Francis Eugene Fitzgibbon died in Rhodesia on 19th October, 1962, at the age of 48, after only a few weeks’ illness.
A Canadian, Mr. Fitzgibbon was educated in Canada and after a short electrical course at Kelvin Technical School, Winnipeg, became an apprentice surveyor on highway and bridge location and construction in Ontario for two years. He studied mining and metallurgical subjects privately in Montreal between 1935 and 1936, and then did varied mining and metallurgical work with East Malartic and Malartic Gold Mines, Ltd., Quebec, for three years from 1936 to 1939.
He left Canada for the Gold Coast in 1939 to join Amalgamated Banket Areas, Ltd., Tarkwa, where he worked as surveyor, mill shiftsman and underground shift boss, but left to join H.M. Forces, serving in the Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force from 1941 to 1945. He returned to West Africa after the war in the capacity of mill shiftsman at Gold Coast Main Reef, Ltd., Prestea, for a few months, and in 1946 returned for a year to Amalgamated Banker Areas, Ltd., as mill foreman, acting mill superintendent and assistant mill superintendent.
Mr. Fitzgibbon went to Kenya in 1947 on his appointment as mill superintendent, Rosterman Gold Mines, Ltd., and became consulting engineer in July, 1948. He remained there until 1950, when he joined Nchanga Consolidated Copper Mines, Ltd., and was appointed concentrator superintendent in 1956. After eight years with Nchanga he left in November, 1958, for Umtali, Southern Rhodesia.
Mr. Fitzgibbon was elected to Associate Membership of the Institution in 1948.
Vol. 19, Trans IMM 1963-64, p.372
