Civil engineer.
Born at Solihull, Warwickshire, England on 17 August 1888, son of Richard Arthur Prior Taunton and Mary Showell, he emigrated to Canada and obtained an engineering degree from the University of Manitoba in 1912. At the outset of the First World War, he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and served overseas with the 44th Battalion, receiving a Distinguished Service Order at Vimy Ridge.
After returning from military duty, he worked for several years in the bridge department of the Canadian National Railway. He then became the District Bridge Engineer with the Manitoba Bridge Commission. In 1924, he served as President of the Association of Professional Engineers of Manitoba. In April 1946, he joined the City of Winnipeg Engineering Department as Deputy City Engineer and Bridge Engineer. He retired in August 1958 but came out of retirement to supervise construction of the Disraeli Freeway.
He and wife Mildred Chadwick Leggo (1890-1970) had three daughters: Mary Gertrude “Mollie” Taunton (1914-?, wife of ? Broadfoot), Nancy Mildred Taunton (1919-2006, wife of Frank J. Steele), and Joan Frances Taunton (1920-2005, wife of William Bruce Still).
He died at West Vancouver, British Columbia on 19 March 1974.
Some of his design work in Manitoba included:
Building
Location
Year
Status
Red River, Selkirk
1935-1936
Attestation papers, Canadian Expeditionary Force, Library and Archives Canada.
“Joan Frances Taunton weds in Fort Garry on Saturday,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 November 1944, page 11.
“Taunton to retire for the last time,” Winnipeg Tribune, 25 October 1960.
Death registrations [Mildred Chadwick Taunton, Arthur John S. Taunton], British Columbia Vital Statistics.
Obituary [Mildred C. Taunton], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 July 1970, page 32.
Pioneering in Highway Bridges for the Province of Manitoba and the Engineering Profession by George A. De Pauw, 1993.
Obituary [Nancy Mildred Steele], Vancouver Sun, 22 July 2006.
We thank Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 20 February 2024
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