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THE PEOPLE

Edmund Sykes Hett

Sorry, image missingEdmund Sykes Hett was the father of The GSSR in spite of never having been a director of the company. As the only bidder for the Granada - Murcia railway on 26th November 1884, he won the rights to the concession and was instrumental in the creation of The GSSR by investing his own money - the sum of 601,000 pesetas for the auction (about 3 million pounds in today's money) and then raising investment in The United Kingdom. Thus, on 15th December 1885 The GSSR was born. However, there is something interesting here as no capital was publicly issued until June, 1887. So, did he wait for nearly three years for the return of his investment? Did he charge The GSSR interest?

He had already created the company 'Hett, Maylor and Company Ltd.' on 4th February 1885 with his friend and relative by marriage John Maylor. So, on 27th September 1887 Hett, Maylor and Company signed a contract with The GSSR to build the line.

As explained in History, Hett, Maylor & Company Ltd sub-contracted much of the work to other builders such as George Loring who was the The Marquis of Loring and who caused many problems.

Sorry, image missing See link See link See link There doesn't seem to be any records or photographs of Edmund being in the area whilst The GSSR was being constructed so maybe he never saw his railway finished.

The photograph on the right is of the Hett and Yarrow families together in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1862. Hover over a face for information.

Edmund Sykes Hett was born in Bawtry, Yorkshire on the 21st March 1832 (see 1854 map of Bawtry), to James Keir Hett and Maria Hett (née Townend) being one of nine children who included Henry Herbert and Edward Keir. He was named after his maternal aunt's husband, Edmund Sykes, as the couple had no children. The name of 'Edmund' appears in more than one Sykes pedigree, no doubt in memory of Edmund Sykes of Leeds, the Catholic martyr priest executed at York in 1587.

He left the UK in 1850 to find his fortunes in Brazil where he was involved with the set up of the company 'Wilson, Scott & Hett' at the tender age of 18, which was very profitable. A branch of this company built the first dry dock in Rio de Janeiro. He was described as being 'opulent' and at the age of 49 in 1881 had retired to become a promotor of railways and was in Spain in 1885 when on 22nd March the Railway Gazette reported that he had applied for the Granada - Murcia - Águilas concession. He probably rued this decision later.

He married Julia Claudine Yarrow (25th September 1831 - 18th August 1903) on the 19th October 1857 in Río de Janeiro which linked the Hetts and the Yarrows. This act also linked the Hetts with the Maylors as Julia's sister Emily Cornelia Yarrow had previously married John on the 21st September 1854, also in Río de Janeiro.

Whilst in Brazil, he had a serious accident when a heavy piece of timber fell on him as he was helping put out a fire at John Maylor's shipyard where they were building a yacht for the Emperor of Brazil. He felt the effects for the rest of his life and to take up the Spanish project suggests he was a highly motivated man as by this time presumably he had made his money and could have spent the rest of his life relaxing.

The census of 1871 lists him as living in Leighton Cottage, Leighton with his wife Julia, 39; children Emily, 12; Edith, 9; Edmund, 6; and Charles, 4; Brother Henry Herbert (merchant), 20; and the servants Louisa Burley (governess), 24; Camillo de Conceiçàs (Butler), 30; Esther Power (housemaid), 34; Elizabeth Nownaw (nurse), 19; and Baz Craig (cook), 45. This was when Edmund was 39 years old. By then he had retired from his businesses in Brazil, returning to the UK in 1865, so he was probably looking for something else to do after living in a pleasant climate running a company and now finding himself in the cold, wet Pennines. In fact, he became involved with The Bilbao Iron Ore Company Ltd in the same year (1871) and the The Bilbao River and Cantabrian Railway Company Ltd. See also Finance.

Edmund was also a director of The Bahia Steam Navigation Company Ltd.

In the census of 1881 Julia and he were still living in Leighton, still with all of their children but with a change of staff, those being: Margarett H Williams, 22 (cook); Sarah Williams, 24 (housemaid); Isabel J Murray, 30 (housemaid) and Camilla J D Lilia, 38 (butler). We do know that Edmund was in Spain around 1885 to be able to place a deposit for the concession of The GSSR, but documentation is sparse, to say the least.

Edmund died on 15th March 1901 at the age of 68 - one month after George Loring.

Many thanks to Julia Hett for all of her help and the family photograph.


Gustave Gillman

Sorry, image missing Gustave Gillman takes second place in this list as he was certainly the most important person in the fortunes of The GSSR. He started as the station manager at Águilas Station in 1897 but through his tireless works became involved in the mining areas of Las Menas, encouraging investment in the area. To this end, he saved The GSSR from bankruptcy thus allowing the line to run up until 1984. For his pains, after 14 years of devotion, he was promoted to Director in 1911.

However, what he has left us is a treasure of photography that is an historical record of the times.

He was born in England on 15th June, 1856 and died on 28th February 1922 at the age of 66 in Petrópolis, Brazil. There are a number of houses remaining in Águilas that were his abodes over his time there.



Jorge (George) Loring y Oyarzábal, 1st Marquis of Casa Loring

Sorry, image missingSorry, image missingGeorge Henry, 1st Marqués de Casa Loring, Vizconde de la Caridad, was born on 22nd August 1822 in Málaga Spain, to George James Loring (18/11/1771, Hingham, Massachusetts, USA) and María del Rosario Loring née Oyarzábal Herrera (12/10/1799, in Málaga). George and Amalia, Marquesa de Casa Loring, née Herédia Livermore (3/3/1830 - 16/10/1902), married in Málaga in 1850. They had nine children. George died on 11th February 1901, approximately eighteen months before Amalia.

George and Amalia were very interested in the arts and sciences, nature and archaeology. They created the famous Botanical Gardens in Málaga. He was also a successful railway engineer and businessman, trading in coal, marble, mining and esparto. He was responsible for the construction of a large part of The GSSR (Lorca - Zurgena) and it is unfortunate that the business arrangements became acrimonious due to Hett, Maylor's insolvency. George had many contacts in Spanish law, government and the courts and didn't take kindly to The GSSR being unable to pay him for works completed. In the end, he resorted to strong-arm tactics - see the report in El Boletín and used workmen to block the line between Huércal-Overa and Zurgena. This was a very serious problem for The GSSR. At this time the section between Almendricos and Zurgena was finished but because of Loring's blocks the GSSR couldn't open it and therefore not receive the government grant which was paid by section.

Eventually, the problems were resolved in a meeting in London between Loring and the board of The GSSR.

He was also a shareholder in The Esparto Trading Company as he had interests in trading esparto, an exporter of marble, ore and coal. In addition, he was a director of The Bank of Málaga when it was absorbed into The Bank of Spain, and founded 'The Friends of the Country Economic Society' and 'The Provincial Hospital'.


Anthony John Mundella

Sorry, image missingAnthony John Mundella (28 March 1825 - 21 July 1897) was an industrialist, scientist, inventor and liberal politician. He was Chairman of The GSSR in the early days of the company from 1889 to 1890 and involved during the construction period of the line. On his death at the age of 72 he was, by today's standards, a millionaire. He is buried in Nottingham.

