Biographical entry Leighton, Arthur Edgar (1873 - 1961)

Summary

Arthur Edgar Leighton came to Victoria in 1909 to be designer and manager of the Commonwealth government cordite factory, Maribyrnong. From 1921 to 1938 he was controller-general of munitions supply and was responsible for instituting the Defence Research Laboratories. He is commemorated by the Leighton Medal, the premier award of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. Leighton was educated in England at Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution (later Birkbeck College, University of London).

Details

Events

1909 - 1915

Career position - Sub-Manager of the Cordite Factory (Department of Military Supply) in Aravankadu, India

1909 - 1915

Career position - Designer and Manager of the Commonwealth Government cordite factory in Maribyrnong, Victoria

1915 - 1918

Career position - Technical Adviser of Explosive Supply for the British Ministry of Munitions

1916 - 1919

Career position - General Manager of an arsenal planned for Australia

1919 - 1921

Career position - Chairman of the Board of Management of the Commonwealth Government factories

1921 - 1939

Career position - Controller-General of munitions supply

1937

Award - Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)

1953

Career position - President of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute

Archival resources

Private hands (Leighton, A.)

• Arthur Edgar Leighton - Records, 1873 - 1961; Private hands (Leighton, A.). Details

Published resources

Book Sections

• Weickhardt, L. W., 'Leighton, Arthur Edgar (1873-1961), Chemical Engineer and Administrator', in Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle (eds), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 10, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1986, pp. 69-70. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100064b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• Leighton, A.E., 'A History of the Australian Chemical Institute, 1914-1932', The Royal Australian Chemical Institute Proceedings, vol. 21, 1954, pp. 127-134; 145-154; 167-184. Details

Online Resources

• 'Primary description of person CP 462; Arthur Edgar Leighton', in RecordSearch, National Archives of Australia, 2000, http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/SearchOld.asp?Number=CP+462. Details
• National Library of Australia, 'Leighton, Arthur Edgar', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1469528. Details

See also

• Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/scripts/tia-dynindex.php3?EID=P000571. Details
• Mellor, D.P., 'Optical Munitions', Chapter 12 in Australia in the War of 1939-1945, Series 4: Civil, volume 5 'The Role of Science and Industry', Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1958, 1958, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/papers/mellor.htm. Details
• Wisdom, John, A History of Defence Science in Australia, Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Melbourne, 1995, 267 pp. Details