George Matthew McNaughton
Encyclopedia
Sir George Matthew McNaughton CB (31 January 1893 – 31 August 1966) was a British
civil engineer
who specialised in hydraulic engineering
. McNaughton was born in Dundee
and received a degree in engineering from the University of St Andrews
. He interrupted his studies to become an officer in the British Army
during the First World War before he was forced to retire due to ill health. After the war he completed his degree and joined an engineering firm where his work included the Silent Valley Reservoir
in Northern Ireland
. In 1929 he entered government service at the Ministry of Health
and eventually became the ministry's Chief Engineer. His work was recognised by an appointment as a Companion of the Order of the Bath and a knighthood
. He retired in 1960 and served as President of the Institution of Civil Engineers
for 1961-2.
, Scotland
on 31 January 1893. He was educated at Morgan Academy
in Dundee before spending four years training under the supervision of J. Hannay Thompson, General Manager and Engineer of the Dundee Harbour Trust. McNaughton began a Bachelor of Science
degree in engineering at the University of St Andrews
but his course was interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War and he left in 1914 to enlist in the 2/2 Highland Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery
. He held the substantive rank of Second Lieutenant
but was promoted to Temporary Captain
. He relinquished his commission on 23 February 1916 as a result of ill health. McNaughton returned to St Andrews and received his degree later that year.
Upon graduation McNaughton joined the contracting department of S Pearson & Son, working with Sir Ernest Moir and in 1918 was temporarily assigned to Sir Ernest's staff at the Ministry of Munitions and became an associate member of the Institution of Civil Engineers
(ICE). He remained at the firm until 1929, working as an agent and engineer tendering for and designing reservoirs, harbours, tunnels and sewers including the £1 million Silent Valley Reservoir
in Northern Ireland
.
. McNaughton worked under the Chief Engineering Inspector, Sir Roger Gaskell Hetherington
, and was responsible for conducting public enquiries for into water supplies, sewerage schemes, buildings, sea defences, river improvements and the use of Compulsory Purchase Order
s. He was also involved in grant schemes to deprived areas, rural water supplies and air raid protection of essential engineering services. In 1938 he became a full member of the ICE and was also a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
.
On 31 August 1938 McNaughton transferred to the position of Chief Engineer to the Department of Health in Scotland and became Chief Engineer to the entire Ministry of Health in 1944. In 1948 he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath. McNaughton transferred to the new Ministry of Health after reforms in 1951, remaining its Chief Engineer, and at the same time worked for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government
. In the 1956 New Year Honours
McNaughton's knighthood
was announced and it was conferred on him by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
at Buckingham Palace
on 7 February 1956.
. As a result of this McNaughton was elected an honorary member of British Waterworks Association in 1960. He retired from government service in 1960 to work as a director of the South-West Suburban Water Company, Chairman of the East Surrey Water Company and a consultant for WV Vinn & Associates. McNaughton had been elected Vice President of the ICE in 1956 and sat on several of their committees, being particularly keen to improve the status of engineers in society. He served as President of the institution for the November 1961 to November 1962 session. McNaughton was recognised world-wide for his specialism in water and in 1962 presented a paper to the UN's World Health Organisation on the financial and economic aspects of water pollution prevention. He died on 31 August 1966. The National Portrait Gallery in London
holds two portraits of McNaughton in their archives.
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...
who specialised in hydraulic engineering
Hydraulic engineering
This article is about civil engineering. For the mechanical engineering discipline see Hydraulic machineryHydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive...
. McNaughton was born in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
and received a degree in engineering from the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
. He interrupted his studies to become an officer in 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...
during the First World War before he was forced to retire due to ill health. After the war he completed his degree and joined an engineering firm where his work included the Silent Valley Reservoir
Silent Valley Reservoir
The Silent Valley Reservoir is a reservoir located in the Mourne Mountains near Kilkeel, County Down in Northern Ireland. It supplies most of the water for County Down, surrounding counties and most of Belfast. It is owned and maintained by Northern Ireland Water Limited...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. In 1929 he entered government service at the Ministry of Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
and eventually became the ministry's Chief Engineer. His work was recognised by an appointment as a Companion of the Order of the Bath and a knighthood
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
. He retired in 1960 and served 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...
for 1961-2.
