Quick Facts
Biography
Oliver Lyle (1891–1961) was a British sugar technologist during the early 20th-century
Early life
Oliver was born in 1891, the year his grandfather, Abram Lyle died, in Weybridge, Surrey to John Lyle, a sugar refiner and ship owner. He grew up in Surrey.
Military
During World War I he was an officer in the Highland Light Infantry
Work at Tate & Lyle
Oliver started work at Abram Lyle's sugar factory at Plaistow when he was 21 and did various manual jobs such as boiling sugar in the refinery pans. Later he and his brother, Philip, became joint refinery directors. Philip died in 1955. Oliver was now the sole male survivor of the third generation of sugar Lyles. Oliver Lyle was a meticulous record-keeper, as can be seen in his pocketbook, which he carried around with him for over 30 years.
Other activities
Oliver was an investor in Noel Macklin's Invicta Cars
Family
Married Lilian Spicer in Chertsey, Surrey in 1914. The couple had five children, John the eldest son went on to work in the family business.
Honours
In 1954 Lyle was invested in the Order of the British Empire for services in promoting fuel efficiency.
Publications
- The Efficient Use of Steam. H.M. Stationery Office. 1947.
- Technology for sugar refinery workers. Chapman & Hall. 1950.
- The Plaistow Story. Tate & Lyle. 1960.
Notes and references
- Chalmin, Philippe (1990). The Making of a Sugar Giant: Tate and Lyle, 1859-1989. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-3-7186-0434-0.
- Barrett, Duncan; Calvi, Nuala (2013). The Sugar Girls: Tales of Hardship, Love and Happiness in Tate & Lyle's East End. Ulverscroft Large Print Books. ISBN 978-1-4448-1369-2.
- Fairrie, Geoffrey (1951). The sugar refining families of Great Britain. Tate & Lyle.
- "Incorporated Plant Engineers". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 17 January 1953. p. 4 col A. Retrieved 2014-09-18 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Domestic Market". Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette. 16 February 1951. p. 6 col A. Retrieved 2014-09-18 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "End competition between fuels". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 23 January 1953. p. 6 col E. Retrieved 2014-09-18 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Baldwin, Nick (1994). A-Z of Cars of the 1920s. Bay View Books. ISBN 978-1-870979-53-5.
- Short, W. (1979). Fuel Economy Handbook. Graham & Trotman. ISBN 978-0-86010-130-7.
- The London Gazette: no. 32447. p. 7076. 6 September 1921.