Francis William Oldfield died in London on August 18th, 1919.
He received his technical education at the Royal College of Science and the Royal School of Mines between the years 1897 and 1901, receiving his Associateship (in chemistry) of the R.C.S. in 1900, and his Associateship (in mining) of the R.S.M. in 1901. During his course he received some practical training at the Isle of Man Mine, Foxdale. In 1901 he went to Colorado, first as an assayer in Central City, and afterwards sampling and examining the Camp Bird mines, where he was for a time foreman and chemist of the cyanide works. In August, 1902, he was engaged as cyanide foreman and assistant manager to the Palmarejo & Mexican Gold Fields, Ltd., and in the following year he went to Ecuador as superintendent of the South American Development Co. at Guayaquil. During 1907 to 1910 he was occupied on the examination of mines in British Columbia, the United States and Mexico, and in the last-named year he accepted the position of manager to the Mexican Mines Co. He represented the Marcus Daly mining interests in Mexico, and succeeded, by his ability and tact, in operating one of the few mines working in the south-western part of Mexico during the revolutionary conditions of the last eight or nine years.
Mr. Oldfield was elected an Associate of the Institution in 1903.
Vol. 29, Trans IMM 1919-20, p.433
