Charles Husband
Sir Henry Charles Husband (30 October 1908 – 7 October 1983) was a leading British civil and consulting engineer from Sheffield, England, who designed bridges and other major civil engineering works. He is particularly known for his work on the Jodrell Bank radio telescopes.[1]
Early life and education
Husband was born in Sheffield in 1908 to Ellen Walton, née Harby, and her husband, Joseph (1871–1961), a civil engineer who had founded Sheffield Technical School's civil engineering department and subsequently served as the University of Sheffield's initial professor in the discipline.[2] Charles Husband attended the city's King Edward VII School and gained an engineering degree at Sheffield University in 1929.[2][3]
Career
His first job was with Barnsley Water Board. He then worked under the civil engineer Sir Owen Williams in 1931–33, before spending three years on various major English and Scottish residential projects with the First National Housing Trust.[2] In 1936, with Joseph Husband and Antony Clark, he founded the consulting engineering firm of Husband and Clark (later Husband & Co.) in Sheffield. During the Second World War, he first worked in the Ministry of Labour and National Service and later on aircraft manufacture for the Ministry of Works.[2]
After the war, Husband headed the engineering consultancy, successfully expanding their business, with post-war clients including the British Iron and Steel Research Association, National Coal Board and the Production Engineering Research Association. Outside Britain, the company undertook multiple projects in Sri Lanka.[2]
Construction projects
Husband assisted in the design of Jodrell Bank and Goonhilly Downs aerials.[2] Other innovative projects Husband & Co. undertook included designing a facility for testing jet engines at altitude in 1946.[2] The firm also designed the bridge used in the 1957 film, The Bridge on the River Kwai.[4]
Awards and honours
Husband was recognised with the CBE in 1964.[2] He won the Royal Medal in 1965[5] and the Wilhelm Exner Medal in 1966.[6] He served as president of the Institution of Structural Engineers in 1965 and was awarded their Gold Medal in 1973.[7] He was knighted in 1975.[2]
Personal life
In 1932, Husband married Eileen Margaret Nowill (born 1906/7), an architect's daughter who was also from Sheffield. The couple had four children, with the elder of his two sons, Richard Husband, also becoming a civil engineer. Husband died in 1983 at Nether Padley, just outside Sheffield in Derbyshire.[2]
References
- ^ "The History of Jodrell Bank | Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics". Jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk. 2008-09-26. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Charles Husband : Oxford Biography Index entry (subscription required)". Oxforddnb.com. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
- ^ "The Edwardian 1997". Oldedwardians.org.uk. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
- ^ Eagan 2009, p. 537
- ^ "Royal Medal". Retrieved 2008-12-06.
- ^ Editor, ÖGV. (2015). Wilhelm Exner Medal. Austrian Trade Association. ÖGV. Austria.
- ^ "IStructE Gold Medallists 1922-2008". Institution of Structural Engineers. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
Source
- Daniel Eagan. America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry (Bloomsbury; 2009) (ISBN 1441116478)
 | This article about an engineer, inventor or industrial designer from the United Kingdom or its predecessor states is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |