Donovan Henry Charles Lye
Donovan Henry Charles Lye (1896-1948)
1949 Obituary [1]
"Captain DONOVAN HENRY CHARLES LYE, R.E., had considerable experience as an electrical engineer in the Malay States.
He was born in 1896 and after serving two years as an articled pupil to the managing engineer of the Folkestone Electricity Supply Co, joined H.M. Forces in 1916 and was commissioned as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps. He was promoted later to the rank of flight lieutenant and eventually served in the Royal Air Force as engineer officer. On demobilization in 1919 he proceeded to Persia to take up an appointment as chief assistant electrical engineer to the Anglo-Persian Oil Co. He relinquished this position three years later to become assistant engineer in the Singapore municipal electrical department.
In 1925 he joined the firm of Messrs. Osborne and Chappel, mining engineers, of Ipoh, Perak, as resident engineer at Pengkalen, Ltd., and in 1927 he was appointed supervising mechanical and electrical engineer, with responsibility for the electrical engineering and allied mechanical work of the various mining companies under the general management of the firm. This position he retained until 1939 when he was granted a commission in the Royal Engineers with the acting rank of captain and served in England for two years. From 1942 to 1944 he was employed by the Ministry of Munitions in Australia and subsequently he was on the staff of the English Electric Company, Ltd., in India, for a brief period. He rejoined the staff of Messrs. Osborne and Chappel in 1946. Captain Lye was elected a Graduate of the Institution in 1922 and was transferred to Associate Membership in 1927. He was also an Associate of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. His death occurred in Malaya on 29th August 1948."