Eric Roy Davis died in Nigeria on February 23rd, 1945, while on the train from Lagos to Jos. He was returning to the mines from hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for dermatitis.
Born in Australia, he received his mining training at Sydney Technical College from 1904 to 1906, and in October, 1906, became general assistant to the manager of Butler’s Reef tin mine, Torrington, N.S.W., where he remained for nine months. This was followed by two years’ general practical experience at Burkes Hill Tin Sluicing Co. and Elsie Tin Sluicing Co. at Emmaville, N.S.W., and from January, 1910, to February, 1911, he was employed by Tolwong Minerals Co., N.S.W., as general assistant. He then took up the appointment in Northern Nigeria of period assistant manager and, later, final period manager, first to South Bukuru Tin Co., Ltd., for two years, and then to Berida Tin Co., Ltd., until the outbreak of war, when he joined the Army and served with the Royal Artillery for five and a half years.
In November, 1920, Mr. Davis commenced a long association with Austral-Malay Tin, Ltd. He was acting manager to Ulu Yam Tin Dredging, Ltd., Selangor, and later to Kampong Kamunting Tin Dredging, Ltd., and Asam Kumbang Tin Dredging, Ltd., Taiping. In August, 1925, until May, 1930, he held the position of manager of Thabawleik Tin Dredging Co., Ltd., of Mergui, Lower Burma, and was subsequently transferred to Taiping as manager of Kampong Kamunting and Asam Kumbang Tin Dredging, Ltd. He remained in the Federated Malay States in various appointments, including service with Penawat (Malaya) Tin Dredging Co., Ltd., Kuchai Tin Dredging Co., Ltd., and Taiping Tin Dredging Co., Ltd., until 1937, when he joined the Tavoy Tin Dredging Corporation, Ltd. Three years later he was employed by the Anglo-Burma Tin Co., Ltd., at Tavoy, Lower Burma, and when that country was overrun by the Japanese he managed to escape to India and later returned to England.
From March, 1942, he held a responsible position in Yorkshire with the Directorate of Opencast Coal Production, Ministry of Works, until he went to Northern Nigeria in July, 1944, to take up an appointment at Naraguta Tin Mines, Ltd., Jos.
Mr. Davis was elected to Membership of the Institution in 1932.
Vol. 55, Trans IMM 1945-46, p.565