A full obituary can be seen here.




George Boag

Sorry, image missingGeorge Lee Boag was born on 11 July 1873 at 48 Bath Street, Hulme, Manchester, the eldest child of Ernest Gerald Boag, interestingly a railway clerk, and his wife Sarah. His younger siblings were Ernest and Geraldine. See also Faydon. These were humble beginnings and Bath Street has now been redeveloped and the house no longer exists. In 1881, at the age of seven he was residing at 7 Berlin Street, Chorlton on Medlock. George had to leave school and start work to support his family as his father died in 1885. George worked for The GSSR from 5th August 1907, firstly as deputy General Manager under Gustave Gillman, then from 1911, Ambrose P.S. Jones and then on the 9th February 1913 as General Manager. His time under Gustave Gillman must have been very informative for him as he followed on from Gustave's photographic activities. Presiding over The GSSR during very trying times, he worked very hard to maintain the workings of the company. He was hugely respected by his staff and worked hard for their benefit. A keen sportsman, he initiated football and tennis in Águilas. His humanity shines through in a letter he sent to his employees:

"Unfortunately, the urgent needs that I have described will affect many long-serving employees. I suffer to realize the hardships that this will bring to people who I have known for years and know as friends rather than employees. I would have wished that I did not have to come here, but you will understand that I am only doing my duty and cannot run from this hard task."

On 25th May 1927 the catastrophe at Pulpí occurred. George was one of the first on the scene and helped the injured and dying. This event changed the dynamic in Águilas and the surrounding area and must have been a terrible time for George who had put so much into integrating with the locals and in helping them when they needed assistance, even supplying GSSR machinery when needed. No doubt he felt personally responsible as the General Manager.

While still General Manager he developed Parkinson's Disease which, at the time had no pharmaceutical treatment except anticholinergics (ironically, levodopa was first synthesized in 1911 but not used as treatment for this debilitating disease until 1967). As a result, in 1931 he spent some time in hospital in Southport, possibly having brain surgery which was the only treatment at the time. Something must have happened to ameliorate the disease as in the same year he married Eleanor Shaw (18th February 1896 - 14th February 1977), a nurse 22 years younger than he and they travelled to Spain to live in his house by the sea in Águilas and for him to continue as General Manager.

He retired in June 1936, just in time to avoid the trials and tribulations of The Spanish Civil War.

After this they moved to Southport for a short period, then in 1939 they were to be found at 28 Hunters Grove, Kenton, Harrow, and then later at 23 Hillside Road, Southport. The house was presumably new when they moved in (as was the house in Águilas) as it is of the style built in the 1930s. He died on 22nd October 1947 leaving an estate of £3,706 12s 1d being the equivalent of approximately £156,500 today. Eleanor passed away in 1977.

The photograph on the left, taken in 1925 on the steps of his house was after he had been awarded a medal of merit by Águilas Town Hall for services to the community and for his humanity. The label was pinned onto his lapel by his 17 year old niece Mary (on his right) who was staying with him for a year. On her right is the Mayor of Águilas.

For more information, see the excellent website by Don Gaunt.



William Reierson Arbuthnot Junior

Sorry, image missingSorry, image missing William Reierson Arbuthnot Junior was one of the first directors of The GSSR from 1887 and served until 1910, when he resigned.

He was born in India on the 15th December 1866 and educated at Eton. He was a senior partner of Arbuthnot & Co, a partner of Arbuthnot Latham & Co, 1903-38; Chairman of The Standard Bank of South Africa Ltd, Director of the London Joint Stock Bank (Limited) (coincidentally The GSSR's bank), and of Estates & Agency Co Ltd and Director of Consolidated Sisal Estates of East Africa Ltd.

He died on the 23rd June 1938.

On the 25th February 1920, he inherited £35,401 of shares in The GWR, at today's rates, worth approximately £1,840,000.


Hanbury Barclay

Colonel Hanbury Barclay was a director of The GSSR for one year in 1887. Born 1st June 1836, died 4th March 1908.
Perhaps he decided to get out when he saw the problems that were looming. In addition, he was the managing director of The Granada Railway in 1894 and of the Union Bank of Spain and England (Limited) and The Manila Railway Company Ltd. He was a Civil Engineer, Colonel and Justice of the Peace.


W Goodwin Barnes

W Goodwin Barnes was one of the first seven directors of The GSSR in its inception in 1885. Like the others apart from Davies, he only stayed one year. He was the father-in-law of Alfred Fernandez Yarrow.
When he was a director of The GSSR, he lived at Beaufort Lodge, Cambridge Park, Twickenham. He was described as a 'shipowner'.

In addition, he was a director of:-

Barnes, Leighton & Co., St. Helens


Adolf Baron von André

Sorry, image missingAdolf, Baron von André was a trustee of The GSSR in 1890 along with Anthony John Mundella and William Reierson Arbuthnot Junior. He was a baron and self-made-man, mainly through business in Hong Kong, whereby he was the Chairman of The Hong Kong Bank. He created a business with William Mendel called André & Mendel & Co., which funded large stores such as Harrods, Dickins & Jones and D H Evans.

He is most famous for photographs taken at The Devonshire House Fancy Dress Ball 1897 dressed as the Italian goldsmith, painter, sculptor, draughtsman, soldier and musician Benvenuto Cellini.

In 1885 - 1886 he was registered at 81, Piccadilly, and in 1900 at 12, Bourdon, Street, Westminster.


Frederick Cadogan Barron

Frederick Cadogan Barron was appointed Resident Engineer of The Bilbao Iron Ore Company in 1871 where he worked until 1880. He died in his home Nervion, Shortlands, now in south west London. See also: ICE.


Luis Benítez de la Cámara

Sorry, image missingLuis Benítez de la Cámara was a lawyer from Lorca as well as an agent for the Bank of Cartagena. He was responsible for managing the financing of the section between Águilas and Almendricos as well as payments from The GSSR and HM.


Henry Borrel

Henry Borrel was The GSSR Company Representative at Calle Cervantes 44, Madrid between 1894 and 1913. His duties were liaison with the Spanish Government and he was heavily involved in the early years during construction negotiating with the authorities. Not an enviable job.
He died on the 2nd April 1913 whilst still in the employ of The GSSR. Did he die at his desk?


Percival Fowler Broadbent

Percival Fowler Broadbent (born 27th December 1856) was the engineering director of The Reyna Mining Company Ltd along with two others on the peninsula from 1880 to 1885. After this he became a consulting mining engineer and was also, in 1888, proposed as a member of The Institute of Engineers.

Percival was born at Thornwood Lodge, Campden Hill, London (now completely re-developed) and went to Harrow School where he was trained to follow the life of a mining engineer. He also studied at:

Royal School of Mines.
Institut Polyteknukum Aix la Chapelle (Chemistry, mechanics, architecture).
Linares Lead Mines Company.
Ècole de Mines.

