Charles Leach died at his home in Guildford, Surrey, on 3rd September, 1952, at the age of 56.
On leaving school in 1914, he worked for a year on a cattle station in New South Wales, before beginning his mining career at the Pirate tin mine, Victoria. After gaining general experience of mining and smelting he joined the staff of Broken Hill Associated Smelters, South Australia, early in 1916, and also attended the South Australian School of Mines. Mr. Leach then worked for eight months for Y-Water (Emmaville) Tin Co., New South Wales, and for the next three years was surveyor and later assistant to the general manager at Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines, Victoria.
In May, 1920, he took the position in Nigeria of assistant and relieving manager to Rayfield (Nigeria) Tin Fields, Ltd., and for the next four years was also engaged on reports for other Nigerian companies. From 1924 to 1928 Mr. Leach was employed as general manager in Nigeria of the Kaduna Syndicate, Ltd., and Kaduna Prospectors, Ltd., where he reorganized working methods and developed properties. He also visited Uganda and Sierra Leone. He was elected to the boards of Kaduna Prospectors, Ltd., and the Kaduna Syndicate, Ltd., early in 1928 and between 1929 and 1935 was director and technical adviser to those companies and to Maroc, Ltd., operating in Sierra Leone.
Mr. Leach returned to England in 1935 while retaining his directorships of the above companies. He also became a director of Dowsing Co. (Electrical Manufacturers), Ltd., and in 1950 was chairman of the Nigerian Chamber of Mines.
Mr. Leach was elected to Associate Membership of the Institution in 1929.
Vol. 62, Trans IMM 1952-53, p.299
