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Brodie Henderson (engineer)
Encyclopedia
Sir Brodie Haldane Henderson (1869 – 28 September 1936) was a British
civil engineer
. Henderson was primarily a railway engineer who worked for many railroad corporations across South America
, Australasia
and Africa
. He was the consultant for the Dona Ana Bridge
which, when it was built in 1935, was the longest railway bridge in the world with a length of 2.24 miles. He volunteered for service with the Royal Engineers
at the outbreak of the First World War and was put in charge of railway lines used to tranposrt Allied
troops and supplies. In this capacity he held the rank of a Brigadier-General of the British Army
and his success in this role resulted in him being decorated by the British
, French
and Belgian
governments.
After the war Henderson worked with the Imperial War Graves Commission, as High Sheriff of Hertfordshire
in 1924 and as president of the Institution of Civil Engineers
. He was an important patron of John William Waterhouse
, the pre-Raphaelite painter, and was the original owner of Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May
.
, Middlesex
to George and Eliza Henderson, his elder brother was Alexander Henderson
the businessman and politician. He studied at King's College London
and Victoria University
in Manchester
. He began his engineering career with Beyer, Peacock and Company
, the locomotive manufacturer, and later worked for James Livesey and Son, a firm of consulting engineers, of which he would become a partner.
His work with James Livesey was mainly railway contracts, often financed by Brodie's brother Alexander. Henderson became a senior partner of the firm in 1893 and upon James' retirement it became known as Livesey and Henderson. Henderson worked extensively on railway contracts in abroad including the Buenos Aires Great Southern
, Central Argentine
, Antofagasta
and the Midland of Western Australia
railways. Henderson was also responsible for the construction of new docks in Buenos Aires
.
His most famous project is the Dona Ana Bridge
over the Zambezi River in Mozambique
for the Beira Railroad Corporation
, this bridge was built in 1935 and spanned a distance of 2.24 miles by 33 separate arches. This bridge was the longest railway bridge in the world for many years.
at the start of the First World War and was made the deputy director-general of transportation in Belgium and France, being chiefly concerned with railway transport. During his war service he was mentioned in dispatches
on four occasions and rose to the rank of Brigadier-General. His war work was recognised by his appointment as a companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
in 1918, the next year he was promoted to knight of the same order and also made a companion of the Order of the Bath
. In addition to this the French government appointed Henderson an officer of the Légion d'honneur
, as well as the Croix de Guerre
, and the Belgian Government appointed him a commander of the Order of the Crown
.
between 1924 and 1925. Henderson was elected the president of the Institution of Civil Engineers
in 1928.
Henderson became, through his brother Alexander, a patron of John William Waterhouse
and owned several of his paintings. He was the original owner of Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May
, a 1909 painting by Waterhouse that was recently valued at CAD$4.8 million to $7.3 million.
He married Ella Jones in 1901 and fathered a daughter, Joan, and three sons, Gerald, Neil and Andrew. Neil, Andrew followed their father as partners in Livesey and Henderson, as did one of Alexander's sons Philip. Brodie died on 28 September 1936 of lung cancer and was cremated at Golders Green
before being interred in the family grave at Braughing
. A memorial service was held at St Michael's Church
in the City of London
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
. Henderson was primarily a railway engineer who worked for many railroad corporations across South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. He was the consultant for the Dona Ana Bridge
Dona Ana Bridge
The Dona Ana Bridge spans the lower Zambezi River between the towns of Vila de Sena and Mutarara in Mozambique, effectively linking the two halves of the country...
which, when it was built in 1935, was the longest railway bridge in the world with a length of 2.24 miles. He volunteered for service with the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
at the outbreak of the First World War and was put in charge of railway lines used to tranposrt Allied
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
troops and supplies. In this capacity he held the rank of a Brigadier-General of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and his success in this role resulted in him being decorated by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
governments.
After the war Henderson worked with the Imperial War Graves Commission, as High Sheriff of Hertfordshire
High Sheriff of Hertfordshire
The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years...
in 1924 and as president of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
. He was an important patron of John William Waterhouse
John William Waterhouse
John William Waterhouse was an English painter known for working in the Pre-Raphaelite style. He worked several decades after the breakup of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which had seen its heydey in the mid-nineteenth century, leading him to have gained the moniker of "the modern Pre-Raphaelite"...
, the pre-Raphaelite painter, and was the original owner of Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May
Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May (Waterhouse painting 1909)
Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May is an oil painting on canvas created in 1909 by British Pre-Raphaelite artist, John William Waterhouse. It was the second of two paintings inspired by the 17th century poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick which begins:Gather ye rosebuds while...
.
