Elliott Baillie Currie is reported to have died in 1945 or 1946 at the age of about 60 years.
He was educated at George Watson’s College, Edinburgh, and from 1901 to 1903 took a course of mechanical and electrical engineering at the Heriot-Watt College, University of Edinburgh. He was apprenticed in the workshops of Messrs. Alley & Maclellan, mechanical engineers of Glasgow, from 1903 to 1904 and then joined the staff of Messrs. Lake and Currie, London, as assistant engineer, which enabled him to attend short courses in mineralogy and metallurgy at the Royal School of Mines. He also spent, six months in 1907 in the laboratory of Mr. G.T. Holloway, and took a special surveying course at the Botallack and Levant mines, Cornwall, under the Penzance School of Mines.
In June, 1908, Mr. Currie was appointed shift boss and assistant engineer at the Briseis tin mine, Tasmania, and a year later was employed in Western Australia by Messrs. Bewick, Moreing & Co. From 1911 to 1912 he worked at the Medapola mine, Ceylon, and in 1913 he was engaged on reporting for a mining development syndicate in Ceylon. In October, 1913, he left to become an area manager for Tin Areas of Nigeria, Ltd.
On the outbreak of war he joined the Nigerian forces and in the following year left for England, being commissioned in the Royal Engineers in September, 1915. He served in France with 253 Tunnelling Coy., which he subsequently commanded. He was twice mentioned in despatches and was awarded the Military Cross in 1918.
On demobilization in April, 1919, he took up the appointment of general Manager of Ceylon Mines, Ltd., where he remained for a few years. Details of his later work are not available.
Mr. Currie was elected a Student the Institution in 1907, and was transferred to Associateship in 1911 to Membership in 1922.
Vol. 57, Trans I.M.M. 1947-8, pp. 471-2
