Septimus Burdett Schwabe died on 11th August, 1947, at Roodepoort, at the age of 69.
He served in the Cheshire Yeomanry during the South African war, and began his mining career at Ferreira Deep Gold Mining Co., Ltd., in 1906, where he stayed for two and a half years before taking up the position of mill foreman to West Rand Consolidated. Two years later he became mill shift leader at Crown Mines, Ltd., and in August 1912, joined the staff of Roodepoort United Main Reef Gold Mining Co., Ltd. After a few months he went to Durban Roodepoort Deep Gold Mining Co., Ltd., transferring to Langlaagte Estate Gold Mining Co., Ltd., in January, 1914.
His service in the 1914-1918 war was as a lieutenant in the 8th South African Infantry Regiment in German East Africa and as captain in the 2nd South Lancashire Regiment on the Western Front. He was appointed shift boss to Village Deep, Ltd., in 1919, and was made mine captain in 1920.
Mr. Schwabe left Johannesburg in 1931 to take up employment at the Kingsley Hoard Mines, Ltd., at Bindura, Southern Rhodesia, and in 1935 he went to Bechuanaland Protectorate. He joined Kenya Consolidated Goldfields, Ltd., in 1936, and in 1939 returned to Bechuanaland where he worked at the Monarch mine at Francistown until 1941. From that time until his retirement in 1945 Mr. Schwabe was manager of New Durban Roodeport Gold Mining Co., Ltd.
He was elected to Associateship of the Institution in 1922.
Vol. 57, Trans I.M.M., 1947-48, pp.477-8
