Arnold Albert Musto (4 October 1883–29 May 1977) was a British civil engineer who designed the
Sukkur Barrage
Sukkur Barrage ( sd, سکر بئراج, ur, ) is a barrage on the River Indus near the city of Sukkur in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The barrage was built during the British Raj from 1923 to 1932 and was named Lloyd Barrage. The Sukkur Barr ...
, now in
Sindh Province,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
Early life and family
Musto was born in Stepney, London, the son of James Joseph Musto (1844–1908) an Alderman on the
Stepney Borough Council
The Metropolitan Borough of Stepney was a Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London, Metropolitan borough in the County of London created in 1900. In 1965 it became part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Formation and boundaries
The bo ...
, and a member of an extended family of engineers operating in the East End of London in the second half of the 19th century.
He was educated at the
Coopers’ Company's School, London, 1894–1899 and
Birkbeck College, University of London, 1900–1904.
In 1922, at
St Thomas’ Cathedral, Bombay, he married Margaret McCausland. They had a son and four daughters. Margaret died in 1965.
Engineering career
Musto's first engineering experience, while articled to James Brown, was constructing the
Rotherhithe Tunnel
The Rotherhithe Tunnel, designated the A101, is a road tunnel under the River Thames in East London, connecting Limehouse in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets north of the river to Rotherhithe in the London Borough of Southwark south of the ...
, in 1905–1906. Soon after, he qualified for the Indian Public Works Department (later called the Indian Service of Engineers) and was appointed mechanical and agricultural engineer to the Bombay Government. He commenced as an assistant engineer in October 1907 and became an executive engineer in October 1915.
He joined the Indian Army Reserve of Officers and served in Mesopotamia in the latter half of World War I.
In 1918, he became Executive Engineer for the Sukkur Barrage Project District and, in this capacity, designed and submitted the complete project for the Barrage and its associated canals.
He became a Member of the
Institution of Civil Engineers in 1922 and, in 1923, he was made a Companion of the
Order of the Indian Empire (CIE). He became a nominated member of the
Bombay Legislative Council
Bombay Legislative Council was the legislature of the Bombay Province and later the upper house of the bicameral legislature of Bombay Province in British India and the Indian state of Bombay.
History
The Indian Councils Act 1861 set up the Bom ...
in 1923.
In 1923 he also became the Superintending Engineer for the construction of the Sukkur Barrage and the headworks of the seven canal systems. The Barrage was completed under the overall direction of Sir
Charlton Harrison as Chief Engineer of Sindh, and opened in 1932.
He received a knighthood in recognition of his work in the
King's Birthday Honours 1932.
Later life
Musto retired from India in 1934. In 1939, he was chair of a Planning and Housing Commission sent to Trinidad. He returned to England, in 1940, and was appointed Regional Transport Commissioner for the Midland Region. In 1946 he was appointed Regional Transport Commissioner for the South Western Region. He retired in 1953, at the age of 70.
His obituary in ''The Times'' said he was “a likeable man and got on well with those about him” both in India and as a Regional Transport Commissioner in England.
[''The Times'' (London, England) 31 May 1977, p 17.]
Further readingA Musto, “The Lloyd Barrage and the Future of the Sind”, Asiatic Review, NS Vol 31 (1935) p 1-36
References
1883 births
1977 deaths
English civil engineers
People from Stepney
British people in colonial India
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