Colin Frederick Gearon
Colin Frederick Gearon (1889-1936)
1936 Obituary [1]
COLIN FREDERICK GEARON had a wide engineering experience in the Colonial Civil Service, and was mechanical engineer to the Department of Public Works in the Government of Palestine for the last two years of his life.
He was born at Ingatestone, Essex, in 1889, and received his technical education at Swansea Technical College.
In 1906 he became an apprentice at the works of Messrs. R. Hunt and Company, engineers, of Earl's Colne, Essex, where he received three years' training, after which he joined Messrs. Tan and Sons, of Swansea, for whom he took charge of the installation of machinery and plant, and its subsequent maintenance.
After war was declared in 1914 he enlisted in the Royal Engineers, and in the following year took charge of the base engineering works at Rouen.
From 1917 to 1919 he was attached to the Establishment for Engineering Services, taking charge of all engineering works at Deauville, then a hospital area for 50,000 troops, where he erected a large pumping station.
After the War he became assistant manager at Messrs. Harris's (later Messrs. Swan and Hunter's) dry docks at Swansea, and in 1921 was appointed engineer to the Western Engineering Company, of Swansea, and took charge of the repair and maintenance of colliery plant.
In 1923 he was gazetted Government Mechanical Engineer, British Honduras. His responsibilities included those of director and chief mechanical engineer of the Public Works Department, and he acted in an advisory capacity to the British Honduras Railway and to Belize Harbour Board. He was conservator of waterways in the Colony, and consulting engineer to Belize Town Board. In 1928 he went to Nigeria as deputy chief mechanical engineer in the Public Works Department and subsequently became mechanical engineer in charge of the western area. He held this position until his Palestine appointment in 1934.
His death occurred on 26th August 1936.
He was elected to Associate Membership of the Institution in 1927.