Alexander Thomas Watson died on 18th November, 1958, at the age of 74, at his home at St. Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex.
Mr. Watson was born on the goldfields of Central Otago, New Zealand, thus gaining experience in mining under his father from his earliest years. He was apprenticed for a year from 1899 at an engineers’ shop in Clyde, New Zealand, and after working as a mechanic for a few years on dredges took employment in 1902 with Perseverance Gold Dredging Co., Alexandra, a year later with Vincent Gold Dredging Co., Clyde, and in 1904 with Waihaka Gold Dredging Co., Ltd.
Mr. Watson left New Zealand in 1906 for South America, where he gained further gold dredging experience at Orosmayo Gold Dredging Co., Ltd., North Argentina, and with Juan D. Roberts Gold Dredging Syndicate in Tierra del Fuego. In 1908 he travelled to Africa and worked for a few months as assistant to the manager at African Gold Mining Concessions Co., Ancobra River, West Africa, then in November, 1908, left for Siberia, where he was engaged for a year with New Central Siberia, Ltd., again gold dredging, managing the Nakisovsky section of the mine and acting as deputy general manager for four months.
He returned to South America in 1910 and spent over a year in charge of a prospecting expedition in the Upper Amazon for Iquitos Trading Co., Peru. In 1911 he came to the United Kingdom and managed tin and Wolfram operations at Buttem Hill in Cornwall for Legeh Concessions Syndicate, Ltd., and in 1912 carried out prospecting in Falmouth harbour and nearby waters.
From July, 1912, to May, 1915, Mr. Watson worked again in Nigeria, as general manager, first of Rukuba (Nigeria) Tin Mining Co., Ltd., and then of Naraguta Extended Tin Mines, Ltd.
On the outbreak of war in 1914 he had joined the Nigerian Rifles, but came to England in 1915 and volunteered for the Royal Flying Corps. He was on active service in France and England and was demobilized in 1919 but retained in Special Reserve, R.A.F., with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He had been mentioned in despatches, recommended for the D.S.O. and was awarded the O.B.E.
Mr. Watson resumed his mining career in 1920, managing various prospecting expeditions through Australia and New Zealand, on behalf of Anglo-American mining interests, and for some eight years was general manager to Pato Mines (Colombia), Ltd. He was later general manager of Oroville Gold Dredging Co., Ltd., California, and their subsidiaries, and from 1937 to 1938 held the position of general manager of British Guiana Consolidated Goldfields, Ltd.
He was farming in Cornwall from 1938 to 1943 but the last eight years before his retirement in 1955 were spent actively mining in New Zealand, as general manager for