The Dictionary of Australasian Biography/Bickerton, Alexander William
Bickerton, Alexander William, F.C.S., was born at Alton, Hants, in 1842, and educated at the Grammar School of the town. After a preliminary engineering course, he gained an exhibition at the Royal School of Mines, London, where he distinguished himself in physical science, gaining a Senior Queen's Scholarship. After leaving the School of Mines, he joined the staff of the Hartley Institution, Southampton, and was subsequently appointed Lecturer on Science at Winchester College, and was Public Analyst in Hampshire. In 1873 Mr. Bickerton accepted the post of Professor of Chemistry and Physics at Canterbury College, N.Z. He has held this position ever since, has written many papers on scientific subjects, and is the author of an astronomical theory which he terms "Partial Impact."