Harry Charles Lancaster died on 4th October, 1959, at the age of 92.
Mr. Lancaster attended the Royal School of Mines as a private pupil between 1886 and 1888, studying chemistry, physics and metallurgy.
In 1888 he joined the family firm of Locke Lancaster and Co., which had been founded in London by his grandfather in 1854, later becoming chief chemist and assayer. In 1894 the business amalgamated with W.W. & R. Johnson and Sons, Ltd., and Mr. Lancaster was made one of the directors of the new company, which was then known as Locke Lancaster and W.W. & R. Johnson and Sons, of which company he was for many years a managing director, and chairman from 1931 to 1935.
By 1901 Mr. Lancaster was controlling all metallurgical processes in three factories which embraced the de-silverizing, smelting and refining of crude lead bullion, coming chiefly in those days from Spain, Greece, Australia and Burma – then producing about 3 tons of silver containing gold per week and about 600 tons of pig lead as well as by-product alloys of lead containing antimony, tin, copper and nickel mattes. The company also manufactured white lead, sheet lead, lead pipes and lead oxides.
In 1925 Locke Lancaster and W.W. & R. Johnson and Sons were merged as part of Associated Lead Manufacturers, Ltd., and Mr. Lancaster was one of the first directors of the new company, taking an active part in the technical management and research development. He retired from the board in 1938, but remained in an advisory capacity until 1943.
Mr. Lancaster was also one of the original directors of the Librex Lead Co., Ltd., which, when it was formed in 1924, had been known as Rowe Brothers, Liverpool. He became chairman in 1931 and retired in 1940.
Mr. Lancaster joined the Institution as a Member in 1938, and as recently as 1958, in his 91st year, was contributing actively to the discussion of papers. During his long connexion with the lead industry (72 years) in Great Britain, Mr. Lancaster served on several committees for the British Standards Institution. He was an Original Member of the Institute of Metals and served on their Council between 1927 and 1937, holding the office of Vice-President during the period 1934-1937.
Vol. 70, Trans IMM 1960-61, p.158
