Tom Caplen died suddenly on April 17th, 1945, at the age of 65.
He served his engineering apprenticeship for three years from 1896 with Messrs. Holman Bros., at Camborne, and then entered the Camborne School of Mines for his professional training.
Subsequently he in practical assaying work in London and, in May, 1902, went to India as assistant manager of the manganese ore properties of the Vizianagaram Mining Co. in the Vizagapatam District, Madras Presidency. He later became acting manager and in 1904 was appointed general manager, and was with this company until 1915.
He then returned to England and served with the Air Ministry as an Assistant Inspector in the Aeronautical Inspection Department, from which he resigned in 1920. In November of that year Mr. Caplen took up the appointment of director of works in charge of exploration drilling for petroleum in the Gulf of Suez for the Egyptian Government, and at the beginning of 1923 he toured India for Messrs. Holman Bros., reporting on engineering conditions there.
He visited Turkey and West Africa in 1926 and 1927, examining and reporting on manganese properties for various financial interests, and in November, 1927, returned to India to rejoin the Vizianagaram Mining Co., Ltd., as general manager. After ten years’ service in that capacity he returned to England as a director of the company, a position he held until his death.
Mr. Caplen was elected an Associate of the Institution in 1905.
Vol. 55, Trans I.M.M. 1945-6, pp. 562-3