From 1879, he was involved in research with the following companies:

Hathorn Davey.
La Gitana Company's Lead Mines, Director.
Lixa Mines Company, Director.


Sydney Olgivie Browne

Sorry, image missingSydney O. Browne was The Manager of Material and Traction for The GSSR from the 9th October 1907.

He was born in Swansea in 1872 and married Cicely Newton Wetherell in Cartagena around 1903. Between 1922 and 1926 he was registered as being involved with The GSSR so presumably he worked for the company at least until 1926. In fact, he left London on a P&O ship to Gibraltar on 17th September 1926 with a final destination of 'Spain'.

The photograph almost certainly shows him in 1923 driving MU-32 Sizaire-Naudin which was modified for use as a railcar.


George Bulmer

Sorry, image missingGeorge was responsible, along with Jean Louis Lecoq Smith and Napier, for the construction and mounting of the bridges on the line.


Francisco Carrasco

Please see Alejandro Marín García.


Demetrio Castro

Sorry, image missingDemetrio was the engineer responsible for the construction of the section of line between Almendricos and Arboleas (Almendricos, Las Norias, Huércal-Overa, Almajalejo, Zurgena and Arboleas).


P.W. Churchill

On the 15th September 1913 Mr P. Churchill took up the post of Resident Engineer for the Company Board. There is a record of a P.W. Churchill in a British Army admissions and discharges book being admitted on the 25th July 1918 for influenza, so presumably he left to fight in the Great War. In addition, there is a newspaper item describing the death of a P. Winston Churchill who was from York and worked as a railway engineer in Algeciras. He died of 'congestion of the brain' (probably a stroke) which was reported in The Daily Mail on the 24th July 1934, at the age of 62 which would give his year of birth as 1872.


Juan de la Cierva

Juan de la Cierva was the Murcian lawyer who saved The GSSR (along with many others) by outmaneuvring The Marquis of Casa-Loring. It is possible that he was the father of Juan de la Cierva y Cordoníu, the famous Spanish aviator who invented the autogyro.


Pelayo Clairac Sáenz

Sorry, image missingPelayo (1819 - 1891) was the engineering director for the line between Lorca and Alcantarilla which became the property of The GSSR after its transfer from Sociedad de Ferrocarril de Alcantarilla a Lorca in 1891.


Charles (Carlos) Clementson

Sorry, image missingCharles Clementson was made the Spanish representative of The GSSR on 25th May 1889. In June of 1889, he was looking at the possibility of a line from Almajalejo station to Garrucha which would surely have taken in Cuevas de Almenzora as a station. Needless to say, this line was never built.

Charles was born in Madras (Chennai), India in 1850 and died in Cordoba in 1927. Photo courtesy of Joaquín Gris Martínez.


David Davies

Sorry, image missingDavid Davies (18th December 1818 - 20th July 1890) was one of the original directors of The GSSR from inception of the company in 1885 until 1887. See History. He was deputy chairman of the Barry Dock and Railway Company and co-director along with Edmund Sykes Hett of the Ocean Coal Company Ltd. Sorry, image missing His address was given as Llandinam, Montgomeryshire. To have been a director of The GSSR he would have had to have had at least 100 £10 shares but by 1888 it appears that he had sold them and had withdrawn from the directorate of the company - see Finance. It seems that he got out just in time! Certainly, he would have been advised by Edmund, who was conversant with all that was going on at that time. Having said that, he was 69, dying two years later, so maybe he wanted to retire from the world of business and enjoy the rest of his life in Broneirion, which he had had built in 1864-5.


James Fergusson

Sorry, image missingThe Right Honorable Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet, M.P., G.C.S.L., K.C.M.G. (14th March 1832 - 14th January 1907) was the Chairman of The Board of Directors of The GSSR in 1886. At that time he lived at 24, Grosvenor Gardens, London. See also here.

He was also the Chairman of The Great Western of Brazil Railway Company, Limited.


Luis Figuera y Silvela

Luis Figuera y Silvela was an engineer and the representative of the 'Compañía de Águilas' which was a French company heavily involved with mining in the Águilas area as well as the owner of Águilas Port. He was instrumental in developing the port in 1884 to the extent that it could be used for the loading and unloading of ships.
This was the step that allowed The GSSR to build the railway.
He died in 1892.


Edmund Batten Forbes

Sorry, image missingEdmund Batten Forbes was a director of The GSSR between 1910 and 1924 (when he died on 17th February 1924). He was born on 25th December 1847 in Edinburgh, the son of Professor James David Forbes and Alicia Wauchope. Unlike some of the directors, he actually visited The GSSR. On the 12th October 1909 he visited The GSSR staying until the 21st December to advise on the terrible problem with water quality as he was an expert on the subject having resolved problems in Chile, Mexico and other places.
His father was an eminent physicist, glaciologist, and principal of the University of St Andrews.
Edmund became an engineer after a five-year pupilage under Robert Hodgson and was subsequently Resident Engineer of the North Eastern Railway. In 1871 he constructed a new railway line from Durham to Ferryhill (seven miles). In 1871-1874 he built the Knaresboro to Bowbridge branch, seven miles for £65,000; and from 1874 to 1877 he constructed the Tyneside Railway, another seven miles for £183,000. He also constructed two large bridges in Newcastle. One was the Byker Bridge for a private company (£40,000), the other was for the Corporation of Newcastle (£15,000). He was elected Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers on 1st May 1877. He had worked in Mexico on the Interoceanic Railway, as an engineering consultant in Westminster, and until the early 1900s on the Taltal Railway in Chile. In 1912 he was elected to the boards of the Central Railway of Chubut and the Port Madryn (Argentina) Land Company, serving those companies until his death.
By 1918 he had also been a director of The Brazil North Eastern Railways, Ceará Tramways Light & Power Co Ltd., Central Railway of Chubut Co. Ltd., Esperanza Nitrate, Henry Bucknall & Sons, Lilita Nitrate, Romano Carpathian Oil, Roumanian Pipeline & Trading, Taltal Railway Co. Ltd., Port Madryn (Argentina) Co. Ltd., West Galicia Railway Co. Ltd. and the Ural Caspian Oil Corporation Ltd.
In 1918, he was living at 51 Onslow Gardens, SW7.
He married his cousin Charlotte Christina Agnes Wauchope on 2nd July 1885 in Eltham, Kent.


Cayetano Gálvez

Sorry, image missingCayetano was the harbourmaster at Águilas port and was therefore responsible for the unloading of the steamships. This was a huge task as well as being essential to The GSSR as practically everything needed for the construction of the railway, from track and sleepers to bridges and rolling stock, came through the tiny port.


John Robert Gillman

John Robert Gillman (Jack), the son of Gustave Gillman, born 26th February 1883, was the last General Manager for The GSSR, in 1936. It was his bad luck that this was during the Spanish Civil War, so that on the 5th September 1936 the 'Railway Worker's Council' assumed control of The GSSR. The poor chap was arrested and sentenced to death by the Republicans, The GSSR being in a Republican stronghold almost until the end of the war. The following is reproduced with the kind permission of my friend Don Gaunt:

"..not only did John only manage the line for a few weeks he was arrested as "Management" by the Republicans and was sentenced to death. It was only with the intervention of the British Ambassador and friend in the Cortes (Parliament), that he was able to get away to Gibraltar where he stayed until the end of the war. Since Franco won, he was then able to stay in Spain."

