Holt Samuel Hallett

Holt Samuel Hallett (1841 – 11 November 1911) was a British pioneer railway engineer in Burma.

Early life and education Holt Samuel Hallett, born in 1841, was the son of Perham Hallett of Lincoln’s Inn, and was educated at Charterhouse and Kensington School. He was articled to William Baker, Chief Engineer to the London and North Western Railways.

Career After completing his training, Hallett assisted in the construction of railways in Lancashire and Cheshire.

In 1868, he entered the India Public Works Department and was posted to Burma where he worked on the construction of the rail line from Rangoon to Prome. The province’s oldest line, it was 161 miles in length and was completed in 1877.

After the rejection of his railway extension proposal, Hallett worked as a publicist, contributing to journals and reviews on economic and financial matters connected with the British Empire in the East. Such publications included: “Development of Our Eastern Markets”; "Indian Taxation, Ancient and Modern" “The Extension of Indian Railways”, and “India and her Neighbours”. He took up the cause of factory workers in India, who were mostly unprotected, which contributed to the introduction of legislation restricting working hours, and also supported opposition in Britain to import duties imposed on cotton goods brought into India.

Hallett died in London on 11 November 1911.