Lawrence Ennis

Lawrence Ennis CMG OBE

Life Ennis was born in West Calder, Scotland. His father was a builder from County Meath in Ireland. He was educated at Gavieside School, but due to his family's poor circumstances he left at the age of 12. His first job was to work as a drawer in a local shale pit. He emigrated with his family to Rochester in the United States at the age of 15. In 1905 he was made works manager.

Ennis was appointed OBE in 1918, in recognition of his conversion of the Dorman Long works into a munitions manufacturing site during World War One.

From 1924 to 1932 Ennis was resident in Australia to manage the construction of Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Upon his return to Britain in 1932, Ennis was appointed managing director of Dorman Long. Under his tenure the firm built a large steelworks at Warrenby, Redcar.

He died in 1938.

Publication

As joint author – in Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Vol. 238 – Session 1933-1934, Pt. 2. London: 1935. 2) Sydney Harbour Bridge: Manufacture of the Structural Steelwork and Erection of the Bridge, by R. Freeman and L. Ennis;