This was the end of The GSSR with respect to the physical running of the railway although the company stayed active in London until 4th February 1955.


J. Haigh

Mr Haigh was Company Secretary from 1947 until the end in 1951.


Thomas Harrison

Mr Harrison was a chairman of The GSSR from 1907 until 1923 when he must have become indisposed, however, he continued as a director until 1926; and of The Hornillo Company from 1902 until it merged with The GSSR in 1913. He died in 1926.

Here are some of his other directorships and associations:

Bilbao Iron Ore Company 1876
Curzon Exhibition Hall Company Limited 1880
Foster, Porter & Company Limited 1880
Liverpool United Gas Light Company 1881
Bilbao and Cantabrian Railway Company Limited 1884
Royal Silver Mines of Potosi, Bolivia Limited 1887
The African Association Limited 1894
Old Albion Brewery Limited 1898
The Hornillo Company 1902
William Cowan Limited 1904
John Abbot and Company Limited 1910
McConell's Distillery Limited 1911
Mersey Forge Limited 1911
Bagillt Coal Company Limited 1912
International Syndicate Limited 1917
Borough Treasurer and Accountant, Walsall 1920
Wellingborough Gas Light Company Limited 1920


Enrique Helguero de Bertodano

Sorry, image missingEnrique Helguero Bertodano was the representative of the Compañía del Puerto de Águilas. Originally there was an arrangement for The GSSR to use the line from Águilas station to the port for the loading of the steamers but, due to its high prices, the construction of El Hornillo took place, thus removing much of the port's profits.


Maj. Ronald Henry White Henderson

Sorry, image missingMajor Henderson (1 December 1893 - 12 February 1956) was a director of The GSSR from 1926 until 1945. He fought in the First World War in 1st Royal Dragoons where, on the 25th February 1914 he was made 2nd Lieutenant.

In February 1930, he inherited 5,000 shares in The Great Western Railway.

By 1930 he had also been a director of The Alto Paraná Development Company Ltd.

In 1938 he was living at 84, Marsham Court, Marsham St., Westminster.


Captain Hon Arnold Henderson

Capt Hon Henderson (1 Jul 1883 - 12 Mar 1933) was a director of The GSSR between 1926 and 1933 and acted as a fund trustee as well.
He was the 5th son of 1st Baron Faringdon and Jane Ellen Davis.
He won an OBE in 1919 for 'valuable service rendered in connection with military operations in France'.

He left £450,575 1s 10d in his will, the equivalent today of approximately £31,664,000.


Sir Brodie Haldane Henderson

Sorry, image missingSir Brodie Haldane Henderson KCMG, CB, Brigadier General 1919; Sheriff of Hertfordshire 1925 (6th March 1869 - 28th September 1936) was the senior partner with James Livesey of Livesey, Henderson & Co Ltd and so was probably involved with the re-design of El Hornillo.

See also here.


Edward Keir Hett

Edward Keir Hett (born 1845) was one of the first seven directors of The GSSR from its inception in 1885 until 1887. He was the youngest brother of Edmund Sykes Hett as well as Henry Herbert and six other siblings. His parents were James Keir Hett and Maria Hett (born Townend). He married Margaret Christina Hett (born Heywood) in 1868 in Islington when he was 22.

He was also a director of The Great Western of Brazil Railway Company, Limited (whose chairman was James Fergusson), Conde d'Eu Railway Company, Limited, The Segaliud (Borneo) Tobacco Company, Limited, a London director of The Equitable Fire and Accident Office, Limited, and Ebenezer Roberts, Limited.

In the 1891 census he was registered as living in The Elms, Woolwich, London with his wife Margaret C. Hett and a cook and a maid. In May 1910 he inherited 640 shares in The Great Western Railway.

He died on 31st January 1927 leaving £49,814 in his estate (equivalent to approximately £3 million at today's rates).


Henry Herbert Hett

Henry Herbert Hett (born 11th October 1842, Kensington, London) was the brother of Edmund Sykes, Edward Keir as well as six other siblings. His parents were James Keir Hett and Maria Hett (born Townend). He was one of ten directors of Hett, Maylor & Co. Ltd.

He described himself as "Living on Own Means and Retired South American Merchant". He was a director of a mercantile business in Uruguay and Brazil along with Alfred Edwin Yarrow and Alfred Fernandez Yarrow called Yarrow & Hett, Co. He married Matilda Maynard HETT (born POWELL) between January and March 1880, at age 37. They had a family nurse for 47 years who happened to be an aunt of Ramsay MacDonald called Isabella Allen Ramsay.

Henry died on 1st May 1935 leaving £396,806 17s 8d, the equivalent today being approximately 29 million pounds.


George Winfield Higgin

Sorry, image missingGeorge Winfield Higgin (1833 - 8th November 1892) was with Edmund Sykes Hett from the early days, even before The GSSR existed. He travelled to Almería in April of 1885 with Edmund to set up the Spanish side of the company. He was employed by The GSSR as their representative in Spain in about 1888. George opened an office in Lorca for the inspection of works under Juan Santamaría del Pozo. He was the Engineer-in-Chief until 1891, as well as that of the Manila Railway Company.

He was an expert in Spanish railway investments, especially mining railways. In 1861, along with Edward Brainerd Webb, he presented an offer to the Spanish government to create Ordnance Survey maps of the country. They actually mapped a small area of land to show what could be done, but a decision was never made by the authorities (as we can confirm from the poor quality of maps even at the turn of the 20th century). In 1871 he oversaw the construction by Frederick Cadogan Barron of the mining railway in Bilbao from the mining areas of Somorrostro and Galdames. This was another British company connected to Edmund Sykes Hett called 'The Bilbao Iron Ore Company'. He was also General Manager of 'The Cartagena Tramways Company Ltd' and The Manila Dagupan Railway, another project of Edmund Sykes Hett's.

George was married to Elena Bertodano (1842 - 1912), sister of the railway engineer Carlos Pattison de Bertodano and sister-in-law of Joaquin Helguero Bertodano, Governor of Málaga and later Murcia.

He left £2,315 5s in his estate, the approximate equivalent today of £300,000.

See also his obituary.


Frank Percy Higgs

Mr Higgs was a director of The GSSR between 1935 and 1947 when he resigned due to ill health. He was also Company Secretary from 1928.

In 1933 his address was given as "Pentewan", Elmer Gardens, Edgware, Middlesex.


Ambrose P. S. Jones

Ambrose P.S. Jones (12th February 1859 - between October & December 1939) was General Manager of The GSSR office in Águilas between 1911 and 1913. There are still some documents with his signaure extant. He was married to Mary E Jones. When retired they lived at 25 Linton Road, Hastings.


