Page 20 - The Constructor 2017

The Company

Aeternum Vale

We lost several of our long-standing members over the last year and will miss their fellowship,
wise counsel and presence in the future. We remember them and our thoughts are with their
friends and families.
Liveryman Peter William Tomsett Eur Ing CEng MICE FIHT died on 14 November 2016 at the
age of 76, after a very courageous and dignified battle with cancer. He was admitted to the
Company in December 2000 and was granted Livery in February 2009.
Freeman Martin Watson MSt(Cantab) BA(Hons) Dip Arch ARB RIBA died unexpectedly on 16
January 2017 following surgery. He was admitted to the Company in October 2012.
Liveryman Emeritus Gerard McPeake died on 8 February 2017 at the age of 91. He was
admitted to the Company in March 1997 and was granted Livery in May 2004.
Liveryman Henry Stephenson (our Company Illustrator) died on 16 February 2017 at the age
of 88, less than a year after his wife Lilian, who was also a Liveryman of the Company. He was
admitted to the Company in September 1976 and was granted Livery in December 1998.

A little piece of History

Captain R G (Ron) Taylor
In the report of our formal functions we mentioned that we were pleased to welcome the sons of
one of our Past Master’s, R G Taylor Esq, who had had a fascinating involvement with SOE during
WWII and is pictured below both as he was in 1944/5 and as our Master in 1985/86. His exploits as
part of SOE during World War II were recently recognised by Brighton and Hove Council when they
awarded him Blue Plaque status in a ceremony that was attended by our Middle Warden, Mike
Parrett.
Ron was born in Brighton in 1916. After attending Varndean Grammar School, he
obtained an external University of London BSc(Eng) degree at Brighton Technical
College, and joined AE Watson as structural designer. During the War, Ron served
in the Royal Engineers, rising from Sapper to Captain. He worked on the original
Bailey Bridge at the Military Engineering
Experimental Establishment, and in 1943
joined the Special Operations Executive. In
1944, Ron parachuted into occupied North-
east Italy, and spent five months blowing up trains with the
partisans. After the war, he was in public works with the Allied
Military Government in Trieste until 1946, when he rejoined
AE Watson as technical manager. Ron spent a short period as a
lecturer at his old college, and in 1948 joined Costain John Brown
Ltd. There followed a period with Tubewrights Ltd as a
development engineer, then Ron went to Stewarts & Lloyds,
later part of British Steel Tubes Division. He had a major hand in
developing and establishing structural engineering with tubes
and hollow sections, notably the Boeing 747 hangar at Heathrow

20 | Autumn 2017 | The Journal of the Worshipful Company of Constructors