Roland Curling Bond (5 May 1903 – 20 December 1980) was a British locomotive engineer.

Biography

Bond was born in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

in 1903, and became interested in railways when staying in Yarmouth during the

Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was educated at

Tonbridge School Tonbridge School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school for boys aged 13–18) in Tonbridge, Kent, England, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde (sometimes spelt Judd). It is a member of the Eton Group and has clo ...

. Bond joined the Midland Railway in 1920, from 1923 part of the

London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with London and North Eastern Railway, LNER, Great Western Railway, GWR and Southern Railway (UK), SR. The London, Midland an ...

(LMS) until 1925. He was an apprentice under Henry Fowler. He then became assistant works manager at the

Vulcan Foundry The Vulcan Foundry Limited was an English locomotive builder sited at Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire (now Merseyside). History The Vulcan Foundry opened in 1832, as Charles Tayleur and Company to produce girders for bridges, switches, crossi ...

. In 1931 Bond returned to the LMS, becoming an "assistant works superintendent" at

Horwich Horwich ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire. It is southeast of Chorley, northwest of Bolton and northwest of Manchester. It ...

. In 1933, moved to assistant works superintendent at

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the parish had a population of 55,318 and the built-up area had a population of 74,120. ...

. On the outbreak of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1939, Bond was sent to Scotland as acting mechanical and electrical engineer, acting for

R.A. Riddles Robert Arthur "Robin" Riddles, CBE, MIMechE, MinstLE (23 May 1892 – 18 June 1983) was a British locomotive design engineer. Biography LNWR and LMS Riddles was born in 1892 in East Preston in Worthing, Sussex. His father was a contractors' man ...

. In 1941, he moved back to Crewe to become "works superintendent" and helped drive efficient locomotive and munitions work there. In 1948, on the formation of the

Railway Executive The British Railways Board (BRB) was a nationalised industry in the United Kingdom that operated from 1963 to 2001. Until 1997, it was responsible for most railway services in Great Britain, trading under the brand name British Railways and, fr ...

, Bond was appointed chief officer (Locomotive Construction and Maintenance), reporting to Riddles, who was now "Member of the Railway Executive for Mechanical and Electrical Engineering". On the abolition of the Railway Executive in 1953, Bond became chief mechanical engineer, BR Central Staff and later in 1965 general manager, BR Workshops. He was succeeded as Chief Mechanical Engineer in October 1958 by John Frederick (Freddie) Harrison. Bond retired in 1970 and died in 1980, aged 77.

References

External links

Roland Curling Bond
at steamindex.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Roland Curling 1903 births 1980 deaths People educated at Tonbridge School Engineers from Ipswich British mechanical engineers British Rail people

Biography

References

Further reading

External links