John Poland Bowen

Sir John Poland Bowen, born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, was the son of Mr. John Owen Bowen, borough engineer of Reading. He was educated at Westminster School and graduated from the University of London. He was formerly engineer-in-chief of Trinity House, which is the organisation responsible for all navigational aids, including lighthouses and buoy in the waters of England, Wales, the Channel Is and Gibraltar, and also training navigators for ships in northern European waters.

During World War I, 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. Sir John wrote the book *British Lighthouses* (1947), and for many years contributed a chapter on "Channel Demarcation" to *Kempe's Engineers Year-Book*, for many years a standard reference work of practical engineering information in the United Kingdom, covering a wide range of subjects.

Source: [Grace's Guide to British Industrial History](https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/John_Poland_Bowen)