Ernest Matthew Lacey
M.Inst.C.E., M.I.E.E., M.I.Mech.E., Consulting Engineer, Electric Power Stations, Tramways, Light Railways, etc.,
1866 Born.
Educated at Dulwich College.
Served under F. W. Lacey, M.Inst.C.E.,
1894 Commenced private practice in Westminster (presumably this was Lacey, Clirehugh and Sillar, later Lacey, Sillar and Leigh?). Has acted as Consulting Engineer to several Local Authorities, Power Companies, etc., including power stations and tramways for the Corporations of Blackburn, Batley, Belfast, Bournemouth, Bury, Colchester, Rochdale, Radcliffe, Salford, Swindon, etc. The Lancashire Power Station, The Trafford Power Station, electric hydraulic plant for L. & N.W. Railway Co.
1946 Obituary.[1]
ERNEST MATTHEW LACEY, who died on the 16th August, 1945, at the age of 79, was educated at Dulwich College and received his engineering training as an articled pupil under W. D. Gooch. After serving as an assistant engineer with Thompson, Ritchie and Co. from 1886 to 1889, and with Musgrave Heaphy from 1889 to 1894, he went into private practice as a consultant. First he was alone, then A. M. Sillar joined him, and later he and Sillar joined S. V. Clirehugh and F. A. C. Leigh in their Manchester practice. Subsequently Leigh was appointed Chief Electrical Engineer of the L. and N. W. Railway and Clirehugh retired, leaving Lacey and Sillar to work together in London. Lacey retired in 1937. In the course of his long career he had acted as consulting engineer to the West Midlands Joint Electricity Authority and to some thirty other authorized undertakings; he had given evidence before several Parliamentary Committees; and had been concerned with numerous valuations, arbitrations, etc.
He always exercised the greatest care in the preparation of his schemes, and his estimates and forecasts of future developments were always reliable. He was highly esteemed by all his clients.
He joined The Institution as a Student in 1886 and was elected an Associate in 1888 and a Member in 1898. He was also a Member of The Institution of Civil Engineers.