P001044 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human McCarthy, G.J.; Ken McInnes updated 2026-04-29 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P001044b.htm person Corlette James Montagu Christian DSO CMG VD HonFIEAust AACR2 25 August 1880 11 December 1969 Place of Birth Ashfield, New South Wales, Australia Place of Death Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Civil engineer Military engineer James Corlette was the Chief engineer of the Hunter District Water Supply and Sewerage Board from 1925 until 1945, after commencing as an engineer with the Board in 1908. As Chief Engineer, Corlette was in charge of the operation, maintenance and expansion of the water supply, sewerage and drainage services of a rapidly growing coal mining, industrial and agricultural area, comprising Newcastle, Maitland, Cessnock, Kurri and a number of other towns, with a total population of nearly 250,000. The investigations which he carried out for the Board and the methods of construction developed by him were many and varied, and included the development of a water supply from watercharged sandbeds north of Newcastle, with a daily capacity of fifteen million gallons, and the elimination of foul odours from sewer ventilations, the latter being the result of a considerable amount of original experimental research. He also had a long and distinguished military career: serving in the Volunteer Militia 1900-1913; serving at Gallipoli and France during World War I - rising to Lieutenant-Colonel and Commander Royal Engineers, 2nd Australian Division; serving between the wars as a brigadier with the Australian Military Forces; and serving with the Volunteer Defence Corps during World War II. In 1966, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of Newcastle, and the Corlette Fountain Court in the engineering school of the University was given in his memory in 1973. His wife, Ruby, was awarded the British War Medal for her full-time voluntary service in London during World War I.

Major Projects:
* Surveyed and mapped 750 sq. miles (1942 km²) around Newcastle for the Australian Military in 1908;
* Designed and constructed Tomago Sandbeds water-supply for Newcastle;
* Pioneered the use of 54 in. (137 cm) continuously welded steel water-mains;
* Completed sewerage works for Wallsend, Kurri Kurri, Belmont, Toronto, Cardiff and Boolaroo;
* Member, NSW Committee of Enquiry to investigate waterlogging of Yanco No.1 Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area.

1900 1913 Military service - Voluntary Militia, Sydney, Kalgoorlie, Newcastle 1902 1902 Education - Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) (BE Hons), University of Sydney 1903 1903 Education - Bachelor of Mining and Metallurgy (Hons), University of Sydney 1904 1905 Career position - Demonstrator, Engineering school, University of Sydney 1905 1907 Career position - Lecturer, Kalgoorlie School of Mines 1908 1908 Career event - Member, Northern Engineering Institute of New South Wales [Foundation member when it re-formed in 1908] 1908 1925 Career position - Engineer, Hunter District Water Supply and Sewerage Board 6 Dec 1910 6 Dec 1910 Career event - Associate Member (AssocMInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London 1914 1914 Life event - Married Ruby Saunders, St James Church, Sydney NSW 1914 1919 Military service - First World War. Major rising to Lt.Col commanding 2nd Australian Division, Australian Military Forces, Gallipoli and Europe. 1917 1917 Award - Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) - AIF - Engineers 1919 1919 Career event - Foundation Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia 1919 1919 Award - Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) - AIF, Engineers - France & Flanders 1919 1919 Award - Croix de Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, Republic of France 1920 1969 Career position - Committee member, Newcastle division, Institution of Engineers Australia 1923 1923 Award - Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration (VD), for long and meritorious service as a part-time commissioned officer 1925 1945 Career position - Chief Engineer, Hunter District Water Supply and Sewerage Board 1927 1928 Career position - Chairman, Newcastle division, Institution of Engineers Australia 1927 1956 Career position - President, United Service Club, Newcastle 1927 1959 Career position - Councillor, Institution of Engineers Australia 11 Jan 1927 11 Jan 1927 Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London 1930 1930 Career position - President, Institution of Engineers Australia 11 May 1937 11 May 1937 Award - King George VI Coronation Medal 1941 1943 Military service - Group commander, Volunteer Defence Corps, Newcastle area 1944 1944 Award - Warren Memorial Prize 1945, Institution of Engineers Australia 1945 1945 Career position - Member, NSW Committee of Enquiry to investigate waterlogging of Yanco No.1 Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area 1945 1945 Life event - Retired 1945 1945 Career position - Consulting engineer 1947 1947 Award - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - Career Achievement Award in Engineering. Institution of Engineers Australia 1954 1954 Career position - President, Newcastle division, Australian Planning Institute 1960 1960 Award - Honorary Member (HonMIEAust), Institution of Engineers, Australia 1966 1966 Award - Doctor of Engineering (DEng), honoris causa, University of Newcastle 1968 1968 Award - Honorary Fellow (HonFIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia [Former Hon.Members were designated Hon.Fellows on this date.] W. H. Warren Medal, Institution of Engineers, Australia (1926 - )