A.F. Judd

Mr Judd was the Company Secretary of The GSSR from the beginning in 1885 until at least 1919.


Neil Cameron Kennedy

Sorry, image missingSorry, image missing Neil Cameron Kennedy (10th September 1850 - 1930) was one of the two General Managers of The GSSR at Águilas Head Office, the other being R.C.F. Ogilvie, from 1890 until 1895. He had been working in Spain since 1872 (and settled in Águilas in 1880) on the construction of mainly mining railways in areas such as Huélva and Bilbao. In 1875 he was working for Rio Tinto Zinc. His work for The GSSR was mainly involved with the development of the line, which wasn't opened to Baza until 1894 specially the Águilas to Empalme (Almendricos) section, one of the most geotechnically difficult of the line.

He had actually started working for Hett & Maylor and when they became bankrupt he was taken on by The GSSR. He played an important rôle in resolving the early legal problems during the construction phase of The GSSR. See El Boletín.

In the 1871 census, he was lodging at 6, Dalyell Road, Lambeth and in 1911 he was staying at 30, The Downs, Wimbledon, with his Spanish wife, Ramona, daughter and two servants.


Manuel López de la Ferreira

Sorry, image missingManuel was head of track and works for the new section (Águilas to Alcantarilla).


August Lecoq

August Lecoq was one of the original engineers to work on The GSSR, for the company Hett, Maylor. He had a large metal construction company in Halle from the 1850s manufacturing pre-fabricated parts for bridges and other major metal constructions. It is almost certain that he pre-fabricated and constructed the Gor viaduct and the Baúl viaduct.


Jean Louis Lecoq Smith

Sorry, image missingJean Louis Lecoq Smith was the son of August Lecoq and also an engineer. He was responsible for the building of the bridges from the factory in Halle, including those on the section between Baza and Granada.


Jeffrey Inglis Leighton

Jeffrey Inglis Leighton (1843 - 1908). His brother was Thomas Nicoll Leighton. He was one of the first ten directors of Hett, Maylor Company Limited.

In the 1871 census he was staying at 27, Coborn St, Bow, whereas in 1881 there were eight of his family and a servant living in 20, Grove Road, St. Pancras.


Thomas Nicoll Leighton

Thomas Nicoll Leighton (30th Sep 1846 - 26th Mar 1909) was one of the first ten directors of Hett, Maylor & Co. Ltd. He was born in Dundee and described himself as a businessman.

He married Mary Seaton Pearson on 24th May 1876, at which time he was living in Bootle.

He was in business with Herbert Ferdinand Hett and Daniel Sebbon Baker under the name 'Leighton, Baker and Hett' which closed on 30th June 1896.


Julio Leonés

Sorry, image missingJulio was a lawyer from Lorca who was responsible for payments for land appropriated by The GSSR for the laying of track.


M. Levysohn

M. Levysohn was a director of The GSSR fron 1887 until 1900.


Richard Lewis

Richard (Ricardo) Lewis was the first Manager of the Workshops and Stores. He arrived in Águilas in the March of 1888, well known to Mr Kennedy, he being the Manager of Construction. His first job was to be in charge of the construction of bridges, under the orders of George Bulmer. This work gave him innumerable problems, the least of which was getting materials on site when there were no roads, sometimes having to construct an access road first, sometimes bringing materials across ploughed fields. Many times he had to walk from Lorca to Almendricos (25Km) and then on to Águilas (20Km). One time he was passed by Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Bulmer on horseback who, seeing his predicament, ordered him a donkey on which to travel. In September of 1888 he was charged with managing the assembly of the locomotives and other material that had arrived in the port. He was manager of the department until 1910, when he retired at 60 years of age. He died on the 16th February 1923 aged 73.


James Livesey

Sorry, image missingSorry, image missing.James Livesey C.E. (11th May 1831 - 3rd February 1925) was an engineering architect who made many plans for The GSSR, including those for the first Gor viaduct, many stations, and the El Hornillo loading pier. He was the husband of Sarah Ford Livesey.

See Livesey.


Miguel Lloret Baldó

Miguel Lloret Baldó worked for The GSSR in the Commercial Department in the approximate period from 1898 to 1920. He was with Gustave Gillman the day in 1898 the Company paid the sum of 120,000 pesetas to two miners as recompense for perceived damages due to expropriation of mining land. The most important thing to historians is that he contributed a column to 'El Boletín' (the Company magazine) called "The Great Southern of Spain Railway Company" thus giving us much information regarding the history of the Company.


William Stronach Lockhart

William Stronach Lockhart (9th October 1850 - 12th August 1924) was Edmund Sykes Hett's agent in Calle Cervantes, 33, Madrid in the early days during the formation of Hett, Maylor & Co Ltd and The GSSR. He was heavily involved with the politics of the early days of The GSSR, dealing with the Companía del Puerto de Águilas as well as with the Governor of Murcia, Emilio Pérez Villanueva.

Between 1920 and 1924 he was registered as living with his wife Gertrude at 234, Lewisham High Road and working at 76, Queen Street, London.


George Loring Heredia

Sorry, image missingGeorge Loring Heredia was the son of George Loring Oyarzabal and a young engineer who supervised the labour for the construction of the line and stations but reduced the employees' wages to an extent that there were serious problems with both them and The GSSR. See here.


Alejandro Marín García

Sorry, image missingAlejandro Marín García was a mine owner and had the concession for a mine in The Sierra de Aguilón called Quien Tal Pensara (Who would have thought it), and Francisco Carrasco owned the neighbouring mine San José. As can be seen from the map, The GSSR ran straight through the mine concessions. Up until the arrival of The GSSR, the mines were effectively unproductive due to the costs of transport to the beach at Los Terreros 4 kilometres away. Instead of realizing the wonderful benefits of having a railway on their land, they took out legal action against the railway company which dragged on for many years, finally costing The GSSR 110,000 pesetas (about £585,000 in today's money). See the translation of El Boletín on this subject.


John Maylor

John Maylor (10th June 1827 - 5th November 1887) along with Edmund Sykes Hett created the company and was one of the first ten directors of Hett, Maylor & Co Ltd. He knew Edmund from about 1855 when he was an engineer in charge of the Marine Arsenal in Rio de Janeiro and shared quarters with him. They became firm friends. In 1857, Edmund married Julia Claudine Yarrow which meant that Maylor and he were related as Maylor had married her sister, Emily Cornelia in 1854, both in Rio de Janeiro. This also made John and Edmund the brothers-in-law to Thomas Alexander and Frederick John Yarrow and cousins-in-law to Alfred Fernandez Yarrow.


William McKerrow

William McKerrow (21st April 1844 - 27th May 1918). One of the first directors of The GSSR from 1900. Described as a merchant. In 1861 he was registered as living at Dornal, Auchinleck, Ayrshire, Scotland with his widower father and family. In 1871 he was registered in the census as living at Beansburn, Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, just 20 km up the road. It seems at this time that he was living alone with his siblings and was the 'Head' of the house, suggesting that they had lost both their parents in some way. He was married to Annie McKerrow (b: Bruce).
He migrated to the USA in 1914, at the age of 70. He is buried in Hampstead Cemetery. He left the sum of £34,725 18s 3d, equivalent to £2,500,000 at today's rates, in his estate.


