George Jackson Churchward

George Jackson Churchward CBE (January 31, 1857 – December 19, 1933) was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Western Railway (GWR) in the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1922. Churchward was born in Stoke Gabriel, Devon and was educated at Totnes Grammar School. He apprenticed in the Newton Abbot works of the South Devon Railway and under Joseph Armstrong in the GWR's Swindon Works. At Swindon he rose from draughtsman through several positions, including Carriage Works Manager, and in 1897 was appointed Chief Assistant to William Dean. After 5 years as Chief Assistant, he succeeded Dean as Locomotive Superintendent. In 1900 he became the first mayor of Swindon. In the 19th and early 20th century, railway companies were fiercely...