William Mason Rooke
William Mason Rooke (1870-1932)
1932 Obituary [1]
WILLIAM MASON ROOKE, whose death occurred in Vancouver, B.C., on 5th February 1932, was born at Bristol in 1870 and educated at the Merchant Venturers' Technical School and the University College, Bristol.
He served his apprenticeship with Messrs. Lysaght and Company of that city, and later became an assistant engineer on outside erection work.
In 1895 he resigned and entered the works department of the Admiralty at Portsmouth, remaining until 1898, when he joined Messrs. Heenan and Froude of Manchester as engineer-in-charge of railway and public works contracts. Subsequently he became London manager for the firm.
Among the principal responsibilities dependent upon Mr. Rooke were the reconstruction of the Great Northern station at Belfast, Foryd Viaduct (North Wales), and the Chester and Holyhead railway widening.
Various other firms with which Mr. Rooke was connected included Messrs. Head, Wrightson and Company, Messrs. Babcock and Wilcox, and the West Gas Improvement Company.
In 1908 he went to Japan as chief engineer to Messrs. Samuel and Company, and in the following year established his own business in Osaka, where he carried out work on the Kobe waterworks and for the Japanese Admiralty.
In 1917 Mr. Rooke went to British Columbia, where he continued his business as a consulting engineer and representative for various English companies.
He had been a Member of the Institution since 1908.