Infobox Engineer
caption =
name = Frederick William Bremer
nationality =
birth_date = Birth date|1872|7|12
birth_place = Stepney, London
death_date = 1941
death_place = Walthamstow, England
education =
spouse =
parents =
children =
discipline =
work institutions = Frederick Bremer Motor Manufacturer
Bremer Engineering Company, Motor Manufacturers
practice_name =
significant_projects = The Bremer Car, the first British four wheeled motor car with an internal combustion engine
significant_design =
significant_advance =
awards =
Frederick William Bremer (Birth date|1872|7|12, Stepney, London - 1941, Walthamstow, England) was a British engineer and inventor recognised as the man who built the first petrol driven car in Great Britain in 1892.
Early life
Frederick was the fourth son of German bootmaker, Gerhard Bremer and his wife Lydia (née Wing), and had 5 brothers and 3 sisters.
There is a discrepancy with regard to his birthdate; the school records from Settles Street School, which he joined with his sister Emily on 9 February 1880, state that he was born on 9 July 1873. However, Frederick had been delayed in starting school for a year due to his father's death, so it is widely believed that Lydia changed his date of birth so that the school would allow his registration in the appropriate year.
The family moved to Walthamstow in 1888, to 1 Connaught Road, E17; the house now bears an English Heritage Blue plaque commemorating Bremer.
In 2008 two Walthamstow schools were amalgamated to become the Frederick Bremer School on Fulbourne Road.[ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2007/06/11/waltham_forest_school_uniform_video_feature.shtml BBC London] Article on the amalgamation of two Walthamstow schools to become the Frederick Bremer School] ]The Bremer car
A gas-fitter and plumber by trade, Frederick is remembered for building (with assistant Tom Bates) the first British four wheeled motor car with an internal combustion engine in 1892 (claimed in 1912 by the British magazine "Motor"). In 1894 he took his car on the roads of Walthamstow, his home town.
After completing the car Bremer moved on to other projects including a 4-cylinder car in 1894 which unfortunately has not survived to the present day. Bremer also operated a series of small businesses, including the Bremer Engineering Company, and took out patents, which included one for improved gears for motor carriages.
Frederick married Annie Elizabeth Garner on 22 April 1916, despite the marriage certificate listing him as Frederick Brewer, and his father as Gerberd Brewer.
In 1933 Bremer donated his car to the Vestry House Museum in Walthamstow, where it can still be seen. In 1964 the Bremer Car was entered into the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run enlisted as car number 1, but the crankshaft broke after 17 miles. The next year, again as car number 1, it completed the 54 mile course in just under eight hours.
Bremer died in 1941 and is buried at St Mary's Church, Walthamstow along with his wife Annie.
External links
* [http://www.lbwf.gov.uk/index/leisure/museums-galleries/vestry-house-museum/photographic-archive/frederick-bremer-and-the-bremer-car.htm Vestry House Museum Bremer Car page]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9697645 Article on Bremer's burial]
* [http://www.walthamforest.project-info.co.uk/bouygues/waltham_forest/frederick_bremer_school/page/home_site Frederick Bremer School]
References
;Cited;General
* cite book
publisher = Vestry House Museum
year = 1999
title = The Story of the Bremer Car
isbn = 0-901974-43-9 — The Story of the Bremer Car.
*Pictures, and a short description of Frederick Bremer can be found at: [http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/leisure/museums-galleries/vestry-house-museum/photographic-archive/frederick-bremer-and-the-bremer-car.htm Frederick Bremer and the Bremer Car ] at www.walthamforest.gov.uk
