Percy Robert Musgrave Robertson died on 26th July, 1954, at the Bulawayo General Hospital. He was in his sixty-third year.
Mr. Robertson had spent the whole of his professional career in Southern Rhodesia and had been an active supporter of the Gwanda Smallworkers’ Association. He began work in 1914 as assayer in the Gatooma assay office and in 1919 was appointed smelter and extractor house boss to Cam and Motor Gold Mining Co., Ltd., becoming acting cyanide manager in the following year. From 1922 to 1924 he had full charge of the reduction works of Messrs. Pringle and Peacock and then took charge of the reduction plant at the Jessie mine of Jessie Sands Syndicate.
During 1927 Mr. Robertson managed the Colleen Bawn reduction plant of which he was the owner. Between 1927 and 1936 he treated the tailings dumps of Susannah mine and, in addition to the Colleen Bawn plant, managed the underground and surface production of his own mine in the Gwanda district. When operations ceased at Johnnie mine in 1939 Mr. Robertson began working Black Mamba mine on his own account.
On the outbreak of war he enlisted with the Rhodesian Forces and was attached to the S.R. Survey Unit in East Africa. On demobilization he obtained a tribute to treat the tailings of Nicholson mine at West Nicholson. He later became interested in farming in the area, and while retaining his interests in Penzance Gold Mining Co., of which he was a director, Mr. Robertson gave up mining.
He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1936.
Vol. 64, Trans I.M.M., 1954-55, p.476
