Edward Hunt (1875-1949)
Edward Hunt (1875-1949)
1950 Obituary [1]
"Lt.-Colonel EDWARD HUNT, V.D., who was born in 1875, spent nearly the whole of his long professional career in India, where for many years he was concerned with the mechanical engineering side of railway service in that country.
He received his education in Manchester at St. Bede's College and at a technical school. After serving his time and gaining additional training in the running department at the Gorton works of the Great Central Railway, between 1891 and 1897, he joined the firm of Sir W. H. Bailey and Company, Ltd., of Manchester, and was placed in charge of the testing department.
In 1899 he began his long connection with India, and entering the firm of Messrs. Gresham and Craven, Ltd., became closely concerned with the trials of the automatic vacuum brake, which was subsequently adopted as the standard equipment by the railways in India.
His railway service began in 1901 when he was appointed assistant locomotive and carriage superintendent to the Burma Railway; but a year later he transferred to the Eastern Bengal Railway, and, after serving in a similar capacity, was eventually in charge of that company's workshops at Kanchrapara.
From 1915 to 1930, in which year he reached the retiring age, he was district locomotive and carriage superintendent to the North Western Railway. Towards the end of this period he was in charge of the Moghalpura shops and was promoted to be deputy chief mechanical engineer. He then took over the duties of railway departmental manager and special consultant to Messrs. Krupp (the Krupp Indian Trading Company, Ltd.), and was subsequently entrusted by the Controller of Enemy Firms with the winding up of the company's interests in India.
His final position, which he held for four years, was that of locomotive and carriage superintendent to the Jaipur State Railway. Colonel Hunt had a long connection with the Volunteer Force and was awarded the V.D. During the war of 1914-18 he served in the Mechanical Transport, Royal Engineers, receiving the special thanks of the Commander-in-Chief India, for his services at Sukkur (Sind). He had been an Associate Member of the Institution since 1904. His death occurred at Trowbridge, Wiltshire, on 8th June 1949."