William Edwin Thomas died of pneumonia on March 19th, 1921, aged 50.
He was educated at Pontypool, Mon., and privately, and from 1887 to 1902 he was engaged on practical work at three mines in Monmouthshire. For about a year subsequent to the last date he represented a firm of machinery manufacturers, but in 1895 he went to West Africa as assistant to the manager of the Broomassie Mines, Ltd. From 1897-9 he was with the Axim Mines, Ltd., as assistant and underground captain, being for some time in charge of Appankran mines.
In 1899 he was head prospector to the Gold Coast and Ashanti Explorers and for about five years he was with the Ashanti Explorers and its subsidiaries as superintending engineer and mining adviser to the directors. For nearly two years he was in London partly on his own account and partly as manager of the North London Ballast Co. In 1906, he went to India as general manager of the Hutti (Nizam’s) Gold Mines, returning in 1909 to the Gold Coast.
In 1910 he was appointed engineer of the Rhodesia and Ashanti, Ltd., and was in Rhodesia for some time, afterwards returning to the West Coast as engineer to a number of companies grouped in the office of the Amalgamated Tin Properties of Nigeria, Ltd. In addition to his management of definite mines, he was called upon at various times to inspect and report upon properties in various countries. He finally became associated with the Nigeria Consolidated Mines, Ltd., of which company he was the managing director at his death.
Mr. Thomas was elected an Associate of the Institution in 1910 and was transferred to Membership in 1913.
Vol. 32, Trans IMM 1922-23, pp.294-5
