Upton, Thomas Haynes (1889 - 1956)

Summary

Thomas Upton, OBE MSc MCE DEng MInstCE MIEAust, civil engineer and public servant was a pioneer in concrete road and bridge technology in Australia. In 1925 he was appointed the foundation Engineering Member, of the Main Roads Board, New South Wales and Assistant Commissioner in 1932. From 1935 to 1955 he was President / Chairman of the reconstituted Metropolitan, Water Sewerage and Drainage Board, Sydney, managing the water supply systems during an eight year drought and the Second World War.

His distinguished engineering service and career was recognised when he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1919; awarded the Kernot Memorial Medal in 1947; the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal in 1949; and a Doctor of Engineering, honoris causa, University of Western Australia in 1949.

Details

Associated Major Works:
* Barwon River Road Bridge 1922;
* Genoa River Road Bridge 1924;
* Reconstruction of the Pacific Highway 1925 - 1932;
* Captain Cook Graving Dock 1941 - 1945;
* Other major defence projects 1941 - 1945;
* Warragamba Dam.

Chronology

1910

Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc Hons), University of Melbourne

1910

Award - Dixson Scholarship in Science, University of Melbourne

1911

Career position - Assistant to Professor of Engineering, University of Melbourne [Henry Payne MInstCE]

1912

Education - Master of Science (MSc), University of Melbourne

1912

Education - Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE Hons), University of Melbourne

1912

Award - Stawell Research Scholarship in Civil Engineering, University of Melbourne

1912 - 1913

Career position - Assistant engineer, to John Monash MInstCE [design and construction of all reinforced structures - bridges, tanks, buildings, silos, retaining walls, etc]

1913

Life event - Moved to London, to gain engineering experience

1913 - 1914

Career position - Assistant engineer, to Bertram L Hurst MInstCE [structural design of reinforced concrete buildings, steel buildings, railway bridges for Great Western railway]

1914 -

Career position - Engineer, Country Roads Board, Victoria [Appointed, commissioned by William Calder MInstCE, to investigate in England and America latest methods of road and bridge construction and testing of road materials. Unable to complete task until after the War]

1914 - 1919

Military service - First World War. Sapper, rising to Captain, Royal Engineers [MID

1917

Career event - Associate Member (AssocMInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London

c. 1918 - c. 1919

Military service - First World War. Chief Instructor, Bridging School, Royal Engineers

1919

Life event - Returned to Australia, via USA to complete his assignment on studying road and bridge construction

1919

Education - Master of Civil Engineering (MCE), University of Melbourne

1919

Career event - Foundation Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1919

Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) - for services rendered in connection with bridge building in France

1919 - 1922

Career position - Designing Engineer, Country Roads Board, Victoria

1922

Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1922 - 1925

Career position - Senior Lecturer, Civil Engineering, University of Melbourne

1925 - 1935

Career position - Member / Assistant Commissioner, Main Roads Board, New South Wales

1926

Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London

1935 - 1955

Career position - President / Chairman, Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board, Sydney

1939 - 1954

Career position - Councillor, Institution of Engineers Australia

1940s

Career position - Representative of the Institution of Engineers Australia, Council of the Standards Association of Australia

1946

Career event - Australian delegate, representing the Institution of Engineers Australia, at the First British Commonwealth Engineering Conference, London [with W R Hebblewhite]

1946

Career position - President, Institution of Engineers Australia

c. 1947 -

Career position - Vice-President, NSW Group, Institute of Public Administration

c. 1947 -

Career position - Member, NSW Advisory Committee, Institution of Civil Engineers, London

1947

Award - Kernot Memorial Medal, for distinguished engineering achievement in Australia. Faculty of Engineering, University of Melbourne

1947 - 1956

Career position - Chairman of the Council, Standards Association of Australia

1949

Award - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - Career Achievement Award in Engineering. Institution of Engineers Australia

1949

Award - Doctor of Engineering (DEng), honoris causa, University of Western Australia

1951

Career position - Member of Council, Institution of Civil Engineers, London

1955

Life event - Retired

Related entries

Published resources

Book Sections

• Lawrence, T. F. C., 'Upton, Thomas Haynes (1889 - 1956), civil engineer and public servant' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 16: 1940 - 1980 Pik-Z, John Ritchie and Diane Langmore, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2002), pp. 431-432, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/upton-thomas-haynes-11902. Details

Journal Articles

• 'Kernot Memorial Medal - 1947 Award', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 20 (1948), 71. Details
• 'Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal: 1949 Award [Dr. T. H. Upton, OBE MSc DEng MIEAust]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 21 (1949), 183. Details
• 'Obituary: Dr. Thomas Haynes Upton', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 28 (1956), 298 - 299. Details
• Upton, T. H., 'The establishment of direct road communication between Sydney and Newcastle', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 4 (1932), 159 - , Discussion pp.204, 234, 427. Details
• Upton, T. H., 'Qualifying as an Associate Member. Advice to the young engineer', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 16 (1944), 31 -. Details
• Upton, T. H., 'Presidential address', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 19 (1947), 25 -. Details
• Upton, T. H., 'A survey of water conservation and supply in Australia', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 21 (1949), 35 -. Details

Resources

• 'Obituary: Thomas Haynes Upton, OBE, 1889-1956', Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Civil Engineers, https://doi.org/10.1680/iicep.1957.2530. Details
• Institution of Civil Engineers, London, 'Application: 15366, 1917', Civil Engineer Membership Forms, 1818-1930, ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/3585/. Details

See also

• Henry, F. J. J., The water supply and sewerage of Sydney (Sydney: Halstead Press, 1939), 224 pp. Foreward by T. H. Upton. Details