South Yorkshire Times, January 12th, 1934
Kilnhurst Boy’s Rise
Chairman of Famous Firm
Brilliant Engineer
A former pupil of Kilnhurst National School, Mr. Cecil Bentham, has been appointed chairman of the engineering firm of Henry Simon Ltd., Cheadle Heath, Stockport, in succession to Sir E. D. Simon.
Mr. Bentham is second son of the late Mr. John Bentham, who for over 40 years was engineer at the Kilnhurst Colliery. After attending the National School Mr. Bentham was apprenticed to his father and studied engineering at Sheffield Technical College, eventually securing employment with his present firm as draughtsman in 1901. In 1911 he was appointed manager of the Silo department, which has executed contracts for the erection of port granaries in many parts of the world.
Mr. Bentham has travelled extensively for the firm and has personally been responsible for great improvements and developments in design and method. Before Mr. Bentham joined them the firm were mainly concerned with the handling of grain, but are now world famous for constructing, handling and conveying plants for dealing with all manner of materials and goods. In 1918 he became a director of the firm, and in 1926 managing director. He retains a close interest in the activities of the conveying department and is closely associated with all questions of design of milling machinery.
He is a member of the Civil Institute of Engineers and the Institute of Transport, a Vice-President of the Manchester Engineering Employers’ Association, a member of the Council of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, and a member of the Council of the British Engineers’ Association. He has been President of the Manchester Association of Engineers, Chairman of the northwestern section of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and chairman of the Liverpool and Manchester branch of the Institute of Transport.
Mr. Bentham has contributed papers on technical subjects to various institutions. One of the most memorable was his “Warehousing Equipment” at the Keswick Convention of the National Association of British and Irish Millers. His other contributions include a paper for the Institute of Transport on “The Mechanical Handling of Goods” and a joint paper on “Transhipment Stations.” On Tuesday Mr. Bentham read a paper before the Institute of Civil Engineers on the equipment installed by Simon’s Ltd., for handling phosphate rock at Naura and Ocean Island.