William John Hughes died on 26th September, 1961, at the age of 62.
He was born and educated in North Wales, and took the mining geology course at Owen’s College, Manchester University, between 1919 and 1922, and graduated B.Sc. He then spent two months with Simon Carves, Ltd., on boring operations in the Yorkshire coalfield, and in September, 1922, joined Messrs. Lake and Currie as geologist on a short prospecting trip to Iceland. In the following year he carried out examinations in Cornwall and in Gold Coast Colony. On his return to England in 1924 he supervised the dismantling and railing of milling plant from Moelwyn zinc mine, Merionethshire.
Mr. Hughes returned to West Africa in April, 1924, for Fanti Consolidated Mines Co., Ltd., where he was engaged for a year in charge of exploration of the diamondiferous area of the Mamang River basin, Gold Coast, and discovered the Kwae section of the Kwae-Akokoaso gold belt. As geologist with African Manganese Co., Ltd., from 1925 to 1927 he reported on manganiferous formations and prospects in Gold Coast Colony and Ashanti. He moved to Tanganyika in October, 1927, with a reporting party sent by Fanti Consolidated Investment Co., Ltd., to make the first detailed survey of the Ufipa Plateau and the neighbouring Rukwa valley.
In August, 1928, Mr. Hughes was appointed chief geologist to Nyasaland Minerals, Ltd., and investigated and opened up concessions in Nyasaland and reported on prospects in Tanganyika. Between 1930 and 1932 he took temporary work with the Inland Revenue, but returned to his profession in December, 1932, as geologist, and later general manager, for Anglo-Continental Mines Co., Ltd., on the Kakamega gold field, Kenya. When East Africa Mining Areas, Ltd., took over, he continued as general manager until 1935, when he was appointed consulting engineer and manager of the mining interests of Finanskonsortiet, of Halsingborg, Sweden. Their operations in East Africa were not begun, however, and Mr. Hughes took up the appointment of superintendent of Kavirondo Gold Mines, Ltd., in March, 1936, for Messrs. John Taylor and Sons.
After ten years in Kenya he relinquished this position and went to live in Wales in 1946. He worked as mining consultant in association with John Taylor and Sons until June, 1958, and during this period visited Iran in 1950 to report on properties of the Parjam Company, and from 1952 to 1958 was consulting engineer to Halkyn District United Mines, Ltd., in association with John Taylor and Sons. He also visited and reported on several properties in Wales.
Mr. Hughes contributed a paper to the Transactions of the Institution, with Mr. D.W. Bishopp, entitled ‘A contribution to the geology of the manganese ore-deposits in the Gold Coast Colony and in Ashanti’ (vol. 39, 1929-30), and two papers to the Institution’s Symposium on the Future of Non-ferrous Mining in Great Britain and Ireland, on ‘The lead-zinc possibilities of the Minera district, Denbighshire’ and ‘The non-ferrous mining possibilities of Central Wales’.
He joined the Institution as a Student in 1923, transferred to Associate Membership in 1927 and was elected a full Member in 1937. He was also a Fellow of the Geological Society.
Vol. 72, Trans IMM 1962-63, p.530
