William Johnstone Howes died of leukaemia, in a nursing home, at Durban, South Africa, on February 23rd, 1920, aged 36 years.
Of South African birth, he received his technical education at the Royal School of Mines, South Kensington, receiving the Associateship in 1907. During that period he had three months’ practical experience of colliery work at the Newbattle collieries, Midlothian, a similar term at the Halkyn lead mine, in North Wales, a term at the Tywarnhaile mine, Cornwall, in connection with the surveying course at the R.S.M., and also assisted in the erection of a 40-head Californian stamp mill at Botallack, St. Just, Cornwall.
From December, 1907, to March, 1909, he was on the staff of the French Rand Gold Mining Co., Ltd., at Johannesburg, at first as a post-graduate student sent out by the Institution, and afterwards as assistant surveyor. For about eighteen months following, he was assayer, surveyor and sampler to the Chin Mine, Mount Darwin, S. Rhodesia, and this was succeeded by miscellaneous occupation as a mine valuer, etc., and as mineralogist to a prospecting expedition sent to Lomagundi.
In September, 1911, he was appointed assayer, surveyor and cyanide manager to the Bucks Reef Gold Mining Co., Ltd., at Gwanda, and in April, 1913, he occupied a similar position with the Shamva Ilex Gold Mining Co., Ltd., also in Southern Rhodesia. A year later he was assayer, surveyor and smelter to the Giant Mines of Rhodesia, Ltd., Salisbury, and a year later still he was manager and part owner of the Trio Mine, at Shamva. In 1919 he went to the Broken Hill Mine in N.W. Rhodesia.
Mr. Howes was admitted to Studentship of the Institution in 1907, and transferred to Associateship in 1916.
Vol. 30, Trans IMM 1920-21, p.475
