Walker, Ronald William, 1893–1984, civil engineer

Ronald William Walker (1893-1984), qualified for the Royal Technical College’s Associateship in Civil Engineering in 1913, shortly before the outbreak of war. Walker entered the theatre of war in France on 2 December 1917 as a Sapper with the Royal Engineers, rising to the rank of Second Lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery. He subsequently served in, and survived, the Second World War as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Engineers.

On his return from France, Walker forged a successful career in the field of civil engineering, his College training allowing him to make a practical contribution to the country’s post-war recovery. An Associate Member of the Institute of Civil Engineers and a Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers, he worked both in Scotland and England, holding a variety of posts (Assistant Civil Engineer with the firm of Formans and McCall, Glasgow; Resident Engineer with Surrey County Council, and Civilian Engineer with the War Office in London, amongst others). Walker also retained strong links with his alma mater. He was elected a Member of the Council of the Royal College of Science and Technology (RCST) - the successor body to the Royal Technical College - in session 1963-64. Following the RCST’s amalgamation with the Scottish College of Commerce to form the University of Strathclyde, Walker became a Member of the University Court until 1967. By virtue of the fact that he had been a serving Member of the Council of the RCST when the Royal Charter came into effect, Walker was also appointed a Life Member of the General Convocation of the University of Strathclyde.

ISAAR(CPF): International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families, International Council on Archives (2nd edition, 2003); Rules for the construction of personal, place and corporate names, National Council on Archives (1997).

Created by R. Jones October 2020.

Blog-post: https://stratharchives.tumblr.com/post/90339933221/week-25-photograph-of-ronald-w-walker-artc