Edgar T. Westbury

Who was Edgar T. Westbury?

Edgar T. Westbury was perhaps best known as a major contributor to the English recreational magazine Model Engineer. He contributed under his own name, and also under the pseudonyms 'Artificer', 'Ned' and 'Kinemette'. Beginning in 1925 until his death in 1970, he made over 1474 authored contributions to Model Engineer under his real name. As Artificer, he wrote a further 135 articles from 1936 to 1970, on a range of topics including basic workshop skills and techniques, and construction of a light vertical milling machine. Ned was the nom-de-plume for writing about workshop equipment, underwhich he wrote about 159 articles. As Kinemette came a further 67 contributions from 1936 to 1959, on making optical equipment including slide and film projectors, and enlargers. These articles can be looked up via the Model Engineer Index, or online at Model Engineer Magazine - Database and Index of Published Articles.

Westbury was born in 1896. He served in the Royal Navy during the latter part of the First World War. In the late 1920s he was an instructor in the RAF. His "Atom" engine of 1926 was the first to fly a model aeroplane. During World War Two, he developed a number of small petrol driven generators for use by the armed forces. He was editor of Model Engineer for a time, and from 1966 was technical consultant under the magazine's new management with Martin Evans as editor. E.T.W. died on 3 May 1970.,