Richard Hathorn Greaves died in the Anglo-American Hospital at Cairo on 5th February, 1955. He was 79 years of age.
He received his technical training at the Camborne School of Metalliferous Mining from 1893 to 1897, then spent two years in British Columbia, where he was foreman of the Last Chance mine of Nelson Copper Fields, Ltd., and in charge of prospecting for Kootenay B.C. Syndicate. He returned to Camborne in 1899 for special courses, and did some private reporting on mining properties in Spain before going to West Africa in 1901. He was assistant to Mr. I.F. Wells for two months, then joined a reporting expedition for Ashanti Lands, Ltd., later reporting on concessions in Ashanti and the Gold Coast for Gold Coast Pioneers, Ltd.
Mr. Greaves visited the United States of America in 1902 and the Egyptian Soudan in 1903 on behalf of Messrs. Lake and Currie, whose permanent staff he joined later that year. He reported on phosphate concessions in Egypt in 1904 and in 1905 took charge of the North Nile Valley Company’s mine in Upper Egypt. He resigned from his appointment with Messrs. Lake and Currie in 1905 in order to join the Egyptian Government Service as Chief Assistant Inspector of Mines. He was made Chief Inspector in 1908, and remained in that position, later with the title Controller of the Department of Mines, until his retirement in 1930. For his work in the service of Egypt Mr. Greaves was made a Commander of the Orders of Mijidie, Nile and Ismail.
He continued to live in Cairo, where he served as a member of the Higher Council for Mining, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. He collaborated with Mr. W.F. Hume in the section of his book Geology of Egypt, published in 1937, dealing with gold mining in Egypt in recent times.
Mr. Greaves has been a member of the Institution for 58 years, having been elected a Student in 1897; he was transferred to Associate Membership in 1902 and to Membership in 1909.
Vol. 64 Trans IMM 1954-55, pp.592
