John Howard Fennell died on 4th February, 1960, in his eightieth year.
Mr. Fennell was a student at the Royal School of Mines between 1899 and 1902, and obtained the Associateship in mining. After a few months at Cwmystwyth mines, Cardiganshire, he went to Spain as assayer to Rio Tinto Mines, Ltd., and spent some time underground as surveyor. He left in 1905 for the U.S.A. where he was engaged on mine examinations and prospecting. Mr. Fennell returned to Spain, however, in 1908 to work at Cerro Muriano Mines Ltd., at Cordoba, and managed the Poderosa mine of United Alkali Co., Ltd., in Huelva Province from 1908 to 1911. In 1912 he was assistant engineer to Chino Copper Co., New Mexico, and on his return to Europe worked for a few months on mine examination in Hungary and Austria. In July, 1913, Mr. Fennell was appointed assistant manager of Hausa (Nigeria), Ltd., and was later made manager. He left for Malaya in the following year to join Pahang Consolidated Co., Ltd., but returned to the United Kingdom to serve during the war in the Royal Field Artillery between 1914 and 1919, holding the rank of captain.
On demobilization Mr Fennell was appointed manager of Concepción mine in Huelva, and held this post until 1927, when he joined Messrs. Bewick, Moreing & Co., and carried out gold and base-metal mine examinations in Serbia, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Italy and Peru. He was engaged in consulting work and examination of sulphur mines in Italy and gold mines in East and West Africa on his own account between 1930 and 1935, and in the following year prospected a silver-Iead-zinc concession in Yugoslavia. Mr. Fennell continued general consulting work, including examination of alluvial gold properties in Nigeria, until 1941 when he was appointed to the Minerals Department of the United Kingdom Commercial Corporation, Ltd.
Two years later he joined Water and Water Engineering, becoming editor in 1944 and remaining in this position until his retirement in October, 1947. He continued to live in London, and took an active interest in mining affairs and in the Institution.
Mr. Fennell contributed to the technical press and was author of a paper published in the Transactions of the Institution entitled ‘Ore reserves’ (vol. 49, 1939-40).
Mr. Fennell had joined the Institution as a Student in 1901 and was elected to Associate Membership in 1906 and to full Membership in 1926.
Vol. 70, Trans IMM 1960-61, pp.156-7
