John Maguire Iles died at his home in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, on April 24th, 1934, at the age of 69.
He was born in Australia and in 1885 he was appointed manager of the West Cumberland Tin Mines, Tasmania. For the seven years following he was manager of the South Good Intent & Ontario Silver Mining Co., Zeehan and Dundas, and in 1893 he went to Western Australia to take over the management of the Cue One Syndicate and Kangaroo Gold Mining Co. on the Cue-Murchison Gold Fields. Two years later he was appointed general manager of the South Kalgurli gold mines, Kalgoorlie, and was among the first engineers to erect a plant for the treatment of telluride ores. While occupying this position he was a member of the Kalgoorlie Mine Managers’ Association, a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining Engineers, and a member of the Chamber of Mines in Western Australia.
In 1904, he left Australia for Chile, to take up a position as mining engineer to the Central Chile Copper Co. While there, he was associated in partnership for some time with the late A.A. Davidson.
In 1910, he went to Nigeria for ten years as general manager of Rayfield (Nigeria) Tin Mines, Ltd., subsequently becoming joint managing director of that company, and a director of several other Nigerian tin companies.
Returning to England in 1920, he became associated with the late Oliver Wethered in Cornish mining, and became consulting mining engineer and joint managing director of Geevor Tin Mines, Ltd.
Mr. Iles was elected a Member of the Institution in 1929.
Vol. 44, Trans IMM 1934-35, pp.567-8
