Charles Corner (c1860-1932)
Born at Wellington the son of William Corner, a Schoolmaster and Landowner.
1910 Resident Engineer (Bulawayo) for the Mashonaland Railway
1932 Died.
1932 Obituary.[1]
Mr. Charles Corner, who died on Monday of last week, was the third on of the late Mr. William Corner, of Wellington, and elder brother of the Headmaster of Wellington School. For the last few years he had resided for his health's sake at Nano Marina, Italy, where he passed away peacefully in his 73rd year.
Soon after leaving Wellington School be began work with a publisher in London, where he was doing well; but he had always intended to be a civil engineer, and impelled by this ambition, which was doubtless coupled with a love of adventure, he left England for Texas in 1880. Being an accomplished draughtsman and a good mathematician, he quickly made his way and did much road and railway work, both in Texas and Mexico, and was for four years State Engineer of Texas. He was also responsible for the railway in Venezuela from Maracaibo to Merida. Here he met with a severe accident which nearly cost him his life, being fired at by a Mexican half-breed whilst asleep in his tent; that bullet entered his body and, passing completely through, emerged close to the backbone. This occurrence brought him home and after a year's convalescence he was appointed Railway Engineer for the Chartered Company of South Africa.
His first work was the railway from Beira to Salisbury; subsequently he laid many hundreds of miles of railway in Rhodesia, his headquarters being Bulawayo. For his work in America he was made a member of the Institute of Civil Engineers in England, being already a member of the corresponding Institute in America. He retired in 1912 and lived for some years at High Ham and subsequently near Wells and Otterhampton. When war broke out he did engineer's work connected with the Artillery at Woolwich. After the Armistice he devoted himself to literature. He was a very widely read man and wrote many charming lyrics, some of which it is hoped to publish. Mr. Charles Corner was a brilliant linguist, speaking French, Spanish and Italian with ease. He took a very deep interest in the growth of Wellington School, where he himself in early days had received his first instruction. He married in 1887 Margaret Muncey, of San Antonio, Texas, who survives him. His five daughters are all married, four being resident in India and one in England.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Langport & Somerton Herald - Saturday 02 July 1932