Edward Cyril Ward
Edward Cyril Ward (1886-1948)
1949 Obituary [1]
"EDWARD CYRIL WARD, whose death occurred in London on 19th July 1948, was for twenty-three years resident engineer for Messrs. Merz and McLellan at the Barking generating station.
He was born in Ipswich in 1886, where he served his apprentice ship with Messrs. Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies, Ltd., from 1902 to 1906, and concurrently attended classes at the Technical School. After some experience in that firm's drawing office and a brief period as experimental engineer to Messrs. Clayton and Shuttleworth, Ltd., of Lincoln, where he was responsible for the development of an automatic feeding device for threshing machines, he joined, in 1909, the staff of Messrs. Davey, Paxman and Company, Ltd., at Colchester, as an engineer designer. Six years later he was appointed mechanical and electrical engineer to Sir Douglas Fox and Partners and was engaged for the next three years on the design and inspection of the power station at the Royal Naval Cordite Factory, Poole.
He then accepted an appointment as engineer and chief designer to Messrs. Railless, Ltd., the development of whose patented type of transport vehicle was largely due to Mr. Ward. In 1922 he became associated with the Victoria Falls and Transvaal Power Co and was closely concerned with designs and specifications for power schemes. On taking up his final appointment at Barking in 1925 he became responsible for the super vision of the construction, installation, and starting up of generating plant comprising some 480,000 kW., and during his period of office was closely concerned with the development of that station to its present size. From some time previous to the outbreak of the 1939-45 war Mr. Ward was engaged on similar development work for his firm on the construction of new power stations, notably those at Littlebrook, Reading, and Stoke. He had been an Associate Member of the Institution since 1923."