# Arthur Rubbra

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Arthur_Rubbra
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Arthur_Rubbra.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rubbra
> Source revision: 1335412723
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|English aeronautical engineer and industrial designer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox engineer
|image                =AARubbra.JPG
|image_width          = 
|caption              = 
|name                 = Arthur Rubbra
|birth_date           = {{Birth date|df=yes|1903|10|29}}
|birth_place          = [Northampton](/source/Northampton), England
|death_date           = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1982|11|24|1903|10|29}}
|death_place          = [Southport](/source/Southport), Merseyside
|education            =[Bristol University](/source/Bristol_University)
|spouse               =Lilian Webster
|parents              =
|children             =
|discipline           =
|institutions         = [Armstrong Siddeley](/source/Armstrong_Siddeley)<br>[Rolls-Royce Limited](/source/Rolls-Royce_Limited)
|practice_name        =  
|significant_projects = [Rolls-Royce Merlin](/source/Rolls-Royce_Merlin)
|significant_design   = 
|significant_advance  =[Aero engines](/source/Aircraft_engine)
|significant_awards   =[CBE](/source/Order_of_the_British_Empire), awarded 1961<br>[Royal Aeronautical Society](/source/Royal_Aeronautical_Society) Gold Medal, awarded 1969 
}}

'''Arthur Alexander Cecil Rubbra''' [CBE](/source/Order_of_the_British_Empire) (29 October 1903 – 24 November 1982) was an English engineer who designed many of [Rolls-Royce](/source/Rolls-Royce_Limited)'s successful [aero engines](/source/aircraft_engine). He was  "placed by many alongside Royce, Rowledge and Elliot as one of Rolls-Royce's greatest engineers...".<ref>{{Cite book |author=Pugh, Peter |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/895947057 |title=The magic of a name : the Rolls-Royce story, the first 40 years |date=2001 |publisher=Icon Books |isbn=1-84046-151-9 |oclc=895947057}}</ref>

==Early life==
Rubbra was born in [Northampton](/source/Northampton) on 29 October 1903 to Edmund and Mary Rubbra who ran a watch and jewellery repair business. It is thought that the rare family surname was a form of "Ruborough", the [Somerset](/source/Somerset) village near [Broomfield](/source/Broomfield%2C_Somerset) where his ancestors came from.{{sfnp|Rubbra|1990|page=151}} His elder brother, [Charles Edmund](/source/Edmund_Rubbra), became a distinguished composer.

As a boy Rubbra was fascinated by [steam engine](/source/steam_engine)s and spent many hours at nearby [Blisworth](/source/Blisworth) watching trains on the London–Crewe line. He was an accomplished artist and often sketched his favourite subjects. Rubbra attended [Northampton Grammar School](/source/Northampton_School_for_Boys) where he played [rugby](/source/Rugby_union), and then [Bristol University](/source/Bristol_University) leaving in 1925 with a [BSc](/source/Bachelor_of_Science) in engineering.{{sfnp|Rubbra|1990|pages=151–152}}

==Career==
Rubbra's first job was with [Armstrong Siddeley](/source/Armstrong_Siddeley) although little is known of his time there. He obtained a grant from a fund originally set up by the organisers of the 1851 [Great Exhibition](/source/The_Great_Exhibition), and secured a job as an assistant tester in the engine test houses of [Rolls-Royce Limited](/source/Rolls-Royce_Limited) at [Derby](/source/Derby) on 13 July 1925. He was paid the sum of exactly £1 per week at that time. He worked on the [Rolls-Royce Eagle XVI](/source/Rolls-Royce_Eagle_XVI) 16-cylinder [X engine](/source/X_engine) and the later [Rolls-Royce Kestrel](/source/Rolls-Royce_Kestrel) and [Buzzard](/source/Rolls-Royce_Buzzard) aero engines.{{sfnp|Rubbra|1990|page=155}}

In October 1927, Rubbra (who had become known as 'Rbr' in [company shorthand](/source/List_of_Rolls-Royce_personnel_codes)) was promoted to designer, where he was further involved with the Buzzard, Kestrel and the new [Rolls-Royce R](/source/Rolls-Royce_R). He also became deeply involved in the [Goshawk](/source/Rolls-Royce_Goshawk), [Merlin](/source/Rolls-Royce_Merlin) and [Vulture](/source/Rolls-Royce_Vulture) projects. In 1934 he was appointed assistant chief designer and in July 1940 he was promoted further to chief designer of aero engines.

His design work continued with development of the Merlin, and he was a major contributor to the success of the [Rolls-Royce Griffon](/source/Rolls-Royce_Griffon), the last of the V12 piston engine line. In 1943 Rubbra was designing the [Eagle](/source/Rolls-Royce_Eagle_(1944)) and then began work on the [Welland](/source/Rolls-Royce_Welland), the company's first [turbojet](/source/turbojet) engine. In 1944 another promotion to assistant chief engineer saw him working on other emerging turbojet projects. By 1954 'Rbr' had risen to the position of technical director on the company board.

During his time at Rolls-Royce, Rubbra married his secretary, Lilian Webster, and in 1961 he was appointed a [Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)](/source/Order_of_the_British_Empire),<ref>{{London Gazette 
  |issue=42231 |date=31 December 1960 |page=8899 |supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine
  |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1961/1961%20-%200006.html 
  |title=New Years Honours list (with image)
  |magazine=[Flight](/source/Flight_(magazine))
  |date=January 1961
}}</ref> as was his brother [Edmund](/source/Edmund_Rubbra) who was a respected musical composer.{{sfnp|Rubbra|1990|page=156}}

==Retirement==
In 1966 Rubbra gave up his post as technical director for health reasons but continued to work as 'Chief Technical Advisor'. In October 1968 Arthur Rubbra retired from Rolls-Royce by which time he had become vice-chairman of the company. In 1969 he was awarded the [Royal Aeronautical Society](/source/Royal_Aeronautical_Society)'s highest honour, the Gold Medal for 'outstanding contributions over many years in the whole field of aircraft propulsion'. His services were required once more in 1971 when he was asked, along with [Stanley Hooker](/source/Stanley_Hooker), to assist with developmental problems pertaining to the [Rolls-Royce RB211](/source/Rolls-Royce_RB211) civil [turbofan](/source/turbofan) project.

A. A. Rubbra died on 24 November 1982, aged 79. His brother died four years later in 1986.{{sfnp|Rubbra|1990|page= 12 }} His memoirs, {{harvp|Rubbra|1990}}, formed the basis of an illustrated book published long after his death by the [Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust](/source/Rolls-Royce_Heritage_Trust).

==See also==
*[Edmund Rubbra](/source/Edmund_Rubbra) (brother)

== Works ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book
  |last=Rubbra  |first=A.A.
  |authorlink=Arthur Rubbra 
  |title=Rolls-Royce Piston Aero Engines – a designer remembers
  |id=Historical Series N° 16
  |publisher=[Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust](/source/Rolls-Royce_Heritage_Trust)
  |year=1990
  |isbn=1-872922-00-7
  }}
{{refend}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=35em}}

==Further reading==
*Lumsden, Alec. ''British Piston Engines and their Aircraft''. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. {{ISBN|1-85310-294-6}}.

{{Rolls-Royce aeroengines}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubbra, Arthur}}
Category:1903 births
Category:1982 deaths
Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol
Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Category:English aerospace engineers
Category:Fellows of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Category:People educated at Northampton School for Boys
Category:People from Northampton
Category:Rolls-Royce people
Category:20th-century English engineers

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Arthur Rubbra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rubbra) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rubbra?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.