Charles Edward Williams
Charles Edward Williams (1873-1955)
Chief Inspecting Engineer for the Crown Agents
Railway Engineer to the United Steel Companies
1921 Palestine Railway
1933 Bio Note.[1]
Major Charles Williams, C.B.E., M.I.Mech.E., our President for the 1933-1934 Session, was born in 1873 and was educated at Llandovery College. At the Vulcan Foundry Locomotive Works, Newton-le-Willows, he was an indentured premium pupil to the late Mr. W. F. Gooch, M.Inst.C.E., and subsequently became Assistant Works Manager.
He was later appointed by Mr. John Carruthers, the Consulting Engineer, as Resident Inspector for the New Zealand and West Australian Railways. In December, igoo, he joined the Crown Agents for the Colonies as Assistant Engineer in the Works Department of the Downing Street Office. A year later he was appointed Assistant Manager for the new locomotive works in Darlington of Messrs. Robt. L Stephenson, where he was engaged in the laying out of I the new buildings and plant and the organisation of personnel and output of the new works.
Three years later, in 1905, he returned to the office of the Crown Agents for the Colonies as Deputy Chief Inspecting Engineer.
He was gazetted Staff Captain at the War Office in 1915 and served in the Armaments Output Department that was organised by Major-General Sir Percy Girouad, K.C.M.G., R.E., and later was Section Director of the Non-Ferrous Metals Department of the Ministry of Munitions.
In 1918 he was appointed Deputy Assistant Director in the Inland Waterways and Docks at the War Office, in charge of the Engineering Inspection Department.
In 1919 he was appointed Technical Head of the Engineering Inspection Department of the Crown Agents and in the course of his duties visited Nigeria in West Africa in 1920 in connection with the design and layout of the extensive new locomotive, carriage and wagon workshops for the railway at Ebute Metta, and the shops at Enugu.
In the following year he visited Palestine to advise on the design and layout of new workshops for the railway at Haifa and also visited Cyprus in connection with railway matters.