John Fordyce Balfour died on 12th March 1958, at the age of 86.
Mr. Balfour began his mining career in 1886 in the Edinburgh office mines at Slamannan of John Nimmo and Son, Ltd., colliery proprietors.
In 1893 he joined Barnsmuir Coal Co. and John Watson, Ltd. For two years, and then transferred to Niddrie and Benhar Coal Co., Ltd., near Edinburgh, for a further two years’ underground experience. He went south in 1897 to work for a year with Basset Mines, Ltd., Redruth, having passed the examination for a first-class Certificate of Competency under the Coal Mines Regulation Act, 1887.
Mr. Balfour left England in 1898 as mine manager with Redjang Lebong Gold Mining Co., in Sumatra. He never lost an opportunity to gain more experience and on his way home spent the year 1901 mining copper in Japan and from there to quartz mining and hydraulicking in California.
In 1902 he entered the employment of Consolidated Gold Fields of Africa, Ltd. He went to the Gold Coast as mines manager of the New Gold Coast Agency, Ltd., at Tarkwa in 1903 and also managed Cinnamon Bippo, Ltd. He left to work in the Malay States and Siam as consulting engineer for Consolidated Gold fields and managed the Renong Tin Mines, Ltd., of Siamese Trading Corporation, Ltd.
He returned to the United Kingdom in 1909 and in that year went to Nigeria where he was one of the early pioneers to open up the newly-discovered tinfields in the Northern Territories. He was, superintendent engineer of West Africa Mines, Ltd., and opened up and managed Ropp Tin, Ltd. He was also consultant for most of the companies operating in the tinfields at that time. He returned to Scotland in 1915 and though not actively practising his profession continued to take an interest in mining in the United Kingdom throughout his life.
Balfour was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1903 and was transferred to Membership in 1914.
Vol. 68, Trans I.M.M. 1958-59, pp. 394-95
