Harry Pollitt (26 December 1865 – 23 January 1945) was an English railway engineer, who was Locomotive Engineer of the

Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grimsb ...

from 1894 to 1897 and its successor, the

Great Central Railway The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company was grouped into the ...

, from 1897 to 1900.

Biography

He was born on 26 December 1865 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. His father was Sir

William Pollitt Sir William Pollitt (24 February 1842 – 14 October 1908) was an English railway manager and civic dignitary. From 1886 to 1902, he served as general manager of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MSL&R), which was renamed Gre ...

, who became general manager of the

(MSLR) between 1866 and 1899. Harry Pollitt was appointed Locomotive Engineer of the MSLR from January 1894, replacing Thomas Parker, who resigned at the end of 1893. Pollitt had previously been Works Manager at the Gorton locomotive works of the MSLR, under Parker. In June 1894, his duties were expanded to cover the MSLR's fleet of ferries on the

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary betw ...

, and his job title was changed to Locomotive & Marine Engineer. On 1 August 1897, the MSLR was renamed the

(GCR). Pollitt personally saw off the first GCR passenger service from

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it m ...

on 15 March 1899. He resigned in June 1900, and married an Australian woman (Mabel Amanda Alves 1877-1944) the following year. He never worked again, his right to deploy the title Major (see his wife's will) in later life stems from his father's role in the 4th Battalion of The Manchester Regiment, a volunteer territorial regiment in which Harry never saw active service. He was succeeded as Locomotive and Marine Engineer by John G. Robinson.

Notes

References

* England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 * * *London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938 *

External links

LNER Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollitt, Harry 1865 births People from Ashton-under-Lyne English mechanical engineers Locomotive builders and designers English railway mechanical engineers Great Central Railway people 1945 deaths