Sir William "Kirby" Laing (21 July 1916 – 12 April 2009) was a British civil engineer.

Career

Laing was born in Carlisle in 1916.. He was a member of the Laing Family, famous in the British construction industry for running

John Laing plc John Laing Group plc is a British investor, developer and operator of privately financed, public sector infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, hospitals and schools through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Private Finance Initiative ...

. He was the son of Sir John Laing and the brother of Sir Maurice Laing. Kirby Laing learnt about the construction industry from his father and would visit the company's construction sites with him during the school holidays. Laing graduated from Emmanuel College at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

in 1937 and began work as a graduate engineer for John Laing plc. He was a member of the fifth generation of the Laing family to join the firm. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Laing served in the Royal Engineers, receiving his commission as a Second Lieutenant on 2 January 1944. He resigned his commission as 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 ...

in the Territorial Army Reserve of Officers on 13 July 1955, although he was permitted to retain the honorary title of Lieutenant. In 1946 he became joint managing director of Laing (the parent company of John Laing plc) and from 1956 to 1976 he was chairman of the Laing Group. Whilst leading the company Laing built on their experience of

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...

and housing construction and expanded into road building. In 1976 his brother, Maurice, was made chairman and Kirby became deputy chairman. Kirby retired as deputy chairman in 1980, having also been chairman of the Laing properties division. In 1968 Kirby had been elected a first class member of the

Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers The Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers was founded in England in 1771. It was the first engineering society to be formed anywhere in the world, and remains the oldest. It was originally known as the Society of Civil Engineers, being renamed fo ...

and would serve as their president in 1988.. He also served as president of the

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...

from November 1973 to November 1974 and was an honorary member of the

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

.. Laing returned to military service by being invited to join the

Engineer and Railway 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 ...

, an unpaid, voluntary Territorial Army unit which advises the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

on engineering matters. He joined as a Major on 14 October 1966, was commissioned

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

on 23 December 1967 and

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

on 17 May 1971. He became the corps' commanding officer on 12 January 1978 and retired from the army on 4 August 1997. In 1977 Laing was elected to the Fellowship of Engineering. He was also president of the National Federation of Building Trades Employers and of the London Master Builders Association. He was also chairman of the Construction Industry Research and Information Association and the National Joint Council of the Building Industry. In 1975 he chaired the government's Advisory Committee on Fixed Offshore Installations. He was a member of the Royal Albert Hall Council from 1970, served as their president from 1972 to 1992 and then remained their vice-president. Laing was made a

knight bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

on 8 June 1968, an honour which was conferred on him by Queen Elizabeth II on 5 November 1968. He served as a Justice of the Peace for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

and was made Deputy Lieutenant of London on 12 June 1978. Laing was made Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire on 8 April 1987. He established the Kirby Laing Foundation as a charity to make grants and donations to charitable causes. Laing was married to Lady Isobel Laing and both were trustees of the foundation. His son Martin Laing became executive chairman of John Laing plc, but resigned in 2001 when the company faced major losses in its construction business, ending 152 years and six generations of family management.Daily Telegraph: "Chairman steps down from struggling Laing"
/ref>

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laing, Kirby Military personnel from Cumberland British civil engineers Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering Presidents of the Institution of Civil Engineers Presidents of the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers 1916 births Royal Engineers officers British Army personnel of World War II Deputy Lieutenants of Greater London Deputy Lieutenants of Hertfordshire English justices of the peace Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge People from Carlisle, Cumbria 2009 deaths Knights Bachelor Royal Engineers soldiers British Army officers Engineer and Railway Staff Corps officers