Obituary MR H. M. REID

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30499, 22 July 1964, Page 16

Obituary MR H. M. REID

The death has occurred in Christchurch of Mr H. Murray Reid, chief engineer of the North Canterbury Catchment Beard since 1952. He was 60.

Mr Reid, who was educated at the Auckland Grammar School and Auckland University College, was an associate member of the Institute of Civil Engineers (London) and the New Zealand Institution of Engineers. He was also a member of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors, and a past president of the New Zealand Institute of County Engineers. After preliminary field experience in Auckland, Mr Reid became assistant engineer to the Waitemata County Council. He then joined the Public Works Department at Whangarei.

In 1928 he became assistant engineer to the Otamatea County Council and engineer

to the Raupo Drainage Board. In 1936 he was appointed assistant engineer to the Dannevirke County Council and two years later became the Waitaki county engineer. Before his appointment to the North Canterbury Catchment Board, Mr Reid was the chief engineer of the Rangitikei County Council and the Rangitikei Catchment Board. Mr Reid enlisted in 1940 and commanded the 6th and Bth Field Companies of the New Zealand Engineers in the Middle East with the rank of major. He was wounded and taken prisoner at Tripoli, and had his left arm amputated.

He was later freed by the Bth Army. Mr Reid was mentioned in dispatches and awarded the Military Cross on Ruweisat Ridge and was awarded a bar to the cross after the last Battle of Alamein.

Mr Reid went to England in 1943 with the rank of lieutenant-colonel to command the New Zealand Forestry Group. Mr Reid was the author of “The Turning Point,” a record of the New Zealand Engineers at El Alamem.

A month ago Mr Reid was appointed colonel-command-ant of the Royal New Zealand Engineers, Territorial Force. After the war Mr Reid was engineer-manager of Earthworks Ltd., at Palmerston North. In 1947 he went to Rangitikei where he was concerned with the planning of the £160,000 flood-control project on the Rangitikei river. Mr Reid is survived by his wife and two sons, Graeme (Christchurch) and Owen (Featherston).