Sir George William Needham (9 November 1843 – 29 February 1928) was an English businessman and a prominent citizen of Oldham, Lancashire. Needham was born in Oldham and educated at Oldham High School. At the age of sixteen he joined the textile machinery manufacturers Platt Bros & Co as a junior clerk, remaining with the company for his entire career and rising to become chairman. He was a governor of Oldham Royal Infirmary for 35 years and served as president in 1916–1917. He also gave an endowment to the hospital in memory of his son, who was killed in action at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

. For his services to Oldham, Needham was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the 1920 New Year Honours. On 21 February 1928, while visiting

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

with his wife, Needham fell while boarding a tram and suffered head injuries. He died in a local nursing home eight days later.

Footnotes

References

*Obituary, '' The Times'', 1 March 1928 {{DEFAULTSORT:Needham, George 1843 births 1928 deaths People from Oldham English businesspeople Knights Bachelor Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in England