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Sir John Bowen (1886-1955)

Sir John Bowen was Engineer-In-Chief of the Corporation of Trinity House, from which position he retired in 1951. He rebuilt or repaired the lighthouses at Longstone, Casquets and Sark, all of which suffered damage from WWII.

He was born in 1886, son of the late Mr. John Bowen, borough engineer of Reading. He was educated at Westminster School and graduated in the University of London. During the first world war, Sir John served in France with the Royal Engineers, and following his demobilisation he joined the engineering staff of Trinity House. He spent the remainder of his professional career there, being appointed to the position of engineer-in-chief in 1924. Sir John was created C.B.E. in 1945, and the honour of Knight Bachelor was conferred upon him in 1952, following his retirement from Trinity House at the beginning of that year. For many years, Sir John contributed a chapter on "Channel Demarcation" to Kempe's Engineer's Year-Book.