Obituary: George Thompson
George Thompson was one of the key people who 16 (make) the Bridgeport milling machine the fastest-selling machine tool in the world during the latter half of the last century. One Bridgeport machine 17 (sell) at that time every three minutes of a working week. The machines 18 (also find) in tool-making shops and maintenance departments everywhere: one 19 (even discover) by an expedition exploring the Amazon.

Two Swedes, Magnus Wahlstrem and Rudolph Bannow, 20 (start) making the machines in 1938 at Bridgeport, Connecticut. But it was Thompson, an outstanding British engineer, who 21 (be) responsible for producing them in the UK.

UK production 22 (begin) to take off, so much so that manufacture 23 (outgrow) the capacity available at Leicester. At Bridlington, Thompson 24 (find) a site which he 25 (turn) into what 26 (become) the largest producer of milling machines in Europe and one of the most advanced plants of its time.

From the Financial Times