Harold Williams

Lieutenant-General Sir Harold Williams (1 June 1897 – 17 October 1971) was an Irish-born British Army officer, engineer and mountaineer.

Early life Williams was born in County Cork and pursued his education at Mountjoy School, followed by tertiary studies at Trinity College, Dublin

Military career He attended the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and commissioned into the Royal Engineers on 28 September 1917. He was posted to India, where he joined the 51st (Field) Company, Bengal Sappers and Miners. He served with the unit as part of the Aden Field Force, after which he spent three years in Roorkee, first as Company Officer and finally as Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster, Bengal Sappers and Miners. He then took a supplementary engineering course at Cambridge University before returning to India in 1927. In 1933, he became an instructor at the Rashtriya Indian Military College and three years later, he became a Senior Instructor at Thomason Civil Engineering College (later the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee), where he continued until 1938.

Indian Army Following the Partition of India, Williams was retained by the Indian Army as Engineer-in-Chief to aid in the establishment of India's independent armed forces. During this period, he led an Indian Engineer Himalayan expedition up Mount Kamet in June 1952. He retired from the role in 1956 with the rank of lieutenant-general in the Indian Army and major-general in the British Army, and was made a KBE. From 1951 to 1958, he was Colonel Commandant, Indian Engineers.

Civil engineering work

From 1962 to 1965, Williams was Engineering Adviser to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. Williams was President for a time of the Institution of Engineers (India), a founder member and President of the Indian Institute of Surveying & Mapping, and also President of the Institution of Military Engineers, India.

Other work Williams was a keen ornithologist and wrote a book on birdwatching in India. He was a founder-member of the Federation for the Welfare of Mentally Retarded Children in India. Williams joined the Alpine Club in 1953 and participated in several minor Himalayan expeditions, including Trisul and Bandarpunch. He was President of the Himalayan Club from 1960 to 1963. He also became the charter president of the Rotary club Roorkee in 1959.