Ralph Freeman’s Legacy Shared at Local History Society Meeting

Julia spoke at a history meeting recently. She shared stories of her husband, Anthony Freeman. His family worked at Freeman, Fox and Partners. His father and grandfather worked there before him.

Anthony’s grandfather was named Ralph Freeman. He was born in London back in 1880. Ralph started at Douglas Fox and Partners in 1901. He assisted as an engineer and calculated designs for Victoria Falls Bridge, which is located in Zimbabwe. He consulted for the Beit Trust later on, building more bridges in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Ralph became a senior partner back in 1921 and was the engineer for the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The bridge opened in 1932. Ralph’s son was also named Ralph. He graduated in 1932 and for seven years, he worked in South Africa. He also worked in Zimbabwe on projects.

Ralph’s son, Anthony, met Julia while working. He rebuilt the Avonmouth Bridge. Julia didn’t know much about engineering then, but she soon learned a lot. She impressed her nursing friends with her knowledge and knew the technical terms. The couple moved to London in 1974. Anthony worked at Freeman Fox there, and their daughter, Sarah, was born around that time.

Anthony then worked in Hong Kong on the mass transit railway. Next, they moved to Mainz, Germany, where their son, Ralph Mark, was born. The family returned to the UK afterward. There, Anthony rebuilt the Britannia Bridge, which connects Wales to Anglesey.

After two years, they moved back to London, and Anthony started his own business then. He called it 3F Engineering. In 1985, the family relocated to Bangkok, Thailand. Anthony worked on the Rama IX Bridge there and also helped finish the Hooghly Bridge. It’s located in Calcutta, India and had been under construction for 27 years.

Anthony had an accident in France where he got a head injury and broke his leg. Later, in 1997, another accident happened, causing severe brain damage to Anthony. He was overseeing the Vasco da Gama Bridge in Portugal at the time. He was flown back to the UK. Sadly, he never fully recovered from the accident.

Julia remembers Anthony fondly overall. She remembers that he loved his career and was happiest designing things all the time.