Kenneth William Murray Middleton died suddenly on October 26th, 1944, at the age of 65.
He was born in Scotland, and from 1901 to 1904 he took a mining course at Armstrong College, obtaining the Durham degree of B.Sc. in Mining and an I.M.M. scholarship. He also held the B.A. degree of the University of Wales. He returned to Armstrong College in 1905 for about five months, subsequently spending a short time reporting on two small lead smelting mills in the North of England.
His first mining appointment began in October, 1905, at the iron and manganese mines at Coradonga, Asturias, Spain, owned by Asturiana Mines, Ltd., of Middlesbrough. He became manager of these mines in 1906 and continued in this capacity for seven years, resigning his position in December, 1912, and returning to England. In February, 1913, he went to Northern Morocco, having been appointed mining engineer to the Morocco Minerals Syndicate, Ltd. He remained there for several years, reporting on mineral properties and conducting negotiations for mining concessions. In 1925 he obtained an appointment with Mines de Sebabna, at Martimprey-du-Kiss, Morocco, and in 1929 he began his association with the Northern Mercantile and Investment Corporation, Ltd., and later became a director of Sierra Leone Development Co., Ltd.
Mr. Middleton was elected a Member of the Institution in 1914.
Vol. 54, Trans IMM 1944-45, p.273
