Benjamin Walter Durham died on the 21st October, 1957, in Southern Rhodesia, at the age of 81.
Durham was born in South Africa, and after a few years in the Transvaal the rest of his life in Southern Rhodesia. He began work as a cyanider with Johannesburg Pioneer Gold Mining Co., Ltd., in 1895 and later in the same year B experimental work for the Transvaal Chamber of Mines at Crown Reef Gold Mining Co., Ltd. He was subsequently cyanider at Treasury Gold Mines Ltd, from 1896 to 1899 when he was promoted cyanide manager, holding that position for seven years.
Mr. Durham went to Southern Rhodesia in 1906, doing consulting metallurgical and private experimental work on ore treatment and mine sampling from 1906 to 1909, also holding the appointment of metallurgist to Adair-Usher Process, Ltd. In 1909 he was made reduction officer at Bushstick Mines, Ltd., and after operating small mines on his own account during 1911 he was appointed reduction officer at Lonely Reef Gold Mining Co., Ltd. He worked for two years from 1912 to 1914 at Matabele Queens Gold Mining Co., Ltd., but returned to Lonely Reef reduction officer until 1918 when he was made acting manager. He was appointed manager in 1920. He set up in private practice in Bulawayo in 1930.
Mr. Durham had been a member of the executive of the Chamber of Mines of Rhodesia for many years and was President of the Chamber from 1949 to 1951. He had also served on the council of the Rhodesia Mine Owners Association and had been a Justice of the Peace. In 1948 he was made an O.B.E. in recognition of his services to the mining industry, and in 1953 was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.
He contributed a paper, jointly with Mr. W. Wallace, to the Third Empire Mining and Metallurgical Congress held in South Africa in 1930, entitled ‘Notes on gas power plants as used on Southern Rhodesian mines’.
Mr. Durham, who was elected a member of the Institution in 1924, had been the first Vice-President of the Southern Rhodesian Local Association of the Institution, holding office from 1947 until his retirement in 1955. He had further served the Institution in the capacity of Overseas Member of Council from 1950 to 1951 for Northern and Southern Rhodesia jointly, and from 1951 to 1955 as Member of Council for Southern Rhodesia.
Vol. 68, Trans IMM 1958-59, pp.121-2
