Royal Mail celebrates engineer who ‘saved London from drowning’ with new stamp

Royal Mail has revealed a new set of stamps to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II – and one of them features an ICE past president.

The stamp bears the likeness of Sir Thomas Peirson Frank, ‘the man who saved London from drowning’.

During the Blitz air raids, flood walls along the River Thames were bombed. Sir Thomas organised the emergency response, repairing them in time to prevent major flooding in the city.

The stamp commemorating this work will be available to pre-order from today as part of the Valour and Victory collection.

Current ICE President, Professor Jim Hall, said Sir Thomas' work is "a great example of what civil engineers can accomplish for good when they respond to the challenges of the day".

"[Sir Thomas] helped shape the future of the city and keep Londoners safe. We can all be inspired by individuals who respond to challenges in this way," Prof Hall said.

Who was Sir Thomas Peirson Frank?

Sir Thomas Peirson Frank was the 82nd President of the ICE from 1945 to 1946.

He was a civil engineer who worked on flood defences, bridges and public utilities across the UK.

He is best known for protecting London from flooding during the Blitz.

Other notable projects include the Waterloo, Putney and Wandsworth bridges in London, sea defence works at Chesil Bank in Dorset, and a flood prevention scheme in Salford.

He also built bridges in Nigeria and lent his expertise on power stations in Malaysia and Australia.

Sir Frank also served during World War I. He joined the Royal Engineers in 1915, and in 1917 was given command of the 198th Land Drainage Company until he was wounded.

After his recovery, he served as a lecturer until released with the rank of captain in 1918.

Sir Thomas became an associate member of the ICE in 1906 and a full member in 1922. He held a post in council in 1931 and became president in 1945.

The Royal Mail stamp collection

Alongside the stamp of Sir Thomas Peirson Frank, the Royal Mail is celebrating the anniversary of the end of World War II by honouring 10 other individuals who also saved lives, changed history and shaped Britain's war effort. 

The other stamps pay tribute to:

• George Arthur Roberts – a military veteran, activist and the first Black man to join the London Auxiliary Fire Service in 1938.
• Mary Morris – who nursed troops who returned from Dunkirk, and later cared for casualties in Normandy after the D-Day landings.
• Tommy Macpherson – a British Army commando known for his brave actions, including being dropped by submarine in North Africa.
• Violette Szabó – joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service before volunteering for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and working undercover in occupied France.
• John Harrison – served in the Royal Navy and was responsible for maintaining gun turrets at the front of the destroyer ship, HMS Belfast. 
• Bhanbhagta Gurung – fought in Operation Longcloth in Burma, now Myanmar. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery under heavy fire.
• Mahinder Singh Pujji – a pilot and squadron leader with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Indian Air Force. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his outstanding courage and leadership over Japanese-occupied territory.
• William ('Bill') Tutte – a codebreaker and mathematician, Tutte's work was key to decrypting the German's Lorenz cipher, which was used for top-level intelligence. 
• Lilian Bader – one of the first members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) to qualify as an instrument repairer. She joined WAAF after being forced to leave the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) canteen because of her ethnicity
• Dame Vera Lynn - for her efforts supporting the troops and her advocacy for military veterans. 

The stamps go on general sale from 1 May. 

Find out more about the Valour and Victory collection