Les William

Standard Resistor created by J.L. William Scientific Instruments

J. L. (Les) William(January 18, 1915 – June 4, 1994) was a builder of scientific instruments. Born in Melbourne, Australia he was known for his beautiful and precision craftsmanship and was known as one of the best scientific instrument makers in Australia. His equipment can be found Australian laboratories existed from the 1930s through to the 1980s. He founded a company situated in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond called J.L. William Scientific Instruments. Les attended Caulfield Technical School and worked at his brother's firm during World War 2. Soon after he set up his own instrumentation company. Les never married. In his later years Les suffered from motor neurone disease.

Les William liked to recall Lord Kelvin's dictum that one did not truly understand a scientific quantity until one could measure it and provide an accurate numerical value. William's career was closely linked to that of his older brother Austin (1913-85). He died in Melbourne on June 4, 1994. In his will Les made a substantial bequest to Monash University Department of Physics.