Charles Langbridge Morgan (engineer)
Encyclopedia
Sir Charles Langbridge Morgan CBE
(1855 – 9 November 1940) was a British
civil engineer
.
Morgan was born in 1855 in Worcester
, England
. He married Mary Watkins in Australia
to which her parents had emigrated. Their son, also called Charles Langbridge Morgan
, was a playwright and novelist. During the First World War he served in the British Army
's Royal Engineers
as a Lieutenant-Colonel. Morgan's son also served in the war, as an officer of the Royal Navy
. During the war the elder Morgan undertook "special engineering duties" for the War Office
in Italy
and France
. On 6 April 1917 he was appointed Deputy Director of Railways and also served as Commissioner of the Newhaven
and Seaford
Sea Defences in East Sussex
. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
in 1918.
After the war Morgan served as a member of the Disposals Board, a government body formed to dispose of surplus war material, a body he was still a member of (with the rank of Colonel) on 29 December 1922 when it was announced that he would received a knighthood in the New Year's Honours. The knighthood was conferred by King George V
at Buckingham Palace
on 15 February 1923. From November 1923 to November 1924 Morgan served as president of the Institution of Civil Engineers
, an organisation he had joined as an Associate Member on 9 January 1883. He was also a member of the Territorial Army Engineer and Railway Staff Corps, an unpaid volunteer unit which provides technical expertise to the British Army. He resigned his commission as Lieutenant-Colonel in this corps on 18 February 1925, he had permission to retain his rank and to continue to wear the uniform. He died on 9 November 1940.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(1855 – 9 November 1940) was a 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...
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...
.
Morgan was born in 1855 in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He married Mary Watkins in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to which her parents had emigrated. Their son, also called Charles Langbridge Morgan
Charles Langbridge Morgan
Charles Langbridge Morgan , was an English-born playwright and novelist of English and Welsh parentage. The main themes of his work were, as he himself put it, "Art, Love, and Death", and the relation between them...
, was a playwright and novelist. During the First World War he served 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...
's 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....
as a Lieutenant-Colonel. Morgan's son also served in the war, as an officer of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. During the war the elder Morgan undertook "special engineering duties" for 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...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and France
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...
. On 6 April 1917 he was appointed Deputy Director of Railways and also served as Commissioner of the Newhaven
Newhaven, East Sussex
Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...
and Seaford
Seaford, East Sussex
Seaford is a coastal town in the county of East Sussex, on the south coast of England. Lying east of Newhaven and Brighton and west of Eastbourne, it is the largest town in Lewes district, with a population of about 23,000....
Sea Defences in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1918.
After the war Morgan served as a member of the Disposals Board, a government body formed to dispose of surplus war material, a body he was still a member of (with the rank of Colonel) on 29 December 1922 when it was announced that he would received a knighthood in the New Year's Honours. The knighthood was conferred by King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
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 15 February 1923. From November 1923 to November 1924 Morgan 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...
, an organisation he had joined as an Associate Member on 9 January 1883. He was also a member of the Territorial Army Engineer and Railway Staff Corps, an unpaid volunteer unit which provides technical expertise to the British Army. He resigned his commission as Lieutenant-Colonel in this corps on 18 February 1925, he had permission to retain his rank and to continue to wear the uniform. He died on 9 November 1940.