William Thornton died of wounds in German East Africa on January 3rd, 1917.
He was a member of the League of Frontiersmen, which joined the Royal Fusiliers in a body on the outbreak of the war. In the summer of 1915 he went with his regiment to German East Africa, and was fighting there continuously for 18 months. On January 1st, 1917, he was severely wounded and succumbed to his injuries two days later.
He was about 40 years of age. Mr. Thornton studied chemistry and metallurgy for three years at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College, and for a further period of 18 month’s was assistant to the professor of technical chemistry at the same college. Following a two years’ engagement as chemist to the Cassel Gold Extracting Co., Ltd., in Glasgow, he sailed for Panama in October, 1899, and for about seven years held the position of chemist to the Veraguas Mining Co., Ltd. During his last three years he was in charge of the technical department at the mines.
After a vacation in Scotland, he returned to America to take up an appointment with the Fresno Copper Co., Ltd., at Clovis, California, where he remained for about a year. In 1911 he joined Mr. J.S. MacArthur at the gold mines of Porcupine, Northern Ontario, and worked there for three and a half years, until he answered the call of his country in the autumn of 1914.
Mr. Thornton was elected an Associate of the Institution in 1906.
Vol. 26, Trans IMM 1916-17, p.280
