Laurence Carr Hill died suddenly at his home at Fareham, Hampshire, on 4th May, 1959. He was 68.
Colonel Hill was educated at St. Lawrence College, and received his technical training at the Royal School of Mines, graduating B.Sc. (London) and A.R.S.M. (Mining) in 1912, and being awarded the Brough Medal. He then took up a junior post as surveyor and underground assistant with The Rio Tinto Co., Ltd., Spain, the beginning of his lifelong association with the company.
War interrupted his career, but in 1919 he returned to Rio Tinto, working as mining assistant in various departments until 1923, when he was appointed general service assistant. Four years later he was promoted chief mining engineer, and in 1928 was made technical deputy manager. After another break in his mining career owing to war, Colonel Hill held the position of technical adviser to the Rio Tinto Co., with headquarters in London, from 1945 until his retirement in 1952, undertaking many visits every year to overseas mining fields. His services were retained by the company in the capacity of technical consultant. He was a director of the Pyrites Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto, and also, from 1955, of Compañia Española de Minas de Rio Tinto, S.A.
Colonel Hill’s service in the two world wars was outstanding. In 1914 he was commissioned in the Royal Engineers and joined 174 Tunnelling Coy. in France. He was made Assistant Controller of Mines, 3rd Army, in 1916, and from July, 1917, to March, 1919, was commanding 177 Tunnelling Coy., R.E., in France, with the rank of major. He was awarded the D.S.O. and M.C., and was three times mentioned in despatches.
In 1940 he was recommissioned and commanded the First Tunnelling Engineers, R.E., as lieutenant-colonel, in England and Malta. He was appointed Deputy Chief Engineer, Malta, in 1942 and Chief Engineer, Malta, in 1943, with the rank of colonel. He relinquished his commission under the age limit towards the end of 1944, but then continued active service as a deck-hand in the Admiralty Runner Service aboard fleet tenders and other small craft.
Colonel Hill had joined the Institution as a Student in 1911, was elected to Associate Membership in 1917 and to Membership in 1929. Like his father, the late Alexander Hill, he was a Member of Council of the Institution. He had served continuously since 1946, first as an Ordinary Member of Council, then as Vice-President (1948-49), as President-Elect (1949-50) and finally as President during the session 1950-51. For his Presidential Address he chose as his subject ‘The cupriferous pyrites industry’ (Transactions, vol. 59, 1949-50).
He was Chairman of the Publications Committee for several years; he played a great part in the Conference on Wire Ropes in Mines held by the Institution in 1950 and had represented the Institution on British Standards Institution Committees. He was an Honorary Fellow of the Imperial College of Science and Technology.
Mr. J.B. Dennison writes:
Laurie Hill was one of the finest men it has been my privilege to know. He worked hard and played hard. Always keenly up-to-the-minute with his job he stood no nonsense from slackers, yet always managed to train them up in the way they should go and made them like it. Off duty he could relax and enjoy the company of his fellow-men as well as anybody I know at tennis, golf, bridge or anything else, and latterly, of course, sailing.
Small wonder is it that when residence in England made him available for the office of President of the Institution, he was selected for that honour. His wise guidance of our affairs then and since will be sorely missed. The world is the poorer for his going. There are not enough like him.
Vol. 66, Trans IMM 1958-1959, p.580
[See David Avery – Not on Queen Victoria’s Birthday: Story of the Rio Tinto Mines, pp.211-213]
