Alfred Howe Collinson
Alfred Howe Collinson (1866-1927)
1927 Obituary[1]
The death of Mr. Alfred Howe Collinson, C.B.E. M.Inst.C.E., is reported to have occurred in India on June 28, and removes an engineer connected with many important works, and prominent during the war in connection with the supply of munitions.
Mr. Collinson was born on January 15, 1866, and received his early education at Brampton, Huntingdonshire. After leaving school he served his pupilage with Mr. A. Johnson, M.Inst.C.E., who was then engineer to the Great Northern Railway Company, and from 1884 to 1889 was employed On the staff of that railway, being principally engaged on new works and widenings. In the latter year he was appointed resident engineer on the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway, in which position he was responsible for preparing the drawings and constructing the extensions of the railway from Las Flores to Ranch, and from Cannelas to the Salado River. This work comprised 104 miles of railway in all, together with numerous stations and bridges, and an important viaduct over the Salado River.
In 1892 Mr. Collinson returned to this country and was appointed resident engineer of the Leicester and Rugby section of the Great Central Railway extension to London. He was responsible for setting out the line and for preparing the drawings, as well as for carrying through the works to completion.
In 1903 he went to China, where for some years he was associated as engineer-in-chief with the construction of the Shanghai-Nanking Railway, the Nanking City Railway, and the HaDkow-Canton Railway.
During the war he was principally responsible, under the Ministry of Munitions, for the organisation of the Inspectorate of Munitions Areas at Sheffield. This organisation controlled, as far as inspection was concerned, practically the whole of the munition output outside the London area.
In 1916 he went to America, where he performed the difficult task of organising the munition inspection in that country. In the following year he was appointed Director-General of Inspection of Munitions of War, and I controlled this section of the Ministry until it was wound up. In recent years he has represented the Foundation Company, Limited, in British East Africa, and in India, and did valuable work in reorganising the Calcutta Tramways on behalf of the London board.
Mr. Collinson was created C.B.E. in 1917, and an officer of the Legion of Honour in 1919. He is survived by a widow, one daughter and two sons. He was elected a full member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1899.