Clement Hindley

Sir Clement Daniel Maggs Hindley (19 December 1874 – 3 May 1944) was a British civil engineer. Hindley spent much of his life working in Bengal for the East Indian Railway Company eventually becoming their general manager. He also served as India's first Chief Commissioner of Railways bringing about the nationalisation of the East Indian and Great Indian Peninsular railways, the reorganisation of the Railway Department and establishing the Railway Staff College at Dehradun. His work for the railways was recognised with a knighthood and an appointment as Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire and as a Commander of the Order of Leopold by the Belgian government.

Hindley returned to Britain in 1928 becoming the first chairman of the Racecourse Betting Control Board, as well as a member of the Advisory Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the board of the National Physical Laboratory. He also served as chairman of the first research committee of the Institution of Civil Engineers and later as the institution's president. Hindley worked extensively with the Ministry of Works and the Air Raid Precautions service during the Second World War, particularly on civil defence and reconstruction matters.

Early life

Hindley was born in Dulwich, London to Charles Hugh Hindley, a carpet salesman and his wife Mary. Clement received an education from Dulwich College before studying mechanical sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1896. In 1897 he was appointed as assistant engineer to the East Indian Railway Company in Bengal where he met and married Anne Rait of Murshidabad with whom he would father three sons.

War work Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Hindley's position as president of the ICE made him useful to the war effort and he was employed as a works advisor to the London civil defence region committee and as chairman of the Air Raid Precautions committee to limit damage to structures and enginineering works for the Home Office. In 1940, he was appointed as chair of the committee to consider post war reconstruction for the Ministry of Works and Buildings.

Death He died in his 70th year at his home in Hampton, in the county of Middlesex on 3 May 1944.