John Francis Haseldine
John Francis Haseldine (1886-1944)
1946 Obituary [1]
JOHN FRANCIS HASELDINE, M.C., was associated with water supply engineering during the whole of his career, and at the time of his death, which occurred on 11th April 1944, had held the position of engineer and manager of the Barnet District Gas and Water Company for twenty years.
He was born in 1886 and after receiving his general education at Nottingham High School was articled in 1905 to Messrs. John Taylor and Sons, consulting engineers, of Westminster. On the completion of his articles, three years later, he continued with that firm as assistant engineer and was concerned with a number of important contracts, including the supervision of a new water supply scheme and main drainage system at St. Petersburg (Leningrad).
In 1914 he was called up for active service from the Special Reserve of Officers of the Royal Engineers and served with distinction in France being awarded the Military Cross and rising to the rank of major. In 1919 he rejoined the staff of Messrs. John Taylor and Sons as chief assistant engineer and was engaged on the design and construction of various water and sewage works. Five years later he took up his appointment at Barnet which occurred at a period of expansion of the Company's activities. By his strenuous exertions in the preparation of plans and statistics Mr. Haseldine was largely instrumental in bringing to a successful issue complicated negotiations with the Metropolitan Water Board regarding the supply of water by that Authority to his Company. During his period of office the Company trebled the number of its consumers, thus entailing rapid extensions for the design and execution of which he was entirely responsible.
Mr. Haseldine was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1924 and was transferred to Membership in 1933. He was also a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. In addition he was a past-president of the Institution of Water Engineers and was a member of the Executive Committee of the British Waterworks Association, in the deliberations of which he was actively interested.