Sidney Howard Farrar died on September 12th, 1917, aged 60 years.
He was educated at Bedford Modern School and afterwards studied engineering in Germany and Switzerland. He was a nephew of the Howards of Bedford, the machinery makers and in 1876 he and his brothers, with the assistance of their kinsman, Mr. James Howard, founded the firm of Howard, Farrar it Co., for the purpose of conducting a machinery and engineering business in South Africa. Proceeding thither in 1878, Mr. Farrar at first practised as a civil engineer, but afterwards engaged in various gold mining enterprises on the De Kaap Goldfield and on the Witwatersrand. He was associated with the Rand from its earliest days, and subsequently, with his brothers George and Percy, he developed the East Rand Proprietary Mines.
He was consulting engineer to several of the leading mining companies of the Rand, and for many years was a member of the firm of Farrar Bros. of Johannesburg and 4, London Wall Buildings, E.C. He was elected a Member of Council of the Institution in 1902 and served continuously in that capacity for eleven years, for the last five of which he held the position of Vice-President. He was also a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He took an active part in the founding of the Mining and Metallurgical Club and was its first President. His last work was probably the designing of ventilating apparatus for the tunnelling operations at the Front.
Mr. Farrar was elected a Member of the Institution in 1892.
Vol. 27, Trans IMM 1917-18, p.395
