Astonishing Inventor

James Gillingham’s talents were not solely confined to the arenas of boot-making and prosthetics. Considered a pillar of the community, he went to great lengths to preserve and enhance the physical and spiritual lives of those in his district.

During his working life, Gillingham used his huge range of abilities to invent living aids to improve the life conditions of those experiencing mobility issues.

One such invention was called the go-car, a device like the modern-day Zimmer frame which assisted patients living with conditions such as arthritis and partial paralysis in becoming more mobile.

In 1871, he invented the iconic universal combined couch, a design that is mirrored by present-day hospital beds and physiotherapists' couches. Fully adjustable, the couch could be manoeuvred into 40 different positions, with over 500 small graduations or adjustments. It had three segments which could all be moved independently and adjusted individually for optimising patient comfort and maximising accessibility for their treatment. It was used widely in hospitals, physiotherapy clinics, asylums, and in doctors' offices, and could be used as an examination and treatment couch, in addition to being used as an operating table or stretcher. Made in-house at Gillingham’s workshop in Prospect House—his business premises and home—the couch was one of Gillingham’s most recognisable legacies.

His spine chair, invented in 1872, is the forerunner of the orthopaedic chairs we enjoy in modernity, and his spine suspender design is still used by physiotherapists today.

Chard Reservoir has long been a recreational area for the town. Skating, swimming, fishing, and picnics have all been enjoyed, especially during World War II with "holidays at home" weeks. Its history does include bleak episodes, though.

In December 1879, two boys from Combe St. Nicholas, Charles Mitchem, aged 17, and 15-year-old John Dunham, died when they fell through the ice. Efforts were made in 1895 to provide life-saving equipment when Mr. Gillingham and Mr. Indge raised £5, 17 shillings, and 9 pence to build a lifeboat. It was stored in Mr. Bondfield's shed. These were damaged by "some evil-disposed persons," so the shed was locked.

Just a few years later in December 1901, another incident galvanised the town into accessible life-saving equipment when Eric James, aged 6, fell through the ice, and 15-year-old Lawrence Hussey died making a brave attempt to save him. The Chard and Ilminster News reported on the inquest, including the feelings of the jury, endorsed by the coroner. It said:

After this latest tragedy, a committee was formed to raise money for another memorial. On the February 10th, 1902 minutes of the council meeting, an approval is recorded for an application to lay water to a granite drinking trough that was to be placed near the Jubilee lamps.

Encouraged by his success at the reservoir, Gillingham continued his focus on life-saving inventions by creating a type of reel, resembling a fishing reel, which he designed for people escaping fire in high-rise buildings. It was called the Spider.

Industrial in appearance and housing 150 feet of thick copper wire, the Spider was able to hold the weight of three men simultaneously and was secured to something immovable inside the building. The other end was secured to the user by a leather strap and buckle around the waist, enabling the user to lower themselves slowly down the outside of the building, much the same as the technique used in abseiling today.

Gillingham demonstrated the Spider to the townspeople of Chard by staging a mock rescue scenario of a young boy from the top of the Wilts and Dorset Bank, the tallest building in Chard. Although he had obtained the patent for this innovative life-saving design, he did not have the space to manufacture this product at Prospect House, so despite its enormous potential, the Spider remained undeveloped.

Gillingham went on to contribute other life-changing inventions that are still in use today. For instance, the hand feed for chaff cutting machinery—a simple handheld tool that agricultural workers used to feed straw into chaff cutters without risking losing a finger or a hand to the sharp, spinning blades.

His barbed wire cutter, patented in 1900, was an improvement on an existing design and which proved invaluable to farmers and gamekeepers, being able to disentangle and cut barbed wire even in the dark due to the simplified design. The design was used as standard military issue during the Boer War to disentangle British troops from barbed wire traps set on the front line.

Always abreast of current issues, he also constructed the sprung-wheeled stretcher, a stretcher that could be secured to a frame that had individually sprung wheels, enabling transportation of injured troops across uneven ground without inflicting further injury to the casualty while moving them to safety.

Gillingham was also renowned for his spiritual and educational concerns for the parish. He arranged reading circles and lectures to help working folk expand their knowledge, and went on to become a lay reader for his local Baptist church, later becoming deacon in 1881 and senior deacon in 1921.

James Gillingham has single-handedly paved the way for many modern developments in the form, fit, and functionality of prosthetics, mobility aids, and life-preserving measures. Way ahead of his time in his brilliance and inventiveness, his attention to the health of his parish has seen him duly and deservedly earn his title of "local icon."

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