Fonds 78-1001 - William Hamilton Munro letters fonds

William Hamilton Munro was born in Peterborough, Ontario, the oldest son of George and Euphemie Hamilton Munro. He attended public school and high school in Peterborough and later entered the School of Practical Science, University of Toronto, from which he graduated in 1904. He joined the engineering staff of his grandfather's firm, the William Hamilton Manufacturing Company, for a short time and later worked for other engineering companies. First with John B. McRae of Ottawa and later with Smith Kerry & Chase of Toronto. During this period, Munro gained wide experience in dam and power house construction. In 1909, W.H. Munro was transferred to the Electric Power Company of Ontario and 1910 was appointed manager of the Peterborough Light & Power and Radial Railway Companies, branches of Electric Power. He remained in this position until 1915 when the company was expropriated by the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario.

He then joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force and went overseas as a transport officer. On his arrival in England, W.H. Munro was stationed at a reception and training base at Shorncliffe, Kent. Here he remained for eight months before being posted to northern France early in 1916. In France he was appointed workshop officer of No. 3 Canadian Ammunition Sub Park. He was still in northern France on Armistice Day, 1918 and was with the Canadian Forces during their brief occupation of Germany in 1919. On May 29, 1919, Munro married Angele Melina Marie Pouille of Bruay, Pas de Calais, France. He took his military discharge in England and joined Vickers Limited of London and Barrow-in-Furness. This involved him in water turbine engineering and sales which led to a good deal of travel. He remained in England until 1925 when he was appointed sales manager of Canadian Vickers of Montreal.

Munro left Vickers in 1926 to become manager of the Nova Scotia Tramways and Power Company in Halifax. He remained in this position until 1928 when he was appointed manager of the Bolivian Power Company Limited in La Paz, Bolivia. In 1933, W.H. Munro returned to Canada and joined International Utilities Limited as general manager of one of its divisions, the Ottawa Light, Heat & Power Company until it was taken over by Ontario Hydro in 1949. He remained as manager of International Utilities until his retirement in 1951 when he and his wife returned to Peterborough, Ontario.

W.H. Munro died in 1976.