Alan Mount
Sir Alan Henry Lawrence Mount (1881-1955), inspecting officer of railways at the Ministry of Transport
1955 Obituary [1]
WE record with regret the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Alan Henry Lawrence Mount, which occurred in London on Wednesday of last week, August l0th.
For thirty years he was an inspecting officer of railways at the Ministry of Transport, and for the greater part of that period, until his retirement in July, 1949, he held the position of chief inspecting officer. Sir Alan rendered distinguished service in that responsible post and during his period of office made noteworthy contributions to the high standard of safety in railway operation in this country.
Sir Alan, who was born at Welwyn, Herts, in 1881, was educated at Bradfield College and at Coopers Hill, and was commissioned in the Royal Engineers in 1902. He then spent some time at Chatham, and on the North-Western Railway in India, and throughout the first world war served in France as the deputy chief railway construction engineer.
Sir Alan joined the Ministry of Transport as an inspecting officer of railways in 1919, and became chief inspecting officer in 1929. An important part of his duties was, of course, to inquire into and report upon railway accidents. In looking over the reports which bear his signature, it might at first be thought that the number of railway accidents investigated during Sir Alan's thirty years' service at the Ministry was considerable. Yet when the number of train movements is borne in mind, the high degree of operating safety is significant.
In reporting upon the major railway disasters which he investigated, Sir Alan never failed, in his "conclusions and recommendations," to put forward sound technical - and human - suggestions aimed at preventing the repetition of such accidents. His reports on several train accidents, for example, advocated the fuller development of automatic train control systems in this country. Then, in one report, that dealing with a derailment at Potters Bar in 1946, Sir Alan's suggestions led to the redesigning and rebuilding of the station, a project which has now been completed.
In his annual reports as chief inspecting officer, Sir Alan revealed clearly his technical ability to expound problems associated with railway safety. During his long and valuable service at the Ministry of Transport, Sir Alan was invited to head an investigation into the use of broad gauge "Pacific" locomotives in India. This investigation followed an accident at Bihia, on the East Indian Railway, in 1937. The Indian Government decided to appoint an independent expert committee to make this investigation, and Sir Alan was its chairman.
In recognition of his services to this committee, Sir Alan received the honour of knighthood in 1941. He had previously received the honours of C.B.E. in 1919 and C.B. in 1931.