William Russell Degenhardt died near London on 27th February, 1961, at the age of 82.
Born in Australia, Mr. Degenhardt spent two years at St. Peter’s School Collegiate, Adelaide, and was then apprenticed to the South Australian Government Railways. He attended the South Australia School of Mines and Industries and Adelaide University from 1896 to 1901, studying mechanical and electrical engineering and gaining an Associateship of the School.
Mr. Degenhardt was retained as draughtsman in the chief mechanical engineer’s office of the Government Railways until 1903, when he was engaged on the design of the sulphide mill of Associate Northern Blocks (W.A.), Ltd. In 1904 he joined Messrs. Bewick Moreing and Co., Kalgoorlie, as draughtsman responsible for the design of ore reduction plants. Two years later he was appointed chief engineer and until 1914 was responsible for the design, erection and operation of all the ore treatment plants on properties managed by the company.
He came to London in 1914 as consulting mechanical engineer with Messrs. Bewick Moreing and Co. and from 1916 worked as their design and erection engineer for lead-zinc concentration plant and smelters at Burma Mines, Ltd., Northern Shan States, until 1919, serving during this period as a private in the Upper Burma Rifles.
Mr. Degenhardt was associated with Selection Trust, Ltd., from 1919 to 1928 as chief mechanical engineer and was concerned with the purchase, design and erection of lead plant in Siberia, Rhodesia and West Africa. He then joined New Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa, Ltd., as mechanical engineer in London responsible for their new gold, copper, lead and zinc treatment plants, remaining with the company as head of the engineering department until his retirement in 1948.
Mr. Degenhardt was elected to Membership of the Institution in 1920.
Vol. 71, Trans IMM 1961-62, p.696
