Robert Elliott-Cooper
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Elliott-Cooper KCB (29 January 1845–1942) was a British
civil engineer
.
Elliott-Cooper was born in Leeds
in 1845. On 27 September 1870 he was commissioned into the 1st Yorkshire (West Riding) Artillery Volunteer Corps
as a First Lieutenant
, a rank replaced by that of Lieutenant
during British Army
standardisation in 1871. The 1st Yorkshire (West Riding) Artillery Volunteer Corps was a Volunteer Force
coastal artillery
unit formed at Leeds
in 1860 and armed with 32 pounder guns. Elliott-Cooper was promoted to Captain
on 5 June 1875 and Major on 16 April 1879. He resigned his commission as a Major on 27 February 1886 and was permitted to retain his rank and continue to wear the uniform. On 30 May 1874 Elliott-Cooper applied for a patent for "improvements in apparatus for locking railway signals and switches, and for locking railway signals and gates at level crossings", this patent was granted provisional protection on 26 June 1874.
Elliott-Cooper was appointed a tax commissioner for the City of Westminster
and its liberties
on 9 August 1899. He returned to the army by serving in the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps, an unpaid volunteer unit which provides technical expertise to the British Army
. He was commissioned into this corps as a Lieutenant-Colonel on 6 January 1900 He was awarded the Volunteer Officers' Decoration on 15 November 1904 in recognition of his twenty years service as a volunteer officer. Elliott-Cooper continued in the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps as a Lieutenant-Colonel after that corps' transferral from the Volunteer Force to the newly formed Territorial Force
on 1 April 1908. He was made Commandant of the corps on 27 July 1912 and promoted to the honorary rank of Colonel. He resigned his commission with the corps on 21 March 1914 and was again permitted to retain his rank and wear the uniform.
Elliott-Cooper became the Crown Agent Engineer for the construction of railways by the government in British West Africa
on the death of Benjamin Baker
in 1907. He was elected president of the Institution of Civil Engineers
for the November 1912 to November 1913 session. He served as chairman of the War Office
Committee of Hutted Camps during the First World War, a service for which he was rewarded with an appointment as Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 1 January 1919. Elliott-Cooper was a member of the British Standards
committee which established standards for the use of Portland Cement
in 1919. He was also elected president of the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers
in 1923. In marking his 85th birthday in 1930 the journal Nature
noted that he was "among the oldest of English engineers". He drew up the plans for the widening of Knowle Locks on the Warwick and Birmingham Canal in the 1930s. Elliott-Cooper at one point lived at 44 Princes Gate in Knightsbridge
. He died in 1942.
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...
.
Elliott-Cooper was born in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
in 1845. On 27 September 1870 he was commissioned into the 1st Yorkshire (West Riding) Artillery Volunteer Corps
West Riding Artillery
In 1860, as the British government feared invasion from the continent, the Secretary at War recommended the formation of Volunteer Artillery Corps to bolster Britain's coastal defences. The 1st Yorkshire Artillery Volunteer Corps were raised at Leeds on 2 August and the 2nd Yorkshire Artillery...
as a First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
, a rank replaced by that of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
during 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...
standardisation in 1871. The 1st Yorkshire (West Riding) Artillery Volunteer Corps was a Volunteer Force
Volunteer Force (Great Britain)
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...
coastal artillery
Coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications....
unit formed at Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
in 1860 and armed with 32 pounder guns. Elliott-Cooper was promoted to 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...
on 5 June 1875 and Major on 16 April 1879. He resigned his commission as a Major on 27 February 1886 and was permitted to retain his rank and continue to wear the uniform. On 30 May 1874 Elliott-Cooper applied for a patent for "improvements in apparatus for locking railway signals and switches, and for locking railway signals and gates at level crossings", this patent was granted provisional protection on 26 June 1874.
Elliott-Cooper was appointed a tax commissioner for the City of Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
and its liberties
Liberty of Westminster
The City and Liberty of Westminster was an independent liberty, located to the west of the City of London in the county of Middlesex, England....
on 9 August 1899. He returned to the army by serving in the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps, an unpaid volunteer unit which provides technical expertise to 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...
. He was commissioned into this corps as a Lieutenant-Colonel on 6 January 1900 He was awarded the Volunteer Officers' Decoration on 15 November 1904 in recognition of his twenty years service as a volunteer officer. Elliott-Cooper continued in the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps as a Lieutenant-Colonel after that corps' transferral from the Volunteer Force to the newly formed Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
on 1 April 1908. He was made Commandant of the corps on 27 July 1912 and promoted to the honorary rank of Colonel. He resigned his commission with the corps on 21 March 1914 and was again permitted to retain his rank and wear the uniform.
Elliott-Cooper became the Crown Agent Engineer for the construction of railways by the government in British West Africa
British West Africa
British West Africa was the collective name for British colonies in West Africa during the colonial period, either in the general geographical sense or more specifically those comprised in a formal colonial administrative entity...
on the death of Benjamin Baker
Benjamin Baker
Sir Benjamin Baker KCB KCMG FRS FRSE was an eminent English civil engineer who worked in mid to late Victorian era. He helped develop the early underground railways in London with Sir John Fowler, but he is best known for his work on the Forth Bridge...
in 1907. He was elected 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 the November 1912 to November 1913 session. He served as chairman of the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
Committee of Hutted Camps during the First World War, a service for which he was rewarded with an appointment as Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 1 January 1919. Elliott-Cooper was a member of the British Standards
British Standards
British Standards are the standards produced by BSI Group which is incorporated under a Royal Charter...
committee which established standards for the use of Portland Cement
Portland cement
Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world because it is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco and most non-specialty grout...
in 1919. He was also elected president of the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers
Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers
The Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers was founded in 1771, and was originally known as the Society of Civil Engineers, being renamed following its founder's death...
in 1923. In marking his 85th birthday in 1930 the journal Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
noted that he was "among the oldest of English engineers". He drew up the plans for the widening of Knowle Locks on the Warwick and Birmingham Canal in the 1930s. Elliott-Cooper at one point lived at 44 Princes Gate in Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
. He died in 1942.