George Albert Twynam (1843-1877)
1878 Obituary [1]
MR. GEORGE ALBERT TWYNAM was born in the year 1843, and began his professional career as a pupil to Mr. J. W. Wilson, Assoc. Inst. C.E., with whom he remained for three years. On the expiry of his articles, in 1863, Mr. Twynam was engaged for about twelve months on the West Riding and Grimsby, and the Batley branch railways, as an assistant to Mr. John Fraser, M. Inst. C.E.
He then went to Russia with Mr. F. Murton, M. Inst. C.E., and Mr. H. C. Forde, M. Inst. C.E., by whom he was employed on the surveys for the Port Baltic and St. Petersburg railway; and, on the completion of this engagement, obtained an appointment on the Vierson and Venlo railway in Prussia, at that time being constructed by Mr. F. Murton. Here he remained during the years 1864, 1865, and 1866, and he afterwards accompanied Mr. Murton to the Lubeck-Kleinen railway in Prussia, on which he was engaged in 1867 and 1868.
Mr. Twynam then went to Moldavia, where he was employed for four years as an assistant engineer on the Jassy railway, at that time being constructed by the late Mr. Brassey, under the superintendence of Mr. W. Strapp.
On returning to England he was again engaged under Mr. Fraser in the preparation of plans and sections connected with the Great Northern and London and North Western joint lines in Leicestershire, and proposed new lines in Yorkshire; after which he was occupied on his own account in surveying a line of tramway between St. Peter’s and St. Sampson’s, in Guernsey.
In July, 1874, Mr. Twynam started for Ceylon, for the purpose of managing the Allington coffee estate at Rakwane, of which he was part owner. He was working energetically at his new enterprise, and had cleared and brought under cultivation about 200 acres, when he succumbed to the effects of the climate, dying on the 24th of September, 1877, in his thirty-fifth year.
Mr. Twynam was elected an Associate of the Institution on the 3rd of February, 1874.