Early life
McNaughton was born in DundeeDundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on 31 January 1893. He was educated at Morgan Academy
Morgan Academy
-History:It was designed in 1862 by the Edinburgh architects John Dick Peddie and Charles Kinnear, opening in 1868 as the Morgan Hospital, a charitable institution providing accommodation and education for "sons of tradesmen and persons of the working class generally whose parents stand in the need...
in Dundee before spending four years training under the supervision of J. Hannay Thompson, General Manager and Engineer of the Dundee Harbour Trust. McNaughton began a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in engineering at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
but his course was interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War and he left in 1914 to enlist in the 2/2 Highland Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
. He held the substantive rank of Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
but was promoted to Temporary Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
. He relinquished his commission on 23 February 1916 as a result of ill health. McNaughton returned to St Andrews and received his degree later that year.
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...
(ICE). He remained at the firm until 1929, working as an agent and engineer tendering for and designing reservoirs, harbours, tunnels and sewers including the £1 million Silent Valley Reservoir
Silent Valley Reservoir
The Silent Valley Reservoir is a reservoir located in the Mourne Mountains near Kilkeel, County Down in Northern Ireland. It supplies most of the water for County Down, surrounding counties and most of Belfast. It is owned and maintained by Northern Ireland Water Limited...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Civil service
He entered government service in 1929, being appointed an Engineering Inspector for the Ministry of HealthDepartment of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
. McNaughton worked under the Chief Engineering Inspector, Sir Roger Gaskell Hetherington
Roger Gaskell Hetherington
Sir Roger Gaskell Hetherington CB, OBE was a British civil engineer and civil servant.-Life:Roger Gaskell Hetherington was born in Sherborne, Dorset on the 10th February 1876, the eldest son of William Lonsdale Hetherington and his wife Mary Gaskell, daughter of John Dakin Gaskell, a barrister of...
, and was responsible for conducting public enquiries for into water supplies, sewerage schemes, buildings, sea defences, river improvements and the use of Compulsory Purchase Order
Compulsory purchase order
A compulsory purchase order is a legal function in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland that allows certain bodies which need to obtain land or property to do so without the consent of the owner. It may be enforced if a proposed development is considered one for public betterment - for...
s. He was also involved in grant schemes to deprived areas, rural water supplies and air raid protection of essential engineering services. In 1938 he became a full member of the ICE and was also a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is the British engineering society based in central London, representing mechanical engineering. It is licensed by the Engineering Council UK to assess candidates for inclusion on ECUK's Register of professional Engineers...
.
On 31 August 1938 McNaughton transferred to the position of Chief Engineer to the Department of Health in Scotland and became Chief Engineer to the entire Ministry of Health in 1944. In 1948 he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath. McNaughton transferred to the new Ministry of Health after reforms in 1951, remaining its Chief Engineer, and at the same time worked for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government
Ministry of Housing and Local Government
The Ministry of Housing and Local Government was a United Kingdom government department formed after the Second World War, covering the areas of housing and local government....
. In the 1956 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
McNaughton's knighthood
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
was announced and it was conferred on him by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
on 7 February 1956.
Other work
McNaughton was associated closely with the Water Research Association from the start of its life, serving as a council member and their chairman, and helped to establish their research station at MedmenhamMedmenham
Medmenham is a village and civil parish in the Wycombe district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is on the River Thames, about three and a half miles southwest of Marlow and three miles east of Henley-on-Thames....
. As a result of this McNaughton was elected an honorary member of British Waterworks Association in 1960. He retired from government service in 1960 to work as a director of the South-West Suburban Water Company, Chairman of the East Surrey Water Company and a consultant for WV Vinn & Associates. McNaughton had been elected Vice President of the ICE in 1956 and sat on several of their committees, being particularly keen to improve the status of engineers in society. He served as President of the institution for the November 1961 to November 1962 session. McNaughton was recognised world-wide for his specialism in water and in 1962 presented a paper to the UN's World Health Organisation on the financial and economic aspects of water pollution prevention. He died on 31 August 1966. The National Portrait Gallery in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
holds two portraits of McNaughton in their archives.