Wenman Joseph Bassett Lowke 1877 - 1953

1898-1900 - served his apprenticeship with Crompton & Co. Ltd of Chelmsford. 1899 - founded the firm of Bassett-Lowke & Co., so named to distinguish it from his father's firm, J. T. Lowke & Sons. 1904 - became a member of the Junior Institution of Engineers. 1906 - edited the first edition of Model Railway Handbook. 1908 - open his first retail shop in High Holborn, London. 1911 - became a member of the Institution of Locomotive Engineers. 1912 - earlier a member of the Fabian Society, he joined the Labour Party. 1930 - served as a town councillor in Northampton. 1946 - became a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.