John Stransham Ford died in Johannesburg on 15th November, 1958, at the age of 69.
Mr. Ford was born in South Africa and acquired his technical knowledge private study and at evening classes of the South African School of Mines. He began his career on the Witwatersrand in 1909 in the reduction works of Glen Deep, Ltd, and worked in the following year as compound manager and in the reduction works at Knights Deep, Ltd., and from 1911 to 1912 as sampler with Simmer East Ltd., and ‘The Jumpers’ Gold Mining Co., Ltd.
Mr. Ford joined Randfontein Estates Gold Mining Co., Ltd., in 1912 and remained with this company until 1923, except for a period of war service. He was first engaged as a sampler, but subsequently worked as assistant surveyor, sectional surveyor and finally mine captain.
He was appointed shift boss at New State Areas, Ltd., in January, 1923, and shortly afterwards became mine captain and occupied that post until 1931, also acting as underground manager. From 1931 to 1937 he was underground manager and acting manager to Witwatersrand Gold Mining Co., Ltd. He left in 1937 to join Langlaagte Estate and Gold Mining Co., Ltd., as manager, holding this position until 1946 when the company was wound up.
Between 1948 and 1950 Mr. Ford was mine manager at East Champ d’Or Gold Mining Co., Ltd., and he then returned to New State Areas, Ltd., this time as manager, occupying this position until 1955.
Mr. Ford was the author of ‘Underground management’, a handbook of standard instructions, first published by Langlaagte Estate and Gold Mining Co., Ltd., in 1943, a second edition appearing in 1950. He contributed many technical papers, principally to the Association of Mine Managers of the Transvaal (of which he was an Honorary Life Member), mostly on the subjects of scientific management and trained leadership for mine workers. He was for several years a part-time lecturer at the South African Technical College, in the subjects required for the South African Mine Overseer’s Certificate and Mine Manager’s Certificate for which he was also on the Examination Board.
Mr. Ford was elected a Member of the Institution in 1944, and was also a member of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Vol. 68, Trans IMM 1958-59, pp.334-5
