Basil Pym Ellis
Basil Pym Ellis (1850-1907)
1907 Obituary [1]
BASIL PYM ELLIS, a partner in the firm of Messrs. John Aird and Sons, engineering contractors, died suddenly at Paris, where he was making a short stay, on the 5th October, 1907. He was 57 years of age.
Entering Messrs. Aird’s service in 1866, his connection with the firm extended over his whole engineering career. He was first employed as an assistant engineer on the construction of the Millwall docks and on extensions of the Southwark and Vauxhall waterworks.
Subsequently he took part in the construction of the Birmingham waterworks, the Colne Valley waterworks, the Greenwich and Woolwich railway and other contracts.
He was also connected with the building of the Beckton gasworks of the Gas Light and Coke Company, and the last work which he undertook in a subordinate capacity for the firm was the construction of the Bishopsgate and Aldgate section of the Inner Circle line.
In 1878 he was taken into partnership, and thereafter he took an active share in the execution of the numerous important contracts of the firm in all parts of the world, amongst which may be mentioned the great Assuan dam in Egypt.
Mr. Ellis was greatly liked and respected by his staff, to whom he was invariably kind and considerate.
He married, in 1878, the eldest daughter of Sir John Aird, and leaves issue two sons and two daughters.
He was elected an Associate of The Institution on the 5th December, 1876.