Collection OM/268 - Andrew Jardine papers

Andrew Jardine was born on 25 March 1910 and was the oldest child of Andrew Jardine, a licensed grocer and wine merchant, and his wife, Katherine Gibb Grönbech, a medical missionary. The family lived at 'Thornton' on Thorn Drive, Bearsden, near Glasgow and Andrew Jardine junior was educated at Bearsden Academy and Allan Glen's School. He subsequently trained as an engineer, serving apprenticeships with John Brown & Company Ltd of Clydebank, where he worked on the Queen Mary, and with Mavor and Coulson, coal cutters. His apprentice master there, Sam Mavor, was a Governor of the Royal Technical College of Glasgow (RTC).

While pursuing his apprenticeship by day, Jardine enrolled for an evening class in Workshop Organization and Management at the RTC in session 1931-1932, completing this successfully to gain a first class certificate of merit. He also took an evening class in Mathematics that session. Over the next few years, Jardine enrolled for further evening studies at the RTC, taking classes in Mathematics and Engineering Metallurgy in session 1932-1933; Engineering Metallurgy, Metallography Lectures and Metallography Laboratory in session 1933-1934, and Engineering Economics in session 1934-1935. His younger sister, Isabella, also enrolled for an evening course in Botany at the RTC in session 1932-1933. During his studies, Jardine joined the RTC Athletic Club and was Art Editor of the student magazine, 'The Mask'. He also served as President of the Evening Students' Representative Council. In 1933, he received the Mavor and Coulson Gold Medal as the best Fifth Year Engineering Apprentice in the firm.

Jardine moved to London in the mid-1930s and married Jessie Cunningham Kinnear of Crail, Fife, in 1936. He also saw wartime service from 1939-1947: in Air Raid Precautions (ARP), as a Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (Special Branch), and as a Major in the Corps of Royal Engineers. He later served as Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army Emergency Reserve.

In London, Jardine forged a successful career as a consulting engineer, establishing the firm of Andrew Jardine and Company: Assessors; Engineering and Industrial Consultants; Engineering; Marine and General Surveyors. He qualified as a Chartered Engineer (C.Eng.) and was elected a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (F.I.Mech.E), a Fellow of the Welding Institute (F.Weld.I.) and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufacture and Commerce (F.R.S.A.). He was also actively involved in local politics, initially as a member of Chiswick Borough Council (1949-1955), where he was Honorary Borough Marshal from 1952-1955. Subsequent appointments included: Justice of the Peace for the County of Middlesex (1958); Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Middlesex (1962); Middlesex County Councillor (1954-1958 and 1961-1965); and Alderman of Greater London Council (1964-1967), where he was also Vice Chairman of the Public Health Services Committee, Vice Chairman of the Public Services Committee, Chairman of the Ambulance Committee and Chairman of the Fire Brigade Committee. He was part of the St John's Ambulance Brigade (1956-1966) and was created a Serving Brother of the Order of St John in 1969. He was also a member of the Metropolitan Water Board (1955-1958 and 1962-1973, serving as Chairman from 1968-1969); Conservator of the River Thames (1957-1958 and 1961); Chairman of the London and South Eastern Regional Committee of the British Waterworks Association (1968-1972); Vice Chairman of the Thames Bridges Joint Committee (1963-1964); Governor of Brunel College of Technology (1956-1958), and Chairman of the Governors of Chiswick Polytechnic (1962-1965 and 1968-1971).

Jardine held various other voluntary positions, including President of the British Legion; member of Hounslow District Community Health Council (1974); member of the Department of Health and Social Security's Central Advisory Committee (1970), and Chairman of Hounslow, Hammersmith and Richmond War Pensions Committee. He was greatly interested in water supply and the River Thames and strove to raise the recognised skill status of firefighters and ambulance crews and to standardise the firefighting equipment used by different County Brigades. He was appointed an MBE in 1978 and died in 1984.