Horace Walter Rigden,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, (2 April 1898 - 1986) was an English chemist and oil industry executive who managed the Anglo-Persian oil refinery at Abadan in Iran during the 1930s and the Second World War, receiving the Order of the British Empire in 1945 for his service.

Early life

Horace Walter Rigden was born in Highgate, London, on 2 April 1898 to Walter Thomas Rigden, an advertising contractor, and Jane Rigden. Horace had a sister Amy and a brother Thomas. He worked as a laboratory assistant and after the outbreak of the First World War joined the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

on 19 August 1915 where he served as an Air Mechanic 2nd Class. On 1 April 1918 he joined the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

where he served as a Second Lieutenant. He was discharged on 5 June 1918. His advanced education was delayed by the war and he enrolled at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, graduating in 1922 with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Career

Rigden was employed by The Anglo-Persian Oil Company Limited in

Abadan Abadan ( fa, آبادان ''Ābādān'', ) is a city and capital of Abadan County, Khuzestan Province, which is located in the southwest of Iran. It lies on Abadan Island ( long, 3–19 km or 2–12 miles wide). The island is bounded ...

, Iran, which eventually became British Petroleum. He managed the Abadan oil refinery during the 1930s and the Second World War,Obituary: Jill Allibone.
Hermione Hobhouse, ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 22 October 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2015. a period when its production was of vital strategic interest to the British government, and received the Order of the British Empire in 1945 for his service. Rigden was a fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry.

Family

Rigden married Frances Helena Shilling (born 12 July 1903) on 20 Mar 1926 at

All Saints Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania *All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Henley Brook, Western Aust ...

, Whitstable. Their daughter

Jill Allibone Jill Spencer Allibone (26 April 1932 – 3 February 1998) was an English architectural historian and the founder of the Mausolea and Monuments Trust. She wrote studies of Anthony Salvin and George Devey, and was a justice of the peace for over 2 ...

, who was born at Abadan in 1932 (died 1998), was a distinguished architectural historian who founded

The Mausolea and Monuments Trust The Mausolea and Monuments Trust is a charity for the "protection and preservation of mausolea and funerary monuments situated in Great Britain and Ireland." The trust was founded in 1997 by the architectural historian Jill Allibone (1932–1998). ...

."Evicted from Eternity?"
by Michael Hall, '' Country Life'', 15 January 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rigden, Horace 1898 births Officers of the Order of the British Empire Royal Air Force officers 1986 deaths Royal Flying Corps soldiers People from Highgate Royal Air Force personnel of World War I English chemists British Army personnel of World War I