Benjamin Alma Corkill died on 27th November, 1955, at Douglas, Isle of Man. He was 61 years of age.
He was born and educated in the Isle of Man, and began his career in the U.S.A. in 1913 as a general mill operator at Detroit Copper Co., Arizona. From 1915 to 1920 Mr. Corkill worked at the mills of Inspiration Consolidated Copper Co., Miami, Arizona, and then took a post in the Belgian Congo as mill foreman and later experimental engineer for Union Miniere du Haut-Katanga.
After a short period in 1924 as assistant metallurgist to Minerals Separation, Ltd., Mr. Corkill returned to Union Miniere du Haut-Katanga as flotation foreman. Two years later he again worked in London on flotation research at the laboratories of Minerals Separation, Ltd., and there followed similar further periods of research in 1929 and from 1931 to 1933. Mr. Corkill was employed for two years in Northern Rhodesia from 1927 to 1929 at Roan Antelope Copper Mines, Ltd., and during 1929 was mill superintendent of the lead-zinc concentrator of Bergverkselskapet in Northern Norway, and in 1930 worked at Nantymwyn Mines, Ltd., South Wales.
In 1933 he went to the Dutch East Indies in the capacity of flotation metallurgist at the Balimbing mine of Borneo Co., Ltd., and in the following year did metallurgical research in London for Siamese Tin Mines, Ltd. He was engaged for a time on flotation research in London for New Consolidated Gold Fields, Ltd., and was mill superintendent at Ashanti Goldfields, Ltd., in 1935, returning to the United Kingdom for research work in London and Derbyshire.
Mr. Corkill began a long association with Rio Tinto Co., Ltd., Spain, in 1937, unbroken except for a period in 1941 when he was employed on research in England for the Ministry of Supply. He rose from mill superintendent to chief of concentration department and later was chief ore dressing engineer. He retired from that position in December, 1954, but remained with the Rio Tinto Group of Companies as consulting ore dressing engineer until his death.
Mr. Corkill was elected to Associate Membership of the Institution in 1935 and was transferred to Membership in 1950.
Vol. 65, Trans I.M.M. 1955-56, p. 465
