Joseph Newell Reeson

Joseph Newell Reeson (1868–1953) was an Australian civil engineer who pioneered the use of welding for large steel structures.

Early life and education

Reeson was born in England on 2 June 1868 and attended Kensington Grammar School. He worked for the Gas Light and Coke Company at their Beckton works and at the same time continued his education at the City of London College. He was appointed to the roles of Engineer to the St Pancras works in 1903, and the Shoreditch works in 1905, and in 1906 he was appointed Resident Engineer of the Beckton works of the Gas Light and Coke Co. This was dismantled in 1978, and the site covered over, but buried remains may still be present. Reeson was also responsible for erecting constructional workshops, which made the company self-contained in manufacture and maintenance. Member of the Institution of Gas Engineers, and one of the founders and chairman of the directors of the Allied Societies Trust, a role he held until a year or two before his death. In 1926, he was awarded a Telford Premium medal for his Paper on “ The Influence of Electric Welding in the Design and Fabrication of Plant and Structures.” He was also one of the first recipients of the Kernot Memorial Medal awarded in 1929 by the University of Melbourne for his research into electric welding.

He died at Melbourne, Australia on 15 July 1953 leaving an estate valued at £33,103 to a daughter-in-law and granddaughter.