Sir Herbert Ashcombe Walker (16 May 1868 – 29 September 1949) was a British railway manager.

Early life

Walker was born in

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...

, London, in 1868, the son of a doctor. He was educated at the

North London Collegiate School North London Collegiate School (NLCS) is an independent school with a day school for girls in England. Founded in Camden Town, it is now located in Edgware, in the London Borough of Harrow. Associate schools are located in South Korea, Jeju I ...

and studied medicine for one year at St Francis Xavier College,

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population. The area of the whole city a ...

. He then passed the Apothecaries' Hall exam.

Career

Memorial plaque to Sir Herbert Walker at Waterloo Station

When family finances meant that plans for a medical career had to be abandoned Walker, aged 17, joined the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) as a clerk at Euston in April 1885. In January 1889 he became outdoor assistant to the Superintendent of the Line. In 1893 he was made Assistant District Superintendent, North Wales Division and 10 months later was moved to the same job in the Southern Division (covering London to Stafford); in 1902 he became District Superintendent Euston, when he visited the US to study American practice. In October 1909, he became Assistant to the Superintendent of the Line and in July 1910 Outdoor Goods Manager for the southern half of the LNWR. In 1911 he became Assistant to the General Manager, Sir

Frank Ree Sir Frank Ree (31 October 1851 – 17 February 1914) was a British railway manager, General Manager of the London and North Western Railway and the North London Railway from 1909. Born in Walham Green, he was the son of Dr. Henry Pawle Ree. He was ...

. From 1 January 1912, he became General Manager of the

London and South Western Railway The London and South Western Railway (LSWR, sometimes written L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Originating as the London and Southampton Railway, its network extended to Dorchester and Weymouth, to Salisbury, Exeter ...

, where he instigated the programme of third-rail electrification. He received a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

in March 1915. By January 1917, he was acting chairman of the

Railway Executive Committee The Railway Executive Committee (REC) was a government body which controlled the operation of Britain's railways during World War I and World War II. It should not be confused with the Railway Executive which was a division of the British Transp ...

, for which he was made a Knight Commander of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(KCB). After a frustrating year of indecision on the part of the Southern Railway's Board, he was appointed General Manager there in 1923, where he encouraged the electrification programme and was a major influence on locomotive development on the Southern Railway. On his retirement in 1937, he served as a Director of the Southern Railway until the end of its existence in 1947. In addition to his two knighthoods, Walker was a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

, Knight of Grace of the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

and a Grand Officer of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. He served in the

Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps The Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps is a part of the Royal Engineers in the British Army Reserve. It is intended to provide advisers on engineering and logistics to the British Army at a senior level. Following its work creating the NHS Nighti ...

, retiring as a Colonel.

Personal life

In 1894 Walker married Ethel Louisa Griffith. After her death in 1909, he married Lorina Elizabeth Shield in 1910. There were no children from either marriage. Walker died on 29 September 1949 at his home in Hampstead, North London.

Character

Walker was physically well made, having stamina and a commanding presence. He looked what he was, a man who knew his job and meant to do it and had a remarkable memory. There is a memorial to him, including a stone cameo portrait, set in the stonework at

Waterloo station Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of t ...

, commemorating his involvement in the rebuilding of the station, completed in 1922 and the electrification of the Southern Railway. He was a strong advocate of the Channel Tunnel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Herbert Ashcombe 1868 births 1949 deaths London and South Western Railway people Southern Railway (UK) people Knights Bachelor Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur British public transport executives