William Binnie

William James Eames Binnie (10 October 1867 – 4 October 1949) was a British civil engineer. William was the son of Alexander Binnie, the famed civil engineer and William would enter the same career (as, in due course, would his own eldest son). He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge before completing an apprenticeship with his father's firm. His primary area of work was in hydraulic engineering and he completed works in Britain, Egypt, Nigeria, Singapore, Hong Kong and Burma on reservoirs, dams and hydroelectric power generation.

Binnie was involved in many professional associations and served as president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Sanitary Engineers and the Institution of Water Engineers. Binnie was recognised for his work as an engineer by the French government who made him a chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1948.

Early life

William was born in Derry, Ireland and was the eldest son of Alexander Binnie, the famous civil engineer. He was educated at Bradford Grammar School followed by Rugby School, of which he said "a worse school for a boy who ultimately hoped to follow in his father's footsteps as a civil engineer could hardly have been chosen". He received a degree in the natural sciences tripos from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1888 before spending a year studying Chemistry and Civil Engineering at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany.

Apprenticeship

Binnie was apprenticed to his father, who was then working as a waterworks engineer in Bradford, and also worked on the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway and as an assistant engineer on the Elan Valley Reservoirs. In 1896 he worked with Sir Benjamin Baker on a section of the underground Central London Railway between Shepherd's Bush and Marble Arch as a designer and resident engineer. He worked on docks in Alexandria, Egypt from 1900 to 1902. Binnie was also elected as president of the Institution of Sanitary Engineers in 1917 and of the Institution of Water Engineers in 1921. He served as chairman of the British sub-committee of the International Committee on Large Dams from 1933 to 1946. Binnie was also made an honorary member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and of the New England Waterworks Association. He was rewarded for his contributions to engineer by the French government by being made a chevalier (knight) of the Legion of Honour in 1948, yet was not honoured in any way by the British government. was born on 13 November 1901 and would become a partner in his father's engineering practice. The elder Binnie retired to Tilehurst, Berkshire, where he died on 4 October 1949, his wife having predeceased him by two years. and was resurrected as a brand following acquisition by RSK Group in December 2020.