George Richard William Hawke
George Richard William Hawke (1868-1923) of James Simpson and Co
1923 Obituary [1]
GEORGE RICHARD WILLIAM HAWKE was born at Stoke, Devon, on 20th June 1868.
At the age of fourteen he was apprenticed to Messrs. James Simpson and Co., of Pimlico, London, and remained in their employ for about twenty-two years. While with them he supervised the erection of pumping plants in India, Singapore, Japan, and the West Indies.
In 1898 he went to Fremantle, Western Australia, on behalf of the firm, and on his return to England he was appointed general foreman of the erecting and fitting shops at Pimlico. This post he held until 1900, when he returned to Australia to take charge of the erection of the pumping plants for the Coolgardie Water Scheme.
In 1904 he entered the service of the West Australian Government as Machinery Superintendent in charge of the Goldfields Water Supply pumping plants. This position he held up to the time of his death, which took place in Perth, W.A., on 10th July 1923, at the age of fifty-five.
He became a Member of this Institution in 1908.