Robert Mercer

Robert Mercer was one of the first seven directors of The GSSR as well as being an engineer for the company. In addition, he was one of the first ten directors of Hett, Maylor & Co. Ltd.
It is fair to assume that the first locomotive to be used on The GSSR (for construction) was named after him.

There is scant information about Robert, but we do know that in 1885, he was living in Bromley, Kent. He was born in 1839 and married in Orpington in 1882. The 1887 and 1888 censuses have him living at Rochester Place, Widmore Rd, Bromley, and then from 1891 to 1896 "Cottage at Priory, Orpington". It seems that he then, in 1902 at the age of 63, moved to Broomhill Road, Orpington.

He died in 1912 at 73 years of age.


Henry Andrew Micklem

Sorry, image missingColonel Henry Andrew Micklem, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. was a director of The GSSR for 37 years from 1914 to 1951 when the company was wound up. He spent most of his adult life in the British Army being seriously injured on a number of occasions. His Winchester College entry says:

"R.M.C. Sandhurst ; 2nd Lieut. R.E. 1891, Lieut. 1894, Capt. 1902, Brevet-Major
1902: D.S.O. 1898: attached to Egyptian Army 1897-9; served with Nile Expedition 1897 (Egyptian medal with clasp); with Nile Expedition 1898 (wounded, despatches, clasp to Egyptian medal, medal, 4th Medjidieh, D.S.O); in South African War 1899-1902 (severely wounded, despatches, Brevet-Major, medal with three clasps, King's medal with two clasps); employed on Central South African Railways 1902-4; under Chinese Mining and Engineering Co. since 1904. Address 36, Hans Place, S.W. Club Army and Navy.
'

There is an excellent article about Col. Micklem in Don Gaunt's website.

By 1918, he had been a director of The Bankers Investment Trust Ltd., Chinese Mining and engineering Co. Ltd., Greenwood & Batley Ltd., Zafra Huelva Railway Co., and South Crofty Ltd.

In 1938 he was registered as living at 36, Pall Mall, London (now rebuilt).


Jose Novaes

Sorry, image missingJose was responsible for the construction of the section between Águilas and Alcantarilla. This included the boring of the five tunnels in the section Puerto de Los Peines, the most geotechnically difficult section of the whole line.


Perry Fairfax Nursey

Perry Fairfax Nursey, who was born in 1831 in Burlingham St Andrew to Perry Dancer and Sarah Elizabeth Nursey, was one of the original seven members of The GSSR Board of Directors. He was President of The Society of Engineers in 1886. Interestingly, he was listed in the Certificate of Incorporation of The GSSR on the 17th December 1885 as President of The Society of Engineers. Presumably he already knew that he had been elected. His address at the time was given as 151, Fleet Street, London, E.C.

Perry Fairfax Nursey was married. He died on the 20th June 1907, leaving £1,258 9s 8d, the equivalent today being appoximately £150,000 to a spinster named Edith Margaret Nursey. His address was given as 75, Streathbourne Road, Upper Tooting.


Robert Charles Frederick Ogilvie

Sorry, image missingR.C.F. Ogilvie (20th September 1854 - 4th April 1908) was one of the two General Managers of The GSSR at Águilas Head Office from 1890 to May 1895, the other being Neil Kennedy. Mr Ogilvie was more involved with the general running of the company, allowing Kennedy to deal with the legal problems that were occurring at the time.

He was married to Catherine Barclay Ogilvie, leaving £14,078 6s 1d (approximately £1,700,000 at today's rates) in his estate. At the time of his death they were living at Waveney, Ditton Hill, Surrey. A year before he died, he inherited 560 shares in The Great Western Railway from Mr Patrick Ogilvie, his uncle.

His son, Sidney became head of Material and Traction for the company and stayed for a long time, being involved with the setting up of the football team and the Águilas Scouts.


Charles Hunter Pearson

Sorry, image missingCharles Hunter Pearson (1879 - 22nd October 1958) was a director of The GSSR between 1924 and 7th November 1951 when the company was wound up. He was chairman from approximately 1935 to the bitter end.

He was born in Altringham to a life 'under-the-stairs' as his parents were in service - his father being a butler and his mother a cook. From 1894 to 1909 he worked for The Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway. On the 7th January 1903 he married Nora Kate Allen (1879 - 1967). He emigrated on the 5th October 1909 to work for the board of The Central Argentine Railway becoming General Manager on the 1st October 1910. In 1920 he retired and returned to the UK.

He was a director of the following companies:

Alliance Investment Company
Bankers' Investment Trust
Beyer, Peacock & Co.
The Central Argentine Railway
Leopoldina Railway (chairman)
Leopoldina Terminal Company (chairman)
New Zealand & River Plate Land and Mortgage Co.
Rio de Janeiro Flour Mills & Granaries Co. (chairman)
Taltal Railway (chairman).

Charles Hunter Pearson died in Allan Down, Rotherfield, Sussex leaving an estate valued at £77,370 2s 6d equivalent to approximately £1,900,000 at today's rates.


Richard Popkiss

Sorry, image missingRichard Popkiss M.Inst. C.E. (23rd October 1856 - 4th December 1932) was invoved in the construction of The GSSR up until 1895.
He was a director of The GSSR from 1918 and chairman from 1924 until 1929, as well as a trustee when the company was in financial difficulties. See Finance.
Born in Brentford, he started his life on railways under his father Richard, working his way up from the bottom, later working hands-on on the London & South Western Railway extension into Plymouth and Devonport; in Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, Mexico and others. He was elected Associate Member of The Institue of Civil Engineers on the 5th December 1882, having been proposed by John Richards Manning.
Richard married Eliza Jane Cowie on the 16th September 1892 in Long Ditton and whilst working on the construction of The GSSR, they lived at Calle del Reloj where, on the 31st May 1893 they had a daughter, Dolores Milroy.

His last address was Malvern Lodge, Hook Road, Surbiton.

He was a director of the following companies:

American Cuban Estates Corporation
Argentine Transandine Railway
Cordoba and Rosario Railway
Cordoba Central Railway
Cuban Central Railways Ltd.
Havana Terminal Railroad Company
Interoceanic Railway of Mexico
Marianao & Havana Railroad
Matanzas Terminal Railway Co. Ltd.
Mexican Eastern Railway
Mexican Southern Railway
New Zealand Minerals Company
Perth Electric Tramways
Tucumán Tramways Light and Power Co. Ltd.
United Railways of the Havana & Regla Warehouses
Veracruz Terminal Company
Western Railway of Havana

He left the sum in his estate of £7,570 13s 11d equivalent to approximately £520,000 at today's rates.

Popkiss is on the right in this photograph.


