Person
Leach, John Digby (Digby) (1897 - 1966)
CBE
- Born
- 25 November 1897
Yarm-on-Tees, Yorkshire, England - Died
- 26 October 1966
Perth, Western Australia, Australia - Occupation
- Civil engineer and Public servant
Summary
Digby Leach, CBE BSc BE MIEAust, was an engineer with the Main Roads Board / Department, Western Australia, from its establishment in 1926, rising to the position of Commissioner from 1952. Works under his administration included the planning of the metropolitan road system; the first major works required by that plan - the Perth-Canning Bridge section of the Kwinana Freeway, and the Narrows Bridge and approaches; and the construction of low-cost developmental roads in sparsely populated areas using a technique of mechanical stabilization suitable for dry conditions.
Active within the engineering profession, he was Chairman of the Perth Division of the Institution of Engineers Australia in 1949, and was National President in 1964. His outstanding engineering service was acknowledged when he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1964.
He was also a member of the Metropolitan Region Planning Committee, the Tourist Development Authority, President
of the Astronomical Society of W.A., Vice-President of the National Safety Council, a member of the Australian Road Research Board, and a member of the Institute of Transport.
Leach is commemorated by the naming of the Leach Highway, in Perth, Western Australia, and Leach Street, in Monash, ACT.
Details
Chronology
- 1906
- Life event - Emigrated to Fremantle, Australia, with parents.
- 1910
- Education - Perth Boys School. Primary Examination Certificate, issued by University of Adelaide
- 1916 - 1919
- Military service - First World War. Gunner, 3rd Brigade Artillery, Australian Imperial Force [served in France]
- 1921
- Career event - Student Member (StudIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1922
- Education - Bachelor of Science (Engineering), University of Western Australia [Completion delayed by Military Service]
- 1922 - 1923
- Career position - Field surveying assistant, Public Works Department, Western Australia
- 1923 - 1926
- Career position - Assistant Engineer, Public Works Department, Western Australia
- 1925
- Life event - Married Grace Lilian Wright, Perth, Western Australia
- 1926 - 1927
- Career position - Engineer, Main Roads Board, Western Australia
- 1927
- Career event - Junior Member (JrIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1927
- Career event - Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1927 - 1931
- Career position - District Engineer, Main Roads Board, Western Australia
- 1932 - 1940
- Career position - Executive engineer to Director of Works and to the Commissioner of Main Roads
- 1935
- Education - Bachelor of Engineering (BE), by thesis, University of Western Australia
- 1946 - 1951
- Career position - Chief Engineer, Main Roads Department
- 1948
- Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1949
- Career position - Chairman, Perth Division, Institution of Engineers, Australia
- 1950 - 1951
- Career position - Member of Council, Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1951 - 1952
- Career position - Deputy Commissioner, Main Roads Department, Western Australia
- 1952
- Career position - Commissioner, Main Roads Department, Western Australia
- 1953 - 1954
- Career position - President, Astronomical Society of Western Australia
- 1959 - 1966
- Career position - Member of Council, Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1960 - 1964
- Career position - Board Member, Australian Road Research Board
- 1962 - 1963
- Career position - Vice-President, Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1964
- Career position - President, Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1964
- Award - Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) - Commissioner of Main Roads - Western Australia
- 1966
- Life event - Memorialised, Crematorium Rose garden, Karrakatta Cemetery
Related entries
Published resources
Books
- Edmonds, Leigh, The vital link : a history of Main Roads Western Australia 1926-1996 (Nedlands, WA: University of Western Australia Press, 1997), 516 pp. Details
Journal Articles
- 'President of The Institution for 1964 [J. D. Leach]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 36 (4-5) (1964), N27. Details
- 'Obituary : John Digby Leach - Past President', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 38 (12) (1966), N122. Details
- Leach, J. D., 'The building of the main and developmental road system in Western Australia, 1926-1956', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 28 (12) (1956), 317-326. Details
- Leach, J. D., 'Presidential address [1965] - The role of the engineer in the development of the resources of Australia and its Territories', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 37 (4-5) (1965), 97-102. Details
- Leach, John Digby, 'Corrugations on gravel roads [Abstract of Paper]', Transactions of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 7 (1927), 591-594, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.865086884533934. Details
Resources
- CA 2001 Australian Imperial Force, Base Records Office, 'NAA: B2455, Leach John Digby', B2455 First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, National Archives of Australia, RecordSearch, https://RecordSearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=7377849. Details
Resource Sections
- 'Engineering Heritage : Biographies', in Engineering Heritage Australia : wiki website, Engineering Heritage Australia, 2024, https://heritage.engineersaustralia.org.au/wiki/Person:Leach,_Digby. Biography: Digby Leach. Details
Ken McInnes
Created: 17 July 2025, Last modified: 6 August 2025