The Iron Ring

Towards the end of their final year in university, engineering students can attend the Ceremony of The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer. During the ceremony, graduating engineers make an obligation to carry out their work to the best of their abilities. They each receive an Iron Ring that they wear on the little finger of their working hand to remind them of this obligation. The ceremony and the symbolism of the ring date back almost 100 years.

The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer

The Calling of an Engineer dates back to 1922, when seven past-presidents of the Engineering Institute of Canada attended a meeting in Montreal. One of the speakers was Professor Herbert Edward Terrick Haultain, head of Mining Engineering at the University of Toronto. He felt that an organization was needed to bind all members of the engineering profession in Canada more closely together. He also felt that an obligation or statement of ethics should be developed. Prof. Haultain wrote to Rudyard Kipling, author of the The Jungle Books, asking him to help develop a ceremony. Growing up in India during the height of the British Empire, Kipling was very impressed by the dedication and camaraderie between officers and soldiers in the Royal Corps of Engineers, and had made references to the work of engineers in some of his writings. He agreed to help. Kipling wrote both an obligation and a ceremony formally entitled "The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer."

According to Kipling, the goal of the Ritual is the following:

The first ceremony was held on April 25, 1925 at the University Club in Montreal when six engineers took the obligation.

Today, the Ritual is administered by a body called The Corporation of the Seven Wardens Inc./Société des Sept Gardiens inc. The seven past-presidents of the Engineering Institute of Canada in 1922 were the original seven Wardens. The Corporation is responsible for administering and maintaining the Ritual. The Iron Ring has been registered and may be worn on the little finger of the working hand by any engineer who has been obligated at an authorized ceremony of the Ritual of the Calling of the Engineer. The Iron Ring represents pride and commitment. It is not a symbol of qualification as an engineer - this is decided by the provincial and territorial licensing bodies.

Other professions also have similar ceremonies. Even today graduating physicians take the Hippocratic oath, which is over 2000 years old.

The Myth of the Iron Ring

On August 29, 1907, as the Pont de Québec Bridge neared completion, it collapsed, killing 76 people. A Royal Commission set up to study the incident reported that this tragedy was the result of an error in judgment made by the bridge's principal engineers.

A second attempt to span the river resulted in another disaster. On September 11, 1916, the centre span of the bridge fell, killing ten more people. The bridge was finally completed in October 17, 1917. The story is that the early rings given to engineers during the Calling of an Engineer were made from the iron from the collapsed bridge. Today's iron rings are a reminder of the Québec Bridge that collapsed.

Another meaning for the Iron Ring can be found in Kipling's writings. Taking his cues from history, he saw iron as symbol of power. People that developed iron tools and weapons had an advantage over groups still using bronze or stone implements. An engineer wears the Iron Ring to symbolize his or her power and acceptance of the responsibility that comes with power.