Thomas Thornton died on 16th January, 1962, at the age of 82.
He was born in Ireland, and mined independently throughout his career. He worked for two or three years in Portuguese East Africa for a syndicate drilling for coal near Delagoa Bay, then moved to the Transvaal in 1908 where he found and managed Thornton Little Gold Mining Co., Ltd., outside Barberton. He also managed flint quarries at the same time both nearby and at Potchefstroon. During 1910 and the early part of 1911 he was in Southern Rhodesia opening up gold propositions in the Gwanda district, and then went to Chile to manage and develop the Espino gold mine in the district of Petorca.
He served in Mesopotamia during the first world war and was wounded. On his recovery in 1920 he resumed prospecting, and found petroleum in the province of Nequen, Argentina, in 1921-23. He returned to the United Kingdom and was managing director of Devon Anthracite, Ltd., from 1924 to 1926, remaining in North Devon for the following two years while he prospected for and developed Bideford Black, Ltd.
From 1930 to 1935 Mr. Thornton was owner and manager of Abbeytown lead-zinc and silver mine, Co. Sligo, and he subsequently continued his search for silver and lead. He visited Spain, and was for a time prospecting in Argentina, near Mendoza, on the spurs of the Andes.
Mr. Thornton retired to Ireland but had remained active in his mining interests. He was elected to Associate Membership of the Institution in 1936.
Vol. 29, Trans IMM 1919-20, p.439
