George Barnard (c1863-1952) of BICC
1952 Obituary [1]
WE have learned with regret of the death of Mr. George Barnard, M.I.E.E., which occurred at his home, "Moorfield," Hagley Road West, Birmingham, on February 7th.
Mr. Barnard, who was in his ninetieth year, had been associated with British Insulated Callender's Cables, Ltd., and its predecessors for the whole of his long working life. He joined W. O. Callender, Ltd., in 1880 - the firm which preceded Callender's Cable and Construction Company, Ltd. - and after a short period in the works at Belvedere, Kent, was transferred to the outside staff, being engaged mainly in the laying of vulcanised bitumen insulated cables.
Mr. Barnard next became the company's supervising contract engineer and for some years was responsible for the carrying out of cable laying contracts in this country and on the Continent.
In June, 1890, he was appointed to take charge of the laying of the first cables for the Birmingham Electric Supply Company, a job which led to his becoming engineer and manager for Callender's Cable and Construction Company, Ltd., in the Midlands. In that appointment Mr. Barnard served for over fifty years, and took responsibility for many important cable laying contracts in a number of Midlands cities and towns.
In 1932 Mr. Barnard was appointed an advisory director of his company, taking an active part in its affairs until his retirement, at the age of seventy-nine, in December, 1941.