Reginald Walter Brock died as the result of an aeroplane accident in British Columbia, on July 30th, 1935, at the age of 60. The seaplane in which he was travelling crashed at Alta Lake, and his wife and the pilot were also killed and the remaining passenger was severely injured.
Dr. Brock was born at Perth, Ontario, and received his technical training at Toronto University, Queen’s University, Kingston, where he graduated M.A. (Medallist), and Heidelberg.
In 1896-7 he held the position of instructor in mineralogy at the School of Mining, Kingston, Ontario, and in 1897 joined the staff of the Geological Survey of Canada. After a further course at Heidelberg, he returned to Kingston School of Mining as professor of geology and petrography, and in 1907 he was appointed Director of the Geological Survey of Canada. In 1913 he acted as general secretary to the International Geological Congress held in Canada. During 1914-15 he was Deputy Minister of Mines for the Dominion, but in the latter year he joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force and went overseas as a field officer.
He served as a consulting geologist in Syria and Palestine under the late Lord Allenby. Returning to civil life in Canada in 1919, he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science in the University of British Columbia, and in that connexion was engaged with colleagues, at the request of the British Government, in making a geological survey of the island of Hong Kong.
In 1934, he was made Chairman of the Vancouver Harbour Board, and among other offices he held the Chair of Geology in the University of British Columbia. He held the degree of LL.D., was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, of the Geological Society of London, the American Geological Society and the Association of American Geographers, and was a member of many learned societies on both sides of the Atlantic.
Dr. Brock was elected a Member of the Institution in 1912.
Vol. 45, Trans I.M.M. 1935-36, pp. 509-10