Fitzpatrick William Bulkley Praed

One of the first Directors of The GSSR between 1900 and 1914. Declared as a secretary to Public Companies. He was replaced by Col. Micklem.
Along with Gerard Torrens he was responsible for the technical management of the project between Águilas, Almendricos, Lorca and Baza (the only section ever finished by The GSSR).

Fitzpatrick William Bulkley Praed was born in 1845 to Bulkley John Mackworth and Elizabeth Colthurst Praed in Shinfield, near Reading. He went to Harrow School, and at one time he was registered in a census as a barrister in The Temple.

Fitzpatrick died in 1914 at the age of 68.
A comment in the 28th AGM went as follows: “Before entering upon the report I will first say how deeply the directors regret the death of Mr Fitzpatrick Praed and the loss of his very hearty and effective cooperation. Mr Praed warmly identified himself with all that pertained to the company's interests and progress, and I am sure that this meeting will wish to be associated with an expression of sincere sympathy with Mrs Praed and other members of the family”.


Ivo Bosch Puig

Sorry, image missingBorn in Areyns de Mar, Barcelona in 1852, Ivo Bosch Puig became wealthy as a financier. He invested heavily in railway construction and was involved with the construction of the Baza to Guadix section.


Henry Atwell Purdon

Henry Atwell Purdon (1857-1927), the son of the Irish railway engineer Wellington Purdon and under whom he trained as an appretice for five years, was the General Manager of The GSSR between 1890 and 1897.

He worked for W.B. Lewis and C.G. Blatchley in Bromyard, Worcestershire and between 1877 and 1878 he worked on The Leominster Railway, for Mollett on the line between Abernant and Glyn-neath, for W. Shelford for The British Parliament, on The Downham and Stoke Ferry Railway and The Hull and Barnsley Railway.

He was originally recruited by Hett, Maylor & Co in November 1889 for the construction of the section between Gor and Granada, answering to Neil Kennedy.
After Kennedy's resignation and the problems with Hett, Maylor & Co., in December 1890 he was appointed General Manager of The GSSR in Spain. On the 4th May 1896 he opened the section between Águilas Station and the port.

His wife, Effie died on the 14th January 1897 at the age of 36 and it is presumed that that is why he resigned and returned to The UK. There are a number of documents extant signed by him. He was responsible for the construction of the section between Gor and Granada, taken over by The Granada Railway and The South of Spain Company.
He was present at a banquet on the 25th May 1910 at Hotel Cecil, London in representation of C.H. Walker & Co., the daughter company of Thomas A. Walker. The banquet was to celebrate the centenary of Argentine independence.


Bartolomé Ródenas Rosas

Sorry, image missingBartolomé was the contractor of building works along with his son Francisco, who was a young architect.


Francisco Ramírez Carmona

Francisco Ramírez Carmona was the first person to draw up plans for a railway from Granada to Murcia. On the 14th March 1884 he sold the plans to Edmund Sykes Hett, thus starting the saga of The GSSR.


Roberto Robert y Surís, Marquis of Robert

Sorry, image missingThe family of Roberto originated from Llagostera in Catalonia. He was born in Barcelona on the 15th January 1851 and was a politician, aristocrat, financier and businessman. In 1871, he became licenced in Law but dedicated himself to finance, becoming president of the Barcelona Board of Trade, Industry and Shipping and of Banco Hispano Colonial. In recognition of his achievements, Pope Leo XIII conferred him the Marquisate of Robert and in 1891 the Queen María Christina (wife of Alfonso XII) conferred the Marquesado de Serralavega. During his life, he gained many more accolades.

This is where it gets complicated, as there were conflicting concessions for the construction of railways between Murcia and Granada. The Compañía del Ferrocarril de Alcantarilla á Lorca of which Roberto was president, owned a concession for the Alcantarilla to Lorca section which opened on the 7th March 1892 thus allowing The GSSR to relinquish the Murcia - Lorca part of the concession for the Murcia to Granada Railway (the Murcia - Alcantarilla section having already been built by The Madrid-Zaragoza-Alicante Railway). In addition, he owned the concession for the Almendricos - Águilas section which, on the 21st June 1887, he passed to The GSSR.

Roberto died on the 20th July 1929.


George Russell

Sir George Russell, 4th Baronet M.P. was a director of The GSSR in 1886. He was born on 23 August 1828 the son of Sir Henry Russell, 2nd Bt. and Marie Clotilde de la Fontaine. He married Constance Charlotte Elisa Lennox, daughter of Lt. Col. Lord Arthur Lennox and Adelaide Constance Campbell, on 5 March 1867. At the time of his directorship of The GSSR he lived at Swallowfield Park, Reading.
He held the offices of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) and Recorder for Wokingham, and was a practising barrister. He held the office of Judge of the County Court (Circuit No 49) between 1874 and 1885 and was a Member of Parliament (Conservative) for East Berkshire.
He died on the 7th March 1898 age 69.


Alejandro Santamaría de Paz

Sorry, image missingAlejandro Santamaría de Paz was the Medical Director of The GSSR in Spain. He was responsible for the healthcare of up to 900 railway workers and their families as well as for the training of first aid to volunteers who subsequently passed the St John's Association exams. He was present on the two occasions of major accidents, the one at Pulpí where he attended many injured passengers. He was a great friend of George Boag, they both enjoying motorcyle outings together on days off.

Alejandro was the son of Juan Santamaría del Pozo, the GSSR engineer.


Juan Santamaría del Pozo

Sorry, image missingJuan Santamaría del Pozo was born to Alejandro Santamaría and Basilia Santamaría (born del Pozo). He married Catalina Santamaría del Pozo (nee de Paz y Estrada in Rambla (Granada)). They had 2 children: Alejandro Santamaría de Paz (who became the Chief Medical Officer of The GSSR) and one other child.

He was employed by The GSSR as an engineer and worked on the construction of the railway. He was present at the opening ceremony of The GSSR on 24th March 1890. He died in 1898.


Eduardo Argenti Schülz

Sorry, image missingSorry, image missing Eduardo was the chief engineer of The GSSR in the early days and was responsible for getting the approval for the Águilas to Almendricos section. He built a beautiful beach house at La Carolina, now sadly a ruin.

Interestingly, around 1870 he was working in Vizcaya (The Basque Country) on the same mining railway as was bought in about 1880 by Hett, Maylor.


Chas. J.C. Scott

Charles (Chas.) J C Scott (b: 1849 Jamaica) was a director of The GSSR in 1887. He was also director of:

The Union Bank of Spain and England Ltd.
The Manila Railway Company Ltd (see also The Manila Dagupán Railway).
North British Mercantile Insurance Company Ltd.
The Mexican Railway Company Ltd.
The London and India Docks.

It seems that he was also a member of Richmond Cricket Club.
In the 1881 census he was living at Safwell House, Kings Road, Richmond upon Thames with his wife Constance L, his son, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, which must have been stressful.


David Cooper Scott

David Cooper Scott was a major investor (over 5 million pounds at today's rates) in Hett, Maylor & Co Ltd. His address at the time was Lamorbey Park, Bexley. He was described as a 'merchant'.

