Roderick Harry Parnell
Roderick Harry Parnell (1888-1934)
1934 Obituary [1]
RODERICK HARRY PARNELL was engaged for many years in the installation and management of oil and petroleum wells in Russia and Further India.
He was born at Henley on Thames in 1888 and received his technical education at Liverpool Technical School, from 1905 to 1908.
He became a pupil apprentice to the Motor Engineering Corporation, Liverpool, in 1907 and served in the shops and drawing office until 1910, when he was appointed assistant engineer in Russia to the Anglo-Maikop Oil Corporation.
In 1913 he became field manager and engineer and was responsible for the erection of a pumping station in South Russia for the supply of oil through two 8-inch pipe lines to Ekaterinodar, 80 miles distant.
In consequence of the outbreak of the War, he was compelled to return to England by a circuitous route, and on his arrival he was appointed to an inspectorship by the Anglo-Russian Committee. He then entered the Inns of Court as a cadet and subsequently received a commission in the Royal Engineers.
In 1919 he joined the Burmah Oil Company as assistant field engineer and in addition took charge of the 300-mile pipe line between the oilfields and Rangoon. He also erected a plant for the extraction of gasolene from natural gas, with a daily capacity of 500,000 cu. ft. and provision for an extension to 2,000,000 cu. ft. Extraction was carried out by the compression system, using Bessemer direct gas-driven compressors.
In 1921 he joined the Assam Oil Company, a firm associated with the Burmah Oil Company, and after a few months as advisory and resident engineer he was appointed field manager. He was responsible for the drilling of important test wells to depths ranging between 3,000 and 4,000 feet. Subsequently he returned to Burma and superintended the erection of two pumping stations having a daily throughput of 500,000 gallons of oil.
In 1928 he left for London, where he went into business as a consulting engineer, and was so occupied until his death, which occurred on 11th April 1934.
He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1918 and was transferred to Membership in 1930.