John Baptist Kramer

Immigrated to England in 1905. Changed his name to John Baptist Kramer. Also known as Johann Baptist Kramer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/portrait-of-john-...

John Baptist Kramer (c1874-1952) c1874 Born and grew up in Germany. 1908 he founded Kramos Ltd in Bath, Somerset. He was a pioneer of small electric drilling and grinding machines, electric lifting magnets and monorail hoists[1]. 1909 Kramer went to Birmingham to join his business with that of GEC at Witton as Witton Kramer Electric Tool and Hoist Works. WW1 Mr. Kramer worked closely with several branches of the British Government. He was engaged to develop the Sir Percy Scott Electro-magnet mine and the Kramer Kapp Detector was tried in connection with trench signalling experiments. After the war he resumed his private research work, resulting in the discovery of the use of weaker radioactive substances for medical purposes. 1939 Mr. Kramer retired from the now well known Witton Kramer.

1952 Obituary [2] We regret to report that Mr. J. Baptist Kramer died at Kingussie, Inverness-shire, in his seventy-eighth year. Mr. Kramer, who was an inventor and a pioneer in the application of magnetism as an industrial tool, founded the Witton Kramer Electric Tool and Hoist Works in 1909, and was general manager of the works until his retirement in 1939. He was well known for his contribution to the development of magnetic cranes and the use of photo-electric cells as detectors. During the last war he worked on antisubmarine equipment, a ship's smoke detector, and a safety device for use in handling unexploded bombs.