Sir Arthur Ernest Hawkins (10 June 1913 – 13 January 1999) was an English mechanical and electrical engineer. Born in Lympley Stoke,

Bath, Somerset Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...

and educated at the

Great Yarmouth High School Great Yarmouth Charter Academy is a coeducational comprehensive school on Salisbury Road in the town of Great Yarmouth in the English county of Norfolk. It educates about 920 eleven- to nineteen-year-old pupils, the age of entry having decrease ...

. He joined the

CEGB The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was responsible for electricity generation, transmission and bulk sales in England and Wales from 1958 until privatisation of the electricity industry in the 1990s. It was established on 1 Janua ...

and was heavily involved in the 275 kV and 400 kV

Supergrid In lossless power transmission, a supergrid with hydrogen is an idea for combining very long distance electric power transmission with liquid hydrogen distribution, to achieve superconductivity in the cables. The hydrogen is both a distributed fuel ...

in the department of the Transmission Project Group. He married Laura Judith Tallent Draper in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

1939. At the inception of the first 2000 MW power station West Burton in 1969 Arthur was then in charge of the

Midlands Region based in Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands. He was made

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

in 1972 preceded by Sir Stanley Brown and proceeded by

Glyn England Glyn England (1921-2013) was a British electrical engineer. Early life He attended Penarth County Grammar School (now Stanwell School), then Queen Mary College in London. Career Prior to World War II, he was scientific assistant with the Ro ...

in 1977. In June 1976 he was knighted as

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

. After retirement he served as a director with the Community of

St Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Apostles in the New Testament, Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Chu ...

Trust at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

, London. He was survived by his son Andrew Hawkins and daughter Ruth Hawkins. Lady Hawkins died in 2020 at the age of 104. After privatisation of the industry in 1991 commentators made the link to the lack of British energy policy to the days of the

'Oh for the glory days of Sir Arthur Hawkins and the

Central Electricity Generating Board The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was responsible for electricity generation, transmission and bulk sales in England and Wales from 1958 until privatisation of the electricity industry in the 1990s. It was established on 1 Januar ...

. I never thought I'd say that about an organisation that seemed, at the time, to embody the very worst aspects of post-war corporatism and central government planning. But compared with the abject chaos into which British energy policy has descended since privatisation, the absolute rule of the

seems a paragon of virtue.'

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Sir Arthur 1913 births 1999 deaths English electrical engineers Knights Bachelor Officers of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the University of Surrey