Sidney William Johnson CEng MIET, June 1926 – April 2022
Published: Wed 4 May 2022
Sidney Johnson, known by everyone as Sid, sadly passed away on 12 April 2022, surrounded by his family.
Sid was born in Sheerness, Kent, and grew up near the sea with his family.
His professional engineering career started in 1942 when he took on a five-year electrical apprenticeship at Sheerness Dockyard during the 2nd World War.
It was during his apprentice that he joined the IET as a member in 1947, where he remained for a further 75 years into his retirement and beyond.
When he passed the Admiralty Draughtsman exam, he was sent on a one-year placement to Rosyth Naval Dockyard on the Firth of Forth in Scotland, where he was involved in electrical work on naval ships as well as in the shipyards and naval air stations.
In 1950, he moved to work at the Kent County Architects Department in Maidstone, Kent, as an Engineering Assistant helping to define and implement electrical installations for properties across the county.
Sid also worked part-time as a lecturer at the Sheerness Technical Evening Institute, forming part of his accreditation for full IET membership, which he achieved in 1968 and became a Chartered Engineer.
In 1957, Sid joined Reed International Consultants Ltd. as an Electrical Project Engineer, and was involved in the building of many new paper factories both within the UK and on secondments around the world.
Sid spent most of his career at Reeds until finally being made redundant in 1982 after 25 years with the company.
He then moved into semi-retirement, working as a freelance contractor where his skills and experience with electrical installations meant he could help with building upgrades to meet the needs of computer installations.
He finally made the decision to officially retire when he reached 70-years-old.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Marian, two children Amanda and David, and four grandchildren, who will miss him greatly.