Colin Coningsby Watson Liddelow is presumed to have lost his life at the time of the fall of Singapore in 1942, at the age of 60.
He was educated at Cheltenham College and studied for four years at Freiburg Academy, Saxony, from which he graduated as a metallurgical engineer in 1904, In the same year, he joined the staff of East Rand Proprietary Mines, Ltd., Transvaal, where he remained for two years. From 1906 to 1907 he was assistant manager to Kanaboi, Ltd., at Negri Sembilan F.M.S., and then for two years held the position of manager of the Jeher Hydraulic Tin Mining Co., Ltd., Perak. He was appointed manager of Serendah Hydraulic Tin Mining Co., Ltd., at Selangor, in 1909, and years later took over the managership of the tin and wolfram mine of the Titi Tin Co., Ltd., at Jelebu, Negri Sembilan, in 1916 becoming also consulting engineer to the company.
Mr. Liddelow resigned in August, 1919 to practice privately with headquarters at Jelebu. He had for some years previously represented the State of Negri Sembilan on the Council of the F.M.S. Chamber of Mines, of which he remained a member until his death, and had done prospecting and reporting work on plant and property in the country. In 1917 he was made director of Murai Tin, Ltd., Pahang, and in 1920 assumed charge of alluvial tin mines on the east coast of Pahang.
Shortly before the fall of Singapore Mr. Liddelow, who was residing at Bhuket, West Siam, intended to leave for Sumatra with his youngest son and two daughters. They were not able to travel together and he and his son sailed separately. His daughters reached Sumatra safely, but Mr. Liddelow and his son are still missing and were presumed drowned*.
He was elected to Associateship of the Institution in 1912 and transferred to Membership in 1921.
Vol. 57, Trans IMM 1947-8, pp.475-6
*From Colin’s grandson: His son, John, was not lost in World War II. In brief, John arrived in the UK safely and became MI5. He went back to Siam (Thailand) and performed the duty against Japan military. John married with Thai nurse who took care of him during his wound from allied bombing operation in Bangkok.
