Sir (Eric) Bertram Rowcroft
(1891-1963), Major-GeneralSitter in 4 portraits
by Walter Stoneman
bromide print, May 1942
NPG x164075
by Elliott & Fry
quarter-plate negative, August 1958
NPG x86006
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Di Middlemass
02 June 2016, 13:22
EB Rowcroft was born at West Kensington London England on 28 Jan 1891 to Col George Francis Rowcroft (1861-1953) and Florence Marion Eva Rowcroft ( nee Hennessy) (1859-1943). He died 21 Dec 1963 at Lyme Regis West Dorset England.
Mechanical Engineers, died on 27th December 1963 at the age of 72.
Educated at Haileybury and the Regent Street Polytechnic, Sir Bertram first joined the Territorial Army in 1908. A year later he decided to take up a military career and, after passing into the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, he was gazetted to the Army Service Corps in 1911. He served with transport units during the 1914-18 war and later he went out to India, Ceylon and Palestine.
His outstanding work with the Supply and Transport Directorate during the early part of the 1939-45 war made him the natural choice when a man of high organizational and technical ability was needed to guide the formation of a new technical Corps; REME. His consummate skill and great energy proved equal to the task and he not only brought the Corps into being but also made long-term plans for its role in peace. He retired in 1946 though he was able to retain his association with the Corps as Colonel Commandant from that year until 1956.
Sir Bertram became an Associate Member of this Institution in 1925 and transferred to Member in 1942. He delivered a James Clayton Lecture in 1947.
With all his brilliance and efficiency he was nevertheless a very human and charming person and he will be much missed by his many friends in all walks of life.
In 1942 the Mechanical Engineering Directorate at the War Office was established under the Director of Mechanical Engineering (DME), Major-General E B Rowcroft (later Sir Bertram Rowcroft). A plan for the subsequent development of the Corps was drawn up in three stages of nine months each, and in almost every detail planned target dates were achieved. In India the IEME was formed, which was separate from REME since at this time the Indian Army was a separate organisation although many officers and technical personnel were British. HQ REME Training Establishment was formed at Arborfield to control REME technical training. The repair system in the field was reorganised so that repair could be carried out as far forward as possible. The take-over from RAOC of responsibility for scaling of spares was completed. DMEs and deputies were appointed to all major headquarters of the field army and deputy directors were appointed to all static command headquarters. Commanders REME were appointed to divisions and Brigade EMEs to brigades.