Horace Cyril Benjamin Hickling, C.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., died on 13th September, 1948, after a short illness, at Andover, Hampshire, at the age of 69.
He was educated at Haileybury, and from 1896 to 1897 was a pupil at Messr’s. Willans and Robinson, Ltd., Rugby. He took up an appointment in 1897 with the Geelong Gold Mining Co., Ltd., at Gwanda, Rhodesia, which he held for four yours, and in 1901 went to Tuscany, Italy, as second engineer to Etruscan Copper Estates. He left in 1904 to enter the service of Messrs. Guthrie & Co., Ltd., London, as engineer to the Bundi Tin Mining Co. at Kemaman, Malaya, and after three years was appointed manager of Sungei Ayam tin mines, in 1911 becoming general manager to Bundi Tin Mining Syndicate and consultant to Sungei Ayam Tin Mines.
He joined H.M. Forces at the end of 1914 and served with the B.E.F. in 172 Tunnelling Coy., R.E., being promoted to command 183 Tunnelling Coy., from September, 1915. In March, 1918, he attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel commanding R.E. 9th (Scottish) Div. He was four times mentioned in despatches and was awarded the D.S.O. and M.C. and the French Croix de Guerre.
On demobilization in 1919 he took up the position of general manager to Apex (Trinidad) Oilfields, Ltd., which he held for 20 years. He was a director of the company at the time of his death, and was also a director of British-Borneo Petroleum Syndicate. While in Trinidad he served for some years as nominated unofficial member of the Legislative Council, and on his return to this country in 1937 was made a C.B.E. He was chairman of the West India Committee, a member of the Colonial Labour Advisory Committee and vice-chairman of the Colonial Employers’ Federation.
Colonel Hickling was elected to Associateship of the Institution in 1915 and was transferred to Membership in 1922. A paper by him entitled ‘Notes on the control of oilwells and the use of screen on the Apex (Trinidad) Oilfield’ was published in the Transactions (Vol. 32, 1922-23).
Vol. 58, Trans IMM 1948-49, p.588
