Charles Leopol Strapp
Charles Leopol Strapp (1867-1895)
1896 Obituary [1]
CHARLES LEOPOL STRAPP was born on the 15th of October, 1867, at Lemberg, Galicia, where his father, Mr. William Strapp, was engaged at that time on railway construction for the Austrian Government as representative of the late Mr. Thomas Brassey.
Leopol was educated at Tonbridge School and then went through a course of two years’ study at the Crystal Palace School of Practical Engineering, under Mr. J. W. Wilson.
In November, 1887, he obtained an appointment as an Assistant on the Contractor’s staff of the Manchester Ship Canal and was posted to No. 3 District, under Mr. A. G. Luke. He was thus engaged for more than three years, generally undertaking work which required personal strength and activity, such as the construction of all kinds of heavy timberwork in cofferdams and viaducts, both in the river and on land. On one occasion he rescued the crew of a boat which had been capsized, at a time when none of the shoremen would venture on the river.
From May, 1891, to September, 1892, Mr. Strapp was employed by Messrs. Eckersley, Godfrey and Liddlelom on the construction of the Athens-Larissa Railway.
He was then engaged in Turkey for a French Company in preparing surveys for a railway from Salonika to Dedeagatch on the Gulf of Enos, and was subsequently in charge of a section of the line.
Mr. Strapp returned to England at the beginning of 1895 and in the following July proceeded to Egypt for the Societe Anonyme du Behera. His career was, however, prematurely cut short, for after only a few months’ residence in Egypt, he was attacked by peritonitis at Alexandria. An operation was followed by blood-poisoning, which proved fatal on the 5th of November, 1895. Mr. Strapp was an exceptionally fine, well-built man, and fond of all sports. He served for some time as a lieutenant in the 2nd V. B. Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment. He was much esteemed for his energy and honesty of purpose, which caused him to be feared by some of the doubtful characters who worked under him in Turkey and Egypt.
He was elected an Associate Member on the 5th of December, 1893.