Frederick Gurr MacLean
Frederick Gurr MacLean (1848-1915)
1916 Obituary [1]
FREDERICK GURR MACLEAN, C.I.E., who died from heart failure on the 12th December, 1915, at Woking, was born in 1848 and educated at a private school.
After studying electricity with special reference to telegraphy under the late Sir William Preece he was appointed by the Secretary of State for India to the Telegraph Department in India, where he arrived at the beginning of 1869.
In September 1879 he was employed on telegraph work in connection with the military operations in Afghanistan for which he was awarded the Afghan medal; and the valuable services he rendered on this occasion were brought to the notice of the Government of India. As a superintendent he subsequently held charge with conspicuous success of many important districts in different parts of India and was appointed Director of Construction in January 1896.
On the retirement of Mr. C. E. Pitman, C.I.E., in 1900 Mr. Maclean was appointed to succeed him as Director-General of Telegraphs, India. Under his administration the Telegraph Department experienced a great expansion in its activities; a large amount of construction was undertaken and more modern and faster systems of working introduced generally on the main lines.
In recognition of his services he was awarded the honour of "Companion of the Indian Empire" on the occasion of the Durbar held at Delhi in January 1903 to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII. At the close of that year he left India and retired, to the universal regret of his brother officers amongst whom he had throughout been extremely popular. He had a wonderfully even placid disposition and a temper that was rarely if ever rufiled. In his youth he was an excellent rider and fond of sport of all kinds.
He leaves a widow and one son, Captain F. A. Maclean, 109th Baluchis Regiment, Indian Army, who was severely wounded in France early in the war and is now attached to the Royal Scots Fusiliers at Jhansi in India.
He was elected a Member of the Institution in 1876 and was Chairman of the Calcutta Local Centre in 1901-2.