James Barr Durning
James Barr Durning (1892-1949)
1950 Obituary [1]
"JAMES BARR DURNING, O.B.E., B.Sc., spent the greater part of his career in India, where for many years he was in the service of the Ordnance Department He was born in 1892, and served his apprenticeship with the North British Locomotive Company, Ltd., from 1908 to 1913.
At the same time he attended the Royal Technical College in Glasgow. In the following year he joined the Royal Navy, and served as first-class engine-room artificer in HMS Warspite throughout the war of 1914-18. On demobilization he acted as relief junior shift-engineer at a substation of the Glasgow Corporation tramways and meanwhile completed his studies at Glasgow University, where he graduated B.Sc. in engineering in 1922. After further experience at other substations and as senior draughtsman in the locomotive department of Messrs. William Beardmore and Company, Ltd., he began his connection with India in 1924 with the post of assistant to the works manager of the gun and shell factory at Cossipore, Calcutta.
From 1929 to 1933 he was works inspection-officer, after which he was made assistant works manager. He was promoted to be works manager in 1938 and subsequently became superintendent of the metal and steel factory at Ishapore, Bengal. He retired in 1948 and in the same year was made O.B.E. Mr. Durning was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1925, and was transferred to Membership in 1939. His death occurred on 19th April 1949."