Henry Cronin

Henry Francis Cronin
Born 1894
Died 1977
Nationality British
Work
Engineering discipline Civil,
Institution memberships Institution of Civil Engineers (president),

Henry Francis Cronin CBE, MC, BSc (Eng) (1894–1977) was a British civil engineer and army officer.[1]

Henry Francis Cronin was born in Ketton, Rutland in 1894 and was the holder of a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering.[2] Cronin served as a commissioned officer in the British Army during the First World War, being first appointed to the rank of Temporary Lieutenant in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.[3] He transferred in the same rank to the Royal Engineers on 19 May 1917.[3]

Whilst serving with the Royal Engineers Cronin won the Military Cross for gallantry in battle at an unknown location. He was ordered to follow behind an attacking infantry unit with a section of sappers and to assist with the construction of strongpoints to make the position more defendable.[4] Cronin reached the front with his men and immediately began the construction of field defences despite being under extremely heavy enemy fire from a flank. This fire eventually became so heavy that he halted works and assisted the infantry with the mopping up of enemy resistance. In the course of this Cronin assaulted enemy positions and captured several prisoners of war.[4] He then resumed construction of the defensive works. Cronin's actions were said, in his medal citation, to have "very greatly helped" the success of the attack.[4]

Cronin resumed his association with the military on 29 October 1943 when he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps, an unpaid Territorial Army unit which provided technical expertise to the British Army.[5] By this stage he was a professional member of both the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Cronin was promoted to Colonel in the corps on 6 September 1950, by which point he had also been appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.[6] Cronin retired from the corps on 25 February 1957, receiving permission to retain the use of his rank.[7] Cronin was elected president of the Institution of Civil Engineers in May 1952 for the November 1952 to November 1953 session.[1] He became a fellow of Imperial College London in 1954.[8] Cronin died in 1977.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Watson 1988, p. 253.
  2. ^ Masterton, Gordon (2005), ICE Presidential Address, http://www.ice.org.uk/downloads//presidents_address_2005(1).pdf, retrieved 2009-02-11 
  3. ^ a b London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30173. p. 6850. 6 July 1917. Retrieved 2009-3-13.
  4. ^ a b c London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30813. p. 8791. 23 July 1918. Retrieved 2009-3-13.
  5. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36353. p. 574. 28 January 1944. Retrieved 2009-3-13.
  6. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 39009. p. 4476. 5 September 1950. Retrieved 2009-3-13.
  7. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41010. p. 1281. 22 February 1957. Retrieved 2009-3-13.
  8. ^ Imperial College London, Fellows and Honorary Graduates of Imperial College, http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/aboutimperial/imperial_people/fellows, retrieved 2009-03-13 

Bibliography

Professional and academic associations
Preceded by
Allan Quartermaine		 President of the Institution of Civil Engineers
November 1952 – November 1953		 Succeeded by
Wilfred Philip Shepherd-Barron