The University of Bath has received £250,000 to support mechanical engineering students in their studies. This generous gift is a legacy of the late Arthur Clements CBE (1926–2016), who wished to promote and encourage “the art of mechanical engineering”, and in particular to support younger engineers as they enter the profession or undertake research.
As executors of his estate, his children, Nicholas Clements and Caroline Egleston, chose the Faculty of Engineering & Design as somewhere where their father’s wishes would be most fittingly fulfilled. They have worked closely with the University’s Advancement Office to make the arrangements for the gift.
Nicholas and Caroline were first introduced to Bath’s Faculty of Engineering & Design by family friend and honorary Bath graduate, Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Hill. The donation is invested in the University’s endowment fund and the annual income derived from that investment will be used to support students from the Faculty for generations to come.
Arthur Clements was an engineering entrepreneur who left school aged 14 and went on to become chairman of SSS (Synchro Self-Shifting) Gears Limited. He developed the SSS Clutch, which was adopted by the Royal Navy and over 40 other naval fleets to clutch in the booster gas turbines in situations at sea demanding rapid extra power and speed.
The Clutch is also used worldwide in power generation plants, where flexibility is needed to enhance efficiency, or to cope with peaks in demand and different energy inputs. Find out more about the SSS Clutch.
Arthur Clements was awarded a CBE in 1989, and in 1990 he became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, already being a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, the Institute of Marine Engineers, and of the American Society of Marine Engineers.
The Faculty of Engineering & Design at Bath has a strong reputation for teaching satisfaction and research excellence, with Mechanical Engineering ranked within the top five of all major league tables.
The Dean of the Faculty, Professor Gary Hawley, said: “We are delighted to have received this generous donation from the legacy of Arthur Clements. The gift will support individual undergraduate or postgraduate students, whose endeavours in engineering and enthusiasm for their chosen discipline can be assisted and encouraged by awards from the Fund, befitting a man whose engineering and entrepreneurial spirit fuelled the success of a company that is still going strong today.”