RODNEY CRAIG | OBITUARY


RODNEY CRAIG Rodney Craig spent his tunnelling career with Sir William Halcrow and Partners. Highly respected, he helped on many projects across the UK and worldwide. He died in October


Rodney was born in Cheadle Hulme, Manchester, the youngest of two brothers and a sister, but was very proud of his Scottish roots from the Craig side of the family. During the war he was temporarily evacuated to Burton on Trent. After, he attended Arden House School in Warwickshire, then Clifton College, in Bristol. Rodney was an enthusiastic sportsman, playing


hockey, rugby, participating in athletics, and later squash, with many recalling his love of tennis. At school he developed his life-long love of the outdoors, with excursions up mountains in extreme weathers, fell running and potholing. After A-Levels, Rodney studied Engineering at Queen’s


College Dundee, then part of St. Andrews University. It was here that he first met Joan, his future wife for 60 years, but it was only after moving to London that they re-met by chance. After graduating Rodney joined Sir William Halcrow


and Partners (SWHP) where he remained for his whole career. He was involved for a short time stabilising coal tips in South Wales following the Aberfan disaster. His early tunnelling career included road tunnels under the River Clyde and Seven Sisters station on the Victoria Line. Rodney was seconded into the Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL) to conduct a review of tunnel lining practice in the UK, which was published in 1978. He also conducted a State of the Art Review on Pipe Jacking, in 1983, for CIRIA. His tunnelling project work took him all around


the world: to Egypt and under the Suez Canal, Brazil, Australia, China, Canada, the Middle East and South America as well as extensive work in Europe. Rodney was also an important influence on projects closer to home, such as the DLR, Heathrow Express, Piccadilly and Jubilee Line Extensions, Crossrail, and the Channel Tunnel. He was made a Director of SWHP and Head of Tunnelling in 1987. He was a constant supporter of the BTS, serving on the Committee for many years. For several years, Rodney was animateur for ITA’s Working Group 15 ‘Underground Works and the Environment’. Rodney officially retired in 1998, though continued


to work several days a week, including advising on projects in the UK and abroad. He was awarded the James Clark Medal by the BTS in 2004 for his life-time contributions to the Society and to tunnelling. Even after full retirement, he continued his world travels with Joan, often extending their stays to visit a tunnel or dam. Rodney and Joan spent most of their married life


at Dell Cottage, an isolated house in the Chiltern Hills with a large garden, where they raised their daughters,


Above: Rodney Craig January 2025 | 9


Rachel and Sarah. His practical nature led him to design and construct outbuildings and walls with predictable meticulous accuracy, and together they filled the beds with shrubs, perennials and vegetables which was clearly a shared labour of love. Joan researched the plants through her love of books, and Rodney laboured in his wellies and muddy trousers. The other constant throughout Rodney’s life was the church and serving on the Parochial Church Council, which took him on a visit to Jerusalem, where he naturally took the opportunity to walk through a 2500-year old tunnel. In 2021 a fall at home resulted in a spinal injury which


changed family life. He underwent surgery with long stays at a Spinal Centre and a Care Home. He made the most of the beautiful gardens there, accepting his situation with grace and dignity. Along with Joan, he even made the arduous journey to the James Clark Medal winners’ Lunch following the Covid hiatus. Colleagues will remember Rodney as knowledgeable,


hardworking, dedicated, with an enthusiasm for his subject, but always calm, understated and avoiding being the centre of attention. He would listen carefully and patiently, offer advice when required and be generous with his time, and unfailingly be kind and share his extensive knowledge. Rodney was the perfect mentor for those fortunate enough to work under him. Fellow tunnellers in the BTS wish to express that their


thoughts are with, and thanks go to Joan, Rachel and Sarah for generously sharing their reflections on their sorely missed husband and father.


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