Early life
Henderson was born in EalingEaling
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
to George and Eliza Henderson, his elder brother was Alexander Henderson
Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon
Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon, CH , known as Sír Alexander Henderson, 1st Baronet, from 1902 to 1916, was a British financier and Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament.- Biography :...
the businessman and politician. He studied at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
and Victoria University
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester was a university in Manchester, England. On 1 October 2004 it merged with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to form a new entity, "The University of Manchester".-1851 - 1951:The University was founded in 1851 as Owens College,...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. He began his engineering career with Beyer, Peacock and Company
Beyer, Peacock and Company
Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway Locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Gorton, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer and Richard Peacock, it traded from 1854 until 1966...
, the locomotive manufacturer, and later worked for James Livesey and Son, a firm of consulting engineers, of which he would become a partner.
Professional career
Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
The Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...
, Central Argentine
Central Argentine Railway
The Central Argentine Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...
, Antofagasta
Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia
The Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia is a private railway operating in the northern provinces of Chile. It is notable in that it was one of the earliest railways built to the gauge of , with a route that climbed from sea level to over , while handling goods traffic totaling near 2 million tons...
and the Midland of Western Australia
Midland Railway of Western Australia
The Midland Railway of Western Australia was a privately built and operated railway in Western Australia, operated by the British-owned Midland Railway Company of Western Australia...
railways. Henderson was also responsible for the construction of new docks in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
.
His most famous project is the Dona Ana Bridge
Dona Ana Bridge
The Dona Ana Bridge spans the lower Zambezi River between the towns of Vila de Sena and Mutarara in Mozambique, effectively linking the two halves of the country...
over the Zambezi River in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
for the Beira Railroad Corporation
Beira Railroad Corporation
The Beira Railroad Corporation is a railway company formed by a lease from the Mozambique Ports and Railways to the Indian Rites and Ircon International consortium to operate a railroad that originates from the port of Beira, Mozambique as terminal...
, this bridge was built in 1935 and spanned a distance of 2.24 miles by 33 separate arches. This bridge was the longest railway bridge in the world for many years.
Military service
Henderson volunteered for a commission in the Royal EngineersRoyal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
at the start of the First World War and was made the deputy director-general of transportation in Belgium and France, being chiefly concerned with railway transport. During his war service he was mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
on four occasions and rose to the rank of Brigadier-General. His war work was recognised by his appointment as a companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1918, the next year he was promoted to knight of the same order and also made a companion of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
. In addition to this the French government appointed Henderson an officer of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, as well as the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
, and the Belgian Government appointed him a commander of the Order of the Crown
Order of the Crown (Belgium)
The Order of the Crown is an Order of Belgium which was created on 15 October 1897 by King Leopold II in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State. The order was first intended to recognize heroic deeds and distinguished service achieved from service in the Congo Free State - many of which acts...
.
Post-war work
After the war Henderson worked as an honorary consulting engineer to the Imperial War Graves Commission and served as High Sheriff of HertfordshireHigh Sheriff of Hertfordshire
The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years...
between 1924 and 1925. Henderson was elected the president of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
in 1928.
Personal life
John William Waterhouse
John William Waterhouse was an English painter known for working in the Pre-Raphaelite style. He worked several decades after the breakup of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which had seen its heydey in the mid-nineteenth century, leading him to have gained the moniker of "the modern Pre-Raphaelite"...
and owned several of his paintings. He was the original owner of Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May
Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May (Waterhouse painting 1909)
Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May is an oil painting on canvas created in 1909 by British Pre-Raphaelite artist, John William Waterhouse. It was the second of two paintings inspired by the 17th century poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick which begins:Gather ye rosebuds while...
, a 1909 painting by Waterhouse that was recently valued at CAD$4.8 million to $7.3 million.
He married Ella Jones in 1901 and fathered a daughter, Joan, and three sons, Gerald, Neil and Andrew. Neil, Andrew followed their father as partners in Livesey and Henderson, as did one of Alexander's sons Philip. Brodie died on 28 September 1936 of lung cancer and was cremated at Golders Green
Golders Green
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Although having some earlier history, it is essentially a 19th century suburban development situated about 5.3 miles north west of Charing Cross and centred on the crossroads of Golders Green Road and Finchley Road.In the...
before being interred in the family grave at Braughing
Braughing
Braughing is a village and civil parish, between the rivers Quin and Rib, in the non-metropolitan district of East Hertfordshire, part of the English county of Hertfordshire, England...
. A memorial service was held at St Michael's Church
St Michael, Cornhill
St Michael, Cornhill is a medieval parish church in the City of London with pre-Norman Conquest parochial foundation. The medieval structure was lost in the Great Fire of London and the current church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren between 1670-1677....
in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
.