Racster Stephens Beatty
Racster Stephens Beatty (1879-1948)
1949 Obituary [1]
"RACSTER STEPHENS BEATTY spent most of his life in South Africa as a locomotive engineer. He was born in 1879 and received his general education at the Grammar and Naval Schools in Portsmouth.
His apprenticeship was served at the Salt River Works of the Cape Government Railways from 1896 to 1902, and during this period he attended technical classes conducted by the railway company. After gaining further experience in the drawing office at Salt River he became assistant to the superintendent mechanical at Cape Town and subsequently occupied the same position at East London. During 1915 he was on the general's staff in the South-West African campaign and later in the same year was appointed mechanical engineer to the railways in that Protectorate. Subsequently he returned to the service of the South African Railways, his final position being that of locomotive superintendent. Mr. Beatty, whose death occurred on 17th September 1948, was elected a Member of the Institution in 1919."