Hugh Elliot Charles Whittall died on 11th August, 1959. He was in his 80s.
Mr. Whittall was educated in the Isle of Wight and at Cheltenham College, and he then attended the Camborne School of Metalliferous Mining, gaining the Diploma of the School in 1895 and Silver Medal of City and guilds of London Institute.
On leaving Camborne Mr. Whittall worked at Messrs. Ruston and Proctors Engineering Works in Lincoln for a year, and between 1898 and 1899 managed two mines in Asia minor. During the following eighteen months Mr. Whittall was assistant manager with Mining Adventurers, Ltd., reporting and inspecting gold properties in Rhodesia and the Transvaal.
In 1906 he took up the position of consulting mining and metallurgical engineer to Messrs. J.W. Whittall and Co., and Gilchrist Walker and Co., both of Constantinople. He retained his consulting association with both these companies for many years, working chiefly in Turkey and Macedonia on mercury and chrome deposits.
Mr. Whittall joined the Navy on the outbreak of war in 1914 and held the rank of Lieutenant-Commander, R.N.V.R. In 1917 he was appointed British Vice-Consul (War) at Geneva and was transferred to Constantinople in 1918 as Representative of the Ministry of Shipping under the British High Commissioner. He was decorated with the Greek Order of the Redeemer for his work in the Eastern Mediterranean, and with the O.B.E. (Military) on 16th September, 1919.
He continued to live in Constantinople until the late 1920s then moved to Switzerland. He was appointed British Vice-Consul at Lausanne on 1st November, 1939, but resigned at the end of 1940, and was appointed Vice-Consul at Montreux on 18th August, 1941. He held this post until his death.
Mr. Whittall joined the Institution as a Student in 1895 and was elected a Member in 1906. He was a Fellow of the Geological Society.
Vol. 69, Trans IMM 1959-60, p.612
