Thomas Reginald Grigson

Thomas Reginald Grigson OBE (1884-1968)

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1968 Obituary

".. born on 25 August, 1884 at Teddington, Middlesex; died at his home in Richmond,Surrey,on 29 February, 1968.

He was educated at Palmer's School, Grays, and from 1901-03 was articled to Edward Henry Page, AM, of Page & Company, Contractors of Cardiff. For the following five years he was employed on main drainage schemes at Swansea and Taunton, sea defences at Minehead and the Prince of Wales Pier at Falmouth. The latter was a pioneer work in reinforced concrete construction which led to the preparation of a paper for which he was awarded a Miller Prize in 1905 and to his subsequent employment under the late L. G. Mouchel in London.

In 1907 Grigson left London for Auckland, New Zealand, as reinforced concrete designer for the Ferro-Concrete Company of Australasia. He spent the next four years in New Zealand on the design of harbour works in Auckland, a reinforced concrete reservoir for Auckland City and the Grafton Bridge, Auckland, a three-pin reinforced concrete arch which, with a span exceeding 330 ft was the second longest reinforced concrete span in the world. Two years in Melbourne followed with the Melbourne Board of Works. In 1913 he returned to the UK and was engaged by Belfast Harbour Board as a reinforced concrete specialist. On the outbreak of the 1914-18 war he was commissioned in the RE, served with the 14th Division in the Ypres Salient during 1915 and was wounded. From 1916 until demobilization in 1919 he commanded a Field Company, RE, employed on coastal fortifications. For his war services he was awarded the OBE (Military Division).

From 1922 until 1925 Grigson was employed first as Resident Engineer (for John Taylor & Son of Westminster) on Portsmouth main drainage and later as an engineering inspector for the Chief Engineer, Ministry of Health. In 1925 he joined the staff of the newly-formed British Portland Cement Association (later to become the Cement & Concrete Association)as deputy and later chief engineer. He specialized in concrete road construction and during the next 20 years became very well known in this field, particularly amongst local authority engineers. Formerly a Director of Mechanised Paviours Ltd. he collaborated with Major R. A. B. Smith (M) in the writing of a book on Concrete Roads, was a member of the Road Engineering Division of the Institution and collaborated with the Director of Road Research in setting up the first cooperative Research Committee on concrete.

Until middle age Grigson was a first class lawn tennis player; later he umpired at Wimbledon for many seasons. He was interested in local government and was a member of Richmond Borough Council for some years. Elected a Corporate Member in 1909, he became a Fellow in 1926. He was predeceased by his wife and is survived by a son and two daughters."

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