Briefing: British civil engineering biography – 10 years on

Abstract

Biography illuminates the lives of past generations of engineers and puts their engineering achievements in human context. It joins the dots between the design and construction of works by individuals and teams. Recognising that the civil engineering profession lacked a reference source on the lives and achievements of previous generations, the Institution of Civil Engineers’ Archives Panel established an editorial board under the initial chairmanship of Professor Sir Alec Skempton to create a biographical dictionary in 1995. Work on the project resulted in three published volumes, the last of which appeared in 2014. This paper reflects on what has happened in the world of civil engineering biography in the following decade and what more can be done to ensure the lives and achievements of civil engineers can be adequately recorded for posterity.