John William Kirk
John William Kirk (1864-1907)
1907 Obituary [1]
JOHN WILLIAM KIRK was born at Cheltenham on 26th October 1864.
He served an apprenticeship of five years in the works of Earle's Shipbuilding and Engineering Co., Hull, and attended technical classes at night.
On the expiration of his time in 1886 he entered the shipping firm of Messrs. Thomas Wilson, Sons and Co., Hull, as fourth engineer, and was promoted to the post of third engineer in the following year, second engineer in 1890, and chief engineer in 1894.
In 1895 he resigned his position to enter the service of H.M. Niger Coast Protectorate (now S. Nigeria) as Chief Engineer of H.M.S. Ivy, and occupied this post until 1900 when he was appointed Assistant Superintendent Engineer, and later in the same year he became Superintendent Engineer, having full responsibility over the engineering department of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate.
He returned to England on leave on 13th July 1907, and on the following night developed an attack of malarial fever from which he died on 15th July 1907, in his forty- third year.
He became a Member of this Institution in 1906.