Arthur John Bensusan died on 3rd December, 1958, at his home in Hertfordshire at the age of 90.
Mr. Bensusan was born in Sydney, New South Wales, the son of Mr. S.L. Bensusan, M.I.M.M., a silver-mining pioneer. He was educated in Sydney where he also took a course in assaying. He was engaged for two years as an assayer to Sunny Corner Silver Mining Co., and gained practical experience on Vegetable Creek Tin Fields, N.S.W., before coming to England in 1889 to study at the Royal School of Mines, where he gained first-class Associateships of the School in metallurgy and mining before returning to Australia in 1893.
He went into partnership with his brother, Edgar Bensusan, M.I.M.M., as consulting metallurgists, mining engineers and assayers, having a laboratory and offices in Sydney. Mr. Bensusan managed Port Darwin tin mines, Northern Territory, and Cullen Bullen colliery, Dromedary gold mine, and Great Britain gold mine, in New South Wales.
Mr. Bensusan spent the next few years in Africa, from 1901 to 1902 as superintendent of Abbontiakoon (Wassau) Mines, Ltd., also of Effuenta (Wassau) Mines, Ltd., and Fanti Mines, Ltd., and subsequently was manager of Zoutpansberg Consolidated Mines, Ltd., Transvaal.
After a short period in 1904 studying topographical surveying in London at the Royal Geographical Society, Mr. Bensusan left for South America and held the position of superintendent of Ouro Preto Gold Mines of Brazil, Ltd., for 20 years from 1905 to 1935, for Messrs. John Taylor and Sons.
He returned to Africa in 1927 to report on Abbontiakoon Mines, Ltd., serving as general manager until the company was voluntarily liquidated, and from 1929 to 1930 was general manager of West African Diamond Syndicate, Ltd.
He travelled widely, mainly engaged on examining and reporting, until his retirement in 1943. His work took him to Brazil in 1931, 1935 and 1938, Colombia, Burma, Ireland, England, Portugal in 1939, and in 1940 he reported on gold mines (Tindabs) in Coolgardie, Western Australia. He went to live in Southern Rhodesia until 1947, and still took an active interest in mining after returning to England.
The author of several papers published in technical journals over many years, Mr. Bensusan contributed two papers to the Transactions of the Institution – ‘The Passagem mine and works — the Ouro Preto Gold Mines of Brazil, Ltd.’, (vol. 20, 1910-11) and ‘Auriferous jacutinga deposits’ (vol. 38, 1928-29).
Mr. Bensusan joined the Institution as a Student in its year of foundation, 1892, and was elected a Member in 1898, and had served as Member of Council for the session 1933-34. He had been a Fellow of the Chemical Society and was President of the Royal School of Mines Old Students’ Association in 1932.
Vol. 68, Trans I.M.M. 1958-59, p. 546
