Charles Douglas Burnet
Charles Douglas Burnet (1873-1936)
1919 of the Rail Welding Co.[1]
1936 Obituary [2]
CHARLES DOUGLAS BURNET was for many years city electrical engineer of Carlisle.
He was born at Stourport in 1873 and received his education at Malvern College. During 1891-2 he studied electrical technology at University College, London.
He served his apprenticeship with Messrs. Ferranti, after which he served as an electrical engineer with the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company.
In 1896 he became assistant engineer to the Oxford Electricity Company, and in the following year he joined the staff of Sir Alexander B. W. Kennedy, M.I.Mech.E. (Past-President). The firm secured the contract for erecting the generating station for the Corporation of Carlisle, and Mr. Burnet was appointed resident engineer in 1898. On the completion of the contract, he was invited by the Corporation to become the city electrical engineer; he accepted the appointment early in 1899.
In 1908 he joined the Tudor Accumulator Company, Ltd., as manager of the newly formed rail-welding department. He visited Germany to study methods of welding rails, and on his return he successfully exploited the German process in Great Britain.
Shortly after the outbreak of the War, the Tudor Accumulator Company was liquidated and the Rail Welding Company, Ltd., was formed to take over the welding side of the business. Mr. Burnet became manager of the latter company and held that position until his retirement in 1924.
His death occurred at Twickenham on 29th February 1936.
He was elected a Member of the Institution in 1908, and was also a Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.