James Justinian Drought died at the age of 81 in Mombasa, Kenya, on 20th September, 1956.
Mr. Drought was born in Ireland in 1875 and studied mining at the Royal College of Science, Dublin, in 1894-95, and also trained with G.T. Holloway, analytical chemist, in London.
In 1896 he left for South Africa to acquire experience as a cyanider with the New Croesus Gold Mining Co., Ltd., in Johannesburg. He became cyanider and assayer at Durban-Roodepoort Gold Mining Co., Ltd., and then assayer and chemist at Rip Gold Mining Co., Ltd. After a brief period of assaying work with Langlaagte Estate Gold Mining Co., Ltd., he was appointed chief assayer and metallurgist in 1898 to Lancaster Gold Mining Co., Ltd., in Krugersdorp. In the following year he worked as cyanide manager and acting general manager of Nooitgedacht Estate and Gold Mining Co., Ltd., until the outbreak of the Boer War. Mr. Drought was severely wounded during his service with the Imperial Light Horse, Light Infantry, and Irregular Corps Staff, and was decorated for gallantry and mentioned in dispatches.
In 1902 he went to Australia in the position of surface manager for Associated Northern Blocks of Western Australia, Ltd., in Kalgoorlie. He returned in 1904 to Johannesburg and travelled through East Africa, farming and prospecting there for many years.
In the 1914-1918 war Mr. Drought served in Africa. Among his varied activities were the raising, training and commanding of troops. His various commands included a column attached to the Belgian Brigade du Nord and he was Provost Marshal to the East African Expeditionary Force. He was wounded four times and earned, among other decorations, the Military Cross and the Croix de Guerre, and was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre Léopold. His war service left Mr. Drought in very poor health, and it was not until 1928, after returning to the United Kingdom for hospital treatment, that he was able to resume fully the practice of consulting engineer he had built up in Kenya, principally on the Kakamega gold fields. He worked with Kenya Development, Ltd., and in 1934 was technical assistant to Sir Albert Kitson. Mr. Drought remained in Kenya for the rest of his life, his home being at Mau Summit.
He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1903, and was also a member of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and a Fellow of the Chemical Society.
Vol. 66, Trans IMM 1956-57, pp.631-2