Awarded Warren Memorial Prize 1945, for the paper "Water supply for Newcastle, N.S.W., from the Tomago sand beds", Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, vol.16, no.7-8, Jul-Aug 1944, pp.137-147, and vol.16, no.9, Sep 1944 pp.161-171.

 Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal, Institution of Engineers, Australia (1922 - )

Awarded the Medal 1947.

 Institution of Engineers, Australia (1919 - )

Elected Honorary Member/Fellow 1960; President 1930; Councillor 1927 - 1959; Chairman Newcastle division 1927 - 1928; Committee member Newcastle division 1920 - 1969.

Wikidata

 Corlette, James Montagu Christian (1880-1969)

Trove

 'Corlette, James Montagu Christian', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Corlette, James Montagu Christian Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Resource: Honorary degrees University of Newcastle Honorary degrees University of Newcastle 2023 Journal Article: Twenty-eighth Annual Report [1947] Institution of Engineers Australia Twenty-eighth Annual Report [1947] 1948 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 20 1-3 1-12 Journal Article: Twenty-seventh Annual Report [1946] Institution of Engineers Australia Twenty-seventh Annual Report [1946] 1947 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 19 1 10-23 Journal Article: Water Supply for Newcastle, N.S.W., from the Tomago Sandbeds [Part 2] Corlette, J. M. C. Water Supply for Newcastle, N.S.W., from the Tomago Sandbeds [Part 2] 1944 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 16 9 161-171 Journal Article: Floating barrel jetties - An episode at Gallipoli Corlette, J. M. C. Floating barrel jetties - An episode at Gallipoli 1916 Commonwealth Engineer 3 11 319 Journal Article: Ventilation of sewers by exhaust fan Corlette, J. M. C. Ventilation of sewers by exhaust fan 1944 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 16 10-11 214-216 Journal Article: Some investigations into the ventilation of sewers and deodorisation of sewer gases Corlette, J. M. C. Some investigations into the ventilation of sewers and deodorisation of sewer gases 1927 Transactions of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 8 71-86 Journal Article: Small sewage pumping stations - as used in the Newcastle Sewerage Systems Corlette, J. M. C. Small sewage pumping stations - as used in the Newcastle Sewerage Systems 1931 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 3 3 113-114 Journal Article: Presidential address [1931] Corlette, James Montagu Christian Presidential address [1931] 1931 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 3 4 126-132 Journal Article: New water screening system at Chichester Dam Corlette, J. M. C. New water screening system at Chichester Dam 1934 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 6 8 287-289 Journal Article: Construction of a 54-inch continuously welded steel watermain laid above ground Corlette, J. M. C.; Smallman, W. S. Construction of a 54-inch continuously welded steel watermain laid above ground 1946 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 18 4-5 93-99 Journal Article: Water Supply for Newcastle, N.S.W., from the Tomago Sandbeds [Part 1] Corlette, J. M. C. Water Supply for Newcastle, N.S.W., from the Tomago Sandbeds [Part 1] 1944 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 16 7-8 137-147 Journal Article: Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal: 1947 Award [Colonel James Motagu Christian Corlette] Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal: 1947 Award [Colonel James Motagu Christian Corlette] 1947 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 19 9-12 205 Resource: Civil Engineer Membership Forms, 1818-1930 Institution of Civil Engineers, London Civil Engineer Membership Forms, 1818-1930 ancestry.com Journal Article: Obituary: James Montagu Christian Corlette Obituary: James Montagu Christian Corlette 1970 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 42 1-2 N26