engineering

Wilfred Stokes

Wilfred Stokes is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wilfred Stokes rather than just read about it. In short: Sir Frederick Wilfrid Scott Stokes, (9 April 1860 – 7 February 1927) was the inventor in 1915 of the Stokes Mortar, which saw extensive use in the latter half of the First World War and was one of the first truly portable mortars. Stokes was born on 9 April 1860 in Liverpool, the son of Scott Nasmyth Stokes, a school inspector.

Key takeaways

Wilfred Stokes belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Wilfred Stokes to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Wilfred Stokes from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sir Frederick Wilfrid Scott Stokes, (9 April 1860 – 7 February 1927) was the inventor in 1915 of the Stokes Mortar, which saw extensive use in the latter half of the First World War and was one of the first truly portable mortars. Stokes was born on 9 April 1860 in Liverpool, the son of Scott Nasmyth Stokes, a school inspector. He was educated at St. Francis Xavier's College and the Catholic University College, Kensington. Following an apprenticeship with the Great Western Railway, he eventually became an assistant to William Shelford working on the designs for bridges for the Hull and Barnsley Railway. He was involved with the construction of the Aswan Low Dam in Egypt, for which he in 1902 received the 2nd class of the Ottoman Order of Osmanieh from the Khedive of Egypt. A civil engineer by trade, Stokes was appointed chairman and managing director of Ransomes & Rapier, an engineering company based in Ipswich, which manufactured cranes. Between 1915 and 1918 Stokes worked for the Inventions Branch of the Ministry of Munitions where he invented the Stokes Mortar. The trench mortar was first used in 1915 during the Battle of Loos to fire a smoke shell. At first it was not liked but as the construction was improved it was widely used and eventually produced in two sizes. This mortar continued in use, its effectiveness being improved again and again by other British engineers. Stokes received a knighthood in 1917 for inventing the mortar which was named for him. He was also given several forms of monetary reward by the Ministry of Munitions for his invention including royalties of £1 per Stokes mortar bomb.

Stokes married Iren Ionides in 1899. He is buried at St Mary Magdalen Roman Catholic Church, Mortlake. His brother Leonard Stokes was an architect. His nephew Richard Stokes was a Labour MP and minister.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wilfred Stokes

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wilfred Stokes claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wilfred Stokes before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wilfred Stokes ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wilfred Stokes

In research: Wilfred Stokes appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Wilfred Stokes in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Wilfred Stokes is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1860 births, 1927 deaths, British inventors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wilfred Stokes outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Wilfred Stokes in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Wilfred Stokes means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Wilfred Stokes out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wilfred Stokes in simple terms?

Why does Wilfred Stokes matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wilfred Stokes?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wilfred Stokes.