William Charles Clifford-Smith
William Charles Clifford-Smith (1855-1931)
1922 O.B.E., F.R.I.B.A., M.Inst.C.E. (retired), Hon. Member Junior I.C.E., P.-Pres. Assoc. Engrs.in-Charge; Engr. to Asylums Ctee, L.C.C., since 1892; b. 1855. Trained under the late J. C. Simpson, M.Inst.C.E. Address: Dudley Lodge, Wallington, Surrey.
1931 Obituary[1]
"THE LATE MR. W. C. CLIFFORD-SMITH, O.B.E.
We record, with regret, the death, on June 3, of Mr. William Charles Clifford-Smith, who for many years had done good work as the engineer for the Mental Hospitals of the London County Council. Mr. Clifford-Smith was born in 1855, and after a general education at the East London Middle Class School, he became a pupil of the late Mr. James Carrington Simpson. Later he became assistant to Mr. J. I. Spencer, thus acquiring experience in civil-engineering work. In 1879, Mr. Clifford-Smith entered the drawing-office of Messrs. Maudslay Sons and Field, Lambeth, where he was chiefly concerned with naval machinery. This led to an engagement as chief designer of machinery in the Imperial Dockyard, Constantinople, a position occupied from 1885 to 1886. In the latter year, he returned to Messrs. Maudslay’s as leading draughtsman, and subsequently became assistant works manager a the Lambeth works, and works manager at the firm s Greenwich establishment. In 1892, he was appointed engineer to the Asylums Committee of the London County Council, and retained this position until his retirement in October, 1924.
Mr. Clifford-Smith was responsible for the introduction of electricity as a source of power instead of steam for the varied machinery of the large mental hospitals m the jurisdiction of the County Council, and when extension of accommodation was required he designed a type of temporary building, chiefly constructed of wood and iron, which proved both cheap and easy to erect. He became an associate member of the Institution of Civil-Engineers in 1891, and a full member m 1901, but resigned in 1918. He was a past president of the Association of Engineers-in-Charge, and was awarded the O.B.E. in 1920."