armstrong College, Durham 505:. A and C Black. 1947. p. 934. 492: 447:Earl Jellicoe (15 September 2010). 394:Robert Monro Black (January 1983). 177:Institution of Electrical Engineers 164:to electrify the railway system in 13: 652:Charles Merz – Lessons from Boston 245:The Faculty of Engineering at the 14: 1628: 1602:People educated at Bootham School 1592:History of electrical engineering 208:in 1931, was awarded an honorary 88:Newcastle Electric Supply Company 1587:English people of German descent 1529: 1518: 1517: 1415: 300:Day, Lance; McNeil, Ian (1998). 1489:Northern Engineering Industries 570:"Gosforth, High Street, No. 54" 562: 548: 534: 509: 478: 467: 223:Merz wrote his memoir in 1934. 155:Board of Invention and Research 1617:20th-century British engineers 542:"CANDO - Newcastle University" 414: 376: 367: 334: 320: 293: 218:Institution of Civil Engineers 1: 1597:National Grid (Great Britain) 1072:Whitetail Clean Energy Wilton 262: 216:in 1932, was a Member of the 49: 1582:English electrical engineers 699:UK public library membership 610:The Engines of Our Ingenuity 361:UK public library membership 330:. York, England: BOSA. 2011. 237:, London, by a German bomb. 7: 450:The Crisis of the Naval War 16:British electrical engineer 10: 1633: 108:Neptune Bank Power Station 18: 1512: 1459:L J Couves & Partners 1424: 1413: 1391: 1335: 1326: 1306: 1290: 1254: 1233: 1224: 1195: 1175: 1159: 1150: 1130: 1109: 1100: 1080: 1059: 1043: 1022: 1013: 983: 847: 838: 798: 772: 763: 752: 602:and the Melbourne Railway 240: 186:National Grid in 2008 in 81: 1439:Charles Algernon Parsons 1434:CA Parsons & Company 306:. Taylor & Francis. 1267:Derwenthaugh Coke Works 890:Derwenthaugh Coke Works 584:Making the Modern World 328:Bootham School Register 247:University of Cambridge 1444:Charles Hesterman Merz 742:Electricity generation 691:10.1093/ref:odnb/34999 503:Who Was Who, 1929–1940 400:. IET. pp. 101–. 353:10.1093/ref:odnb/34999 190: 64:John Wigham Richardson 29:Charles Hesterman Merz 1607:People from Gateshead 780:Biomass Energy Centre 631:|transcript-url= 600:Harold Winthrop Clapp 185: 145:electric locomotive. 135:North Eastern Railway 40:AC power distribution 672:Paxman History Pages 254:Newcastle University 214:University of Durham 131:Tyneside local lines 124:Philip Vassar Hunter 74:, York. He attended 1464:Merz & McLellan 920:Mainsforth Colliery 641:George Westinghouse 453:. pubOne info LLC. 104:Merz & McLellan 33:electrical engineer 1494:Northern Powergrid 1454:John Theodore Merz 1272:Newburn Steelworks 935:Newburn Steelworks 855:Berwick upon Tweed 746:North East England 428:on 10 October 2021 204:Merz received the 191: 56:John Theodore Merz 1544: 1543: 1484:Northern Electric 1411: 1410: 1407: 1406: 1322: 1321: 1220: 1219: 1191: 1190: 1146: 1145: 1096: 1095: 1067:Thor Cogeneration 1009: 1008: 870:Chopwell Colliery 834: 833: 697:(Subscription or 460:978-2-8199-0022-1 407:978-0-86341-001-7 359:(Subscription or 162:Thomas James Tait 76:Armstrong College 1624: 1533: 1521: 1520: 1419: 1333: 1332: 1231: 1230: 1202: 1201: 1157: 1156: 1107: 1106: 1020: 1019: 991:Blyth Clean Coal 955:South Shore Road 845: 844: 770: 769: 761: 760: 735: 728: 721: 712: 711: 702: 694: 638: 632: 628: 626: 618: 574: 573: 566: 560: 559: 552: 546: 545: 538: 532: 527: 521: 520: 513: 507: 506: 499: 490: 489: 482: 476: 471: 465: 464: 444: 438: 437: 435: 433: 424:. 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Index

Charlie Merz
electrical engineer
three-phase
AC power distribution
National Grid
John Theodore Merz
Quaker
John Wigham Richardson
Gateshead
Bootham School
Armstrong College
Newcastle Electric Supply Company
Cork Electric Tramways and Lighting Company
Cork
William McLellan
Merz & McLellan
Neptune Bank Power Station
Wallsend
Lord Kelvin
Bernard Price
Philip Vassar Hunter
Tyneside local lines
North Eastern Railway
British mainline railway electrification
ES1
World War I
Board of Invention and Research
Thomas James Tait
Melbourne
World War I

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