Cecil Paget
Encyclopedia
Sir Cecil Walter Paget CMG
, DSO
(19 October 1874 – 9 December 1936), was a British locomotive engineer and railway administrator.
Cecil Paget was the son of Sir George Ernest Paget, Chairman of the Midland Railway
Company (MR) 1890-1911. He was born at Sutton Bonington
, educated at Harrow
and Pembroke College, Cambridge
, and then joined the MR as an engineering pupil of S. W. Johnson
, the company's Locomotive Superintendent. Paget rose quickly to become Works Manager at the main Derby Works
from 1904, under Johnson's successor R. M. Deeley
. He was also Deeley's deputy.
Interest in possible developments of the classic steam locomotive led Paget to design and build a 2-6-2 steam locomotive
with many novel features (8 single-acting cylinders, sleeve valves, etc.) at Derby. He financed this from his own pocket, and work began in 1906 while he was Works Manager.
April 1907 saw Paget appointed General Superintendent of the MR by the new General Manager Guy Granet
. The role, which would now be called Chief Operating Officer
, was expanded from that of the previous 'Superintendent of the Line' and put him in charge of the daily running of the locomotive department, which was formerly a responsibility of his erstwhile boss, Deeley. The appointment was also open to charges of nepotism against his father. This inevitably led to some friction. When Paget ran out of money for his experimental locomotive, it was completed by the MR at an additional cost of £1,500, but, without the close supervision of Paget, and probably because of the animosity of Deeley, there was inadequate testing and a lack of remedial work on the design. Work stopped in 1909 and the remains of the locomotive were scrapped in about 1915.
Paget's radical ideas were more successful in the sphere of traffic management and his introduction of train reporting, centralized traffic control and locomotive numbering by power type quickly reduced costs incurred by delays to trains. A point of agreement with Deeley was the need for larger locomotives to haul heavier trains, but this policy failed to get past the company's board because of the capital expenditure required (particularly on replacing weak under-bridges).
In 1906 Cecil Paget married Lady Alexandra Osborne, fourth daughter of the 9th Duke of Leeds
, and they restored a 17th-century hall at Kings Newton
, near Melbourne, just south of Derby, as their home. Cecil lived there until his death.
He served in France with the Railway Operating Division
in World War I
, commanding operations in France and Belgium and rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Engineers
. His military awards were the DSO
in 1916, the CMG
in 1918 and he was Mentioned in Despatches. The French awarded him Officier de la Légion d'honneur
and the Belgians their Officier de l'Ordre de la Couronne
.
After the war Paget didn't return to railway work. He succeeded to the baronetcy
in 1923, his elder brother George having been killed during the 1900 Transvaal
campaign in the second Boer War
. His wife obtained a divorce in 1925 and Paget subsequently married Florence, daughter of James Butt. He died in 1936, survived by his second wife, but without children, and was buried in the family plot at Marlepit Hill cemetery, Sutton Bonington.
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....
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(19 October 1874 – 9 December 1936), was a British locomotive engineer and railway administrator.
Cecil Paget was the son of Sir George Ernest Paget, Chairman of the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
Company (MR) 1890-1911. He was born at Sutton Bonington
Sutton Bonington
Sutton Bonington is a village and civil parish lying along the valley of the River Soar in the Borough of Rushcliffe, south west Nottinghamshire, England. The University of Nottingham has a site just to the north of the village: Sutton Bonington Campus....
, educated at Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
, and then joined the MR as an engineering pupil of S. W. Johnson
Samuel W. Johnson
Samuel Waite Johnson was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway from 1873 to 1903. He was born in Bramley, Yorkshire and educated at Leeds Grammar School.-Career:...
, the company's Locomotive Superintendent. Paget rose quickly to become Works Manager at the main Derby Works
Derby Works
The Midland Railway Locomotive Works, known locally as "the loco" comprised a number of British manufacturing facilities in Derby building locomotives and, initially, rolling stock in Derby, UK.-Early days:...
from 1904, under Johnson's successor R. M. Deeley
Richard Deeley
Richard Mountford Deeley was a British engineer, chiefly noted for his five years as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway....
. He was also Deeley's deputy.
Interest in possible developments of the classic steam locomotive led Paget to design and build a 2-6-2 steam locomotive
Midland Railway Paget locomotive
The Midland Railway's Paget locomotive, No. 2299, was an experimental steam locomotive constructed at its Derby Works in 1908 to the design of the General Superintendent Cecil Paget ....
with many novel features (8 single-acting cylinders, sleeve valves, etc.) at Derby. He financed this from his own pocket, and work began in 1906 while he was Works Manager.
April 1907 saw Paget appointed General Superintendent of the MR by the new General Manager Guy Granet
Guy Granet
Sir William Guy Granet, GBE trained as a barrister but became a noted railway administrator, first as general manager of the Midland Railway then as a director-general in the War Office.-Biography:...
. The role, which would now be called Chief Operating Officer
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
, was expanded from that of the previous 'Superintendent of the Line' and put him in charge of the daily running of the locomotive department, which was formerly a responsibility of his erstwhile boss, Deeley. The appointment was also open to charges of nepotism against his father. This inevitably led to some friction. When Paget ran out of money for his experimental locomotive, it was completed by the MR at an additional cost of £1,500, but, without the close supervision of Paget, and probably because of the animosity of Deeley, there was inadequate testing and a lack of remedial work on the design. Work stopped in 1909 and the remains of the locomotive were scrapped in about 1915.
Paget's radical ideas were more successful in the sphere of traffic management and his introduction of train reporting, centralized traffic control and locomotive numbering by power type quickly reduced costs incurred by delays to trains. A point of agreement with Deeley was the need for larger locomotives to haul heavier trains, but this policy failed to get past the company's board because of the capital expenditure required (particularly on replacing weak under-bridges).
In 1906 Cecil Paget married Lady Alexandra Osborne, fourth daughter of the 9th Duke of Leeds
George Osborne, 9th Duke of Leeds
George Godolphin Osborne, 9th Duke of Leeds was a British peer.Born in Paris in France, he was the son of the 8th Duke of Leeds and Harriet Emma Arundel Stewart. In 1872, he succeeded to his father's titles....
, and they restored a 17th-century hall at Kings Newton
Kings Newton
Kings Newton is a village in South Derbyshire. The Holy well was constructed around 1660, but has been refurbished at the end of the twentieth century.-History:...
, near Melbourne, just south of Derby, as their home. Cecil lived there until his death.
He served in France with the Railway Operating Division
Railway Operating Division
The Railway Operating Division was a division of the Royal Engineers formed in 1915 to operate railways in the many theatres of the First World War...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, commanding operations in France and Belgium and rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in 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....
. His military awards were the DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in 1916, the CMG
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 and he was Mentioned in Despatches. The French awarded him Officier de la 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...
and the Belgians their Officier de l'Ordre de la Couronne
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...
.
After the war Paget didn't return to railway work. He succeeded to the baronetcy
Paget Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Paget, all in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Two of the creations are extant as of 2010....
in 1923, his elder brother George having been killed during the 1900 Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
campaign in the second Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
. His wife obtained a divorce in 1925 and Paget subsequently married Florence, daughter of James Butt. He died in 1936, survived by his second wife, but without children, and was buried in the family plot at Marlepit Hill cemetery, Sutton Bonington.
External links
- Sutton Bonington Local History Society - much information on the Paget family