He was born in Brechin in 1826 to George Cooper and Anne Laing. He married Jesuina Wilson in Bahia on the 20th November 1857. Jesuina (or Jessie) was the second daughter of Edward Pellew Wilson who was the brother of Fleetwood Wilson for whom Edmund Sykes Hett was working as a clerk when he was 18, and where he met David and Edward. They subsequently, in 1850, went to Bahia to set up the company Wilson, Scott & Hett. On the 30th June 1870 he was widowed when Jessie died at Broadwater Down, Tunbridge Wells. She was just 30 years of age.

On the 12th June 1872 he married Christina Mary Fraser in Aberdeen, who gave him a daughter on the 10th July 1876.

David retired from three companies with which he was involved on the 31st December 1862, those being involved with Edmund Sykes Hett as Merchants and Commission agents. These were:

Scott, Hett & Co. Río de Janeiro
Wilson, Scott & Co. Bahia
Scott, Wilson & Co., Pernambuco

In 1876 he was a stockholder in The Mercantile Bank of The River Plate Ltd., with the address Invery House, Banchory.

He died on the 22nd June 1890 leaving an estate of £64,907 3s 1d, approximately equivalent to £8,500,000 at today's rates.


M Servyson

One of the original directors of The GSSR from 1900. He died in 1901.


Robert Maughan Taylor

Robert Maughan Taylor (1868-1896) worked for a short time in 1888 for The GSSR.


Gerard Philip Torrens

Gerard Philip Torrens (10th April 1852 - 26th May 1905) was one of the original directors from 1892, and from 1900 Chairman of The GSSR, and director of The Hornillo Company from its inception in 1902 until 1905, when he died at the relatively young age of 53.

He was declared physically unfit to enter the Indian Civil Service so from 1872 to 1875 he was employed on the construction of railways in Sweden as well as The East Argentine and Bolivar Railways in South America (1874 - 75), returning to England in 1876.

In 1879 he moved to Spain as Engineer and Manager of The Carthagena and Herrerias Steam Tramways, eventually becoming Managing Director in London.

Gerard married Alice Emma Goodson in Kensington on 11th June 1879 before moving to Spain. Speaking fluent Spanish, he became the most important advisor on railways in southern Spain at that time. He returned to England in 1886 to try to find partners for the construction of a railway to Águilas resulting in the agreement on the 27th September 1887 between Edmund Sykes Hett, Hett, Maylor & Co Ltd and The GSSR. He stayed on the board for the whole of the construction period, and along with Fitzpatrick Praed he was responsible for the technical management of the Águilas-Lorca-Baza section. In April 1889 he made his first inspection of the line from Lorca. In 1891, he again returned to Spain to carry out inspections of the works on the line. It was at this point that he employed Jean Louis Lecoq and David Cooper Scott to produce a report on the works carried out to date for the hearing in London. He carried out another inspection visit in 1904, intending to ask the shareholders for more money to complete the section to Granada but died before being able to do so.

He was also a Chairman of the:

Conde d'Eu Railway

and director of:

Barcelona Tramways
The Zafra and Huelva Railway
The Shelton Bar and Iron Company
The United Railways of Havana.


He was also the Assistant Engineer on construction of The East Argentine Railway.

See also Grace's Guide.


Thomas Webb

Thomas Webb was a Welsh colliery proprietor, probably connected with David Davies. He was one of the first seven directors of The GSSR on it's inception in 1885 but only stayed that year.


Edward Woods

Sorry, image missingEdward Woods, Esq., M. Inst. C.E., (28th April 1814 - 14th June 1903) was Past President of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a director of The GSSR from 1887 until 1900. He was also a director of the Reyna Mining Company from 1880 and Engineer in Chief of the Bilbao Mining Company Limited from 1871 and chairman of The City of Buenos Ayres Tramways Company Ltd.


Alfred Edwin Yarrow

Alfred Edwin Yarrow (22nd November 1838 - 11th July 1905) was a brother-in-law of Edmund Sykes Hett and director of 'United National Collieries Limited', David Davies being the Managing Director. He was also a director of a mercantile business in Uruguay and Brazil with Henry Herbert Hett and Alfred Fernandez Yarrow called Yarrow, Hett & Co. from which he retired on 31st December 1872.


Alfred Fernandez Yarrow

Sorry, image missingSir Alfred Fernandez Yarrow, 1st Baronet of Homestead was one of the first seven directors of The GSSR from 1885 to 1886. He was an industrialist and the father of the Yarrow Shipbuilding dynasty.

He was born on the 13th January 1842 to Edgar Williams Yarrow and Esther (née: Lindo). His first marriage was to Minnie Florence Franklin, daughter of Frank Franklin and Theodosia (née Balderson). He married again in later life Eleanor Cecilia, the daughter of W Goodwin Barnes on the 2nd December 1922. In addition, he was cousin-in-law to both John Maylor and Edmund Sykes Hett and cousin to Thomas Alexander and Frederick John Yarrow. He was a director of 'The African Steamship Company Limited', 'Yarrow & Co. Ltd.', 'Yarrow, Hett & Co.' with Henry Herbert Hett and Alfred Edwin Yarrow, and 'The African International Flotilla and Transport Company Limited'. An inventor, he was a regular contributor to 'Mechanical Engineering Magazine'. See also Graces Guide.

Alfred Fernandez Yarrow died on the 24th January 1932 in The Savoy Hotel at the age of 90 leaving £248,625 17s 1d, the equivalent today being approximately 18 million pounds.


Frederick John Yarrow

Frederick John Yarrow (1844 - 1928) was one of the first ten directors of Hett, Maylor & Co. Ltd. He married Eliza (nee: Guthrie) in 1872. He was the brother of Thomas Alexander Yarrow and cousin to Alfred Fernandez Yarrow as well as brother-in-law to John Maylor and Edmund Sykes Hett. He was a director of 'The Gartmore Ceylon Tea Company Company Limited' and 'The Seville Tramways Company Limited', whose secretary was A.F. Judd, the same secretary of The GSSR. Additionally, he was a director of 'Wilson, Sons & Co. Ltd.' along with Edmund Sykes Hett and E.E.M. Hett, and 'Deep Navigation Colleries Limited' as was David Davies.


Harold Edgar Yarrow

Sorry, image missingSir Harold Edgar Yarrow was the son of Alfred Fernandez Yarrow and the inheritor of the 'Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd' empire. He was also a director of 'The Steel Company of Scotland Limited'.


Thomas Alexander Yarrow

Thomas Alexander Yarrow (29th March 1846 - 15th January 1912) was one of the first ten directors of Hett, Maylor & Co. Ltd. He was brother to Frederick John Yarrow, cousin to Alfred Fernandez Yarrow and brother-in-law to John Maylor and Edmund Sykes Hett. He was a director of 'The Kootenay Valleys Company Limited', owner of about 78,000 acres of land with water rights in British Columbia; 'The British Columbia New Gold Fields Corporation Limited'and 'Athabasca Gold Mine Limited'.




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