Brian Llewellyn, M.C., died at his home in Tavistock, Devon, on 22nd February, 1960, at the age of 64.
Mr. Llewellyn worked for several months at the Cordoba copper mine, Spain, before beginning his training as a student at the Royal School of Mines in 1913, but on the outbreak of war joined H.M. Forces. He was commissioned and served with the Royal Engineers (Field Coy.) for over four years, including three years on active service in France and Flanders, being wounded in 1915. He was promoted captain in May, 1917, and received the M.C. and Bar.
He completed his professional training during the period 1919 to 1921 and gained the A.R.S.M. in mining and the degree of B.Sc.(Lond.). From 1922 to 1925 he was surveyor to Frontino and Bolivia (S.A.) Gold Mining Co., Ltd., in Colombia and mine agent of Marmajito Mines, Ltd., for a short time, and then spent six months in Brazil as prospecting engineer, examining and reporting on gold and manganese for Messrs. Lake and Currie. He was appointed senior surveyor, sampler and assistant underground manager at Mines de Villemagne in 1926 and worked in the South of France for five years, holding the position of underground manager for the last four.
Mr. Llewellyn went to India in 1932 to take up the post of assistant underground agent at Nundydroog Mines, Ltd., Kolar Gold Field, and on his return to England three years later carried out inspections of tin mines in Cornwall and of a molybdenum mine in French Morocco for Messrs. Pellew-Harvey and Co., followed by examinations for lead in Co. Tipperary and Co. Sligo during 1937. He pursued an investigation of the Rheidol mines, Aberystwyth, on his own account, and examined wolfram properties in Devon in the following year, and for a short period during 1939 worked on the development of Leadhills mine, Lanarkshire, and reported on mines in Devon and Anglesey.
During the second world war Mr. Llewellyn served again with the Royal Engineers, this time as staff officer and company commander with the B.E.F. in France and the United Kingdom. He was released in 1942 with the rank of major, to take up the position of consulting engineer to Non-Ferrous Mineral Development Control of the Ministry of Supply, which he held until 1945. He was consulting engineer to Liskeard Mines, Ltd., during 1946, and later consulting engineer and managing director of New Consols Mines, Ltd., being engaged for some years in unwatering and reopening abandoned tin and copper mines in East Cornwall. He also did independent consulting work and in 1951-52 visited Safagar for Egyptian Phosphate Co., Ltd.
He contributed a paper to the Transactions of the Institution entitled ‘A survey of the deeper tin zones in a part of the Carn Brea area, Cornwall’ (vol. 55, 1945-46) for which he was awarded ‘The Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa, Limited’ Premium of Forty Guineas.
Mr. Llewellyn was elected a Student of the Institution in 1918 and was transferred to Associate Membership in 1924 and to full Membership in 1941.
Vol. 70, Trans IMM 1960-61, pp.218-219
