John Roy
John Roy (1869-1949)
1950 Obituary [1]
"JOHN ROY spent most of his long and varied professional career in Egypt and in the Near East.
He was born in 1869 and, after leaving school, served an apprenticeship with Messrs. Robert Napier and Sons, Ltd., of Glasgow, from 1883 to 1890. He then joined the shore staff of the Castle Line, and, later, went to sea as marine engineer in vessels of that company and also in those of the New Zealand Shipping Company, Ltd. During this period he obtained a First-class Board of Trade Certificate.
He began his connection with Egypt as far back as 1896, and was first employed in the Salt Department of the Egyptian Government. A short appointment then followed as chief engineer to the Egyptian Salt and Soda Co, with responsibility for the erection and running of oil and soap mills. After acting in the same capacity for the British Engineering Co, of Egypt, for whom he was engaged upon the installation of pumping and refrigerating plant, he found employment as an agricultural engineer in Cyprus.
From 1912 to 1914 he was in charge of workshops for the Egyptian Engineering Co at Mansura, going from there to Cairo, where he took up an appointment as superintending engineer to Messrs. Associated British Manufacturers (Egypt), Ltd., with responsibility for the design and supervision of the erection of plant. He relinquished this position in 1927, and accepted the appointment of director of works to King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia.
After two years tenure of this office he was obliged to retire on account of ill health. Some years later, however, he again became associated with his former employers, the Associated British Manufacturers (Egypt), Ltd., and was engaged upon the task of dismantling and re-erecting the bridge at Kasr-el-Nil. During the war of 1939-45 he was supervising engineer for the Tilbury Contracting and Dredging Company, Ltd., and held this appointment up to the time of his death, which occurred on 23rd October 1947. Mr. Roy had been a Member of the Institution since 1923."