Major-General E. R. Festing, C.B., F.R.S.

Abstract

ALARGE circle of friends, both amongst his late colleagues and followers of science and and art, will be grieved to hear of the death of Major-General E. R. Festing (late R.E.) on Thursday last, May 16, from heart failure. Festing was born in 1839, and was educated at Carshalton during the headmastership of Prichett. He was transferred to the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, and from there was gazetted as a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers when he was only fifteen years of age. His teachers often held up Festing as a worthy example to follow. He learnt thoroughly all he had to learn whilst under tuition, and he had the reputation of being “a calculating boy” from his early youth. The present writer has often had opportunities of knowing that in Festing's later years this power of mental arithmetic had not deserted him. In 1857 the young lieutenant of seventeen was sent to India as one of the officers of a company of sappers and miners, in which capacity he served under Sir Hugh Rose until 1859. On his return from India he was selected by Sir Henry Cole as deputy general superintendent at South Kensington. On the reorganisation of the museum he was appointed assistant director of the Science Museum, with charge of the Works Department under Sir Philip Owen. On this officer's retirement he was appointed director of the Science Museum, which office he held until his own retirement in 1904. For his services to the Department he was created a C.B. in 1900.