George D’Olier Gowan died at Lausanne, Switzerland, on February 10th, 1936, at the age of 54.
He was educated at Wellington College, and in 1897 entered the Royal School of Mines, from which he graduated in 1900 with the Associateship in Mining. After spending six months as a student at the Halkyn lead mines, North Wales, he was appointed in 1901 assistant manager of the nearby United Minera mines.
Early in 1903 he left Wales, and after spending a short time at the Berehaven copper mines, Allihies, Co. Cork, joined the Borneo Co., Ltd., as assistant engineer at the Bruseh Hydraulic Mines, Perak, F.M.S. In 1906 he joined the Pahang Consolidated Co., Ltd., and worked successively as surveyor, mill manager and mine manager at the various Malayan properties of that Company until 1913.
Early in 1914 he went to Nigeria as manager of the Lower Bisichi (Nigeria) Tin Mines, Ltd., and later of the Jos Tin Areas (Nigeria) Ltd. From 1915 to 1919 he was connected with Messrs. Geo. Kent, Ltd., first as manager of the Detonator Department of the Fuse Filling Factory at Luton, Bedfordshire, and later as general manager of the factory. For this work he was awarded the M.B.E. In 1919 he returned to Nigeria as manager of the Kano (Nigeria) Tin Areas, Ltd., and in 1928 joined the Premier Hydraulic Tin Mines of Nigeria, Ltd. Subsequently he was engaged at tin mines in Portugal, and at the time of his death was technical adviser and resident general manager in Burma of the Consolidated Tin Mines of Burma, Ltd.
Mr. Gowan was elected a Student of the Institution in 1902, was transferred to Associateship in 1906, and to Membership in 1921.
Vol. 46 Trans IMM 1936-37, pp.820-1
