William John Ellis died at Penang, Malaya, on 29th March 1953, at the age of 48.
He was educated in Fremantle, Australia, and was apprentice engineer for five years to Messrs. Birrell and Birton of Fremantle fore working as a marine engineer for about eighteen months. He was employed by Alluvial Tin (Malaya), Ltd., from July, 1926, to November, 1932, his first post being construction and shift engineer at Kuala Kampar Tin Fields, Ltd., Malim Nawar, Perak. He then worked as engineer and dredgemaster at Changkat Tin Dredging, Ltd., Taniong Tualong, until 1929, and subsequently at Kundang Tin Dredging, Ltd., Pengkalen Kundang. He was promoted acting manager and engineer in August, 1930, and was also appointed erection engineer for reconstruction on the Rawang Tin Fields dredge at Sungei Bakau, Selangor. From 1931 to 1932 he again worked for Kuala Kampar Tin Fields, Ltd., as dredgemaster, and as superintendent at Malam Nawar Tin, Ltd.
Mr. Ellis was taken into partnership in Harvey Electric Supply in 1933, and was appointed erection engineer for William Adams & Co. Ltd., in Western Australia. Two years later he joined the technical staff of the Shell Co. of Australia, Ltd. He was employed by Gold Mines of New Zealand, Ltd., from May, 1936, to August, 1937, as managing engineer at Barrytown Dredging, Ltd., Kanieri Gold Dredging, Ltd., and Arahura Gold Dredging, Ltd., and was then appointed general manager and alternate director of those three companies and also of Taramakau Gold Dredging, Ltd.
In 1945 he was nominated to the Malayan Tin Rehabilitation Committee in London and at the end of that year accompanied the Survey Engineers Army Corps to Malaya to inspect and rehabilitate the tin companies controlled by Gold Mines of New Zealand, Ltd.
In 1946 Mr. Ellis was transferred from the position of general manager Gold Mines of New Zealand, Ltd., to the company’s head office at Sydney. At the time of his death he was managing director of Peninsula Tin, N.L., Siam, and Sungei Bidor Tin Dredging, Ltd., Malaya, in addition to Kanieri Gold Dredging, and Arahura Gold Dredging. He was also a director of Alluvial Gold, Ltd., Sydney.
Mr. Ellis was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1946.
Vol. 62, Trans IMM 1952-53, p.527
