John Henry Bostock
John Henry Bostock (1847-1910)
1911 Obituary [1]
JOHN HENRY BOSTOCK, died at Colombo on the 12th April, 1910, aged 63. Trained under Sir Alexander Rendel, he subsequently acted as Resident Engineer on dock work at Leith.
In 1875 he was appointed Engineer by the Fraserburgh Harbour Commissioners for the construction of a breakwater with other subsidiary works, and held his appointment until the completion of the harbour in 1882.
From 1885 to 1889 Mr. Bostock was employed under the late Sir John Coode, by the Colonial Government of St. Lucia, West Indies, as Resident Engineer on harbour works at Port Castries.
In 1894 he was appointed Resident Engineer by the Government of Ceylon for the Colombo Harbour works, Messrs. Coode, Son and Matthews being the Consulting Engineers. These important works include two breakwaters, aggregating nearly 4,000 feet in length, which, with the south-west breakwater, 4,200 feet long, previously constructed, enclose an area of 660 acres; a graving dock 700 feet in length; coaling jetties; reclamation and P. slipway capable of taking vessels of 1,200 tons weight. He held this appointment up to the date of his death.
A man of high character, Mr. Bostock was greatly respected in Ceylon. Although a strict disciplinarian on the works, he possessed singular qualities for dealing with labour and its troubles, and was beloved by his staff and by the natives.
He was elected a Member of The Institution on the 7th May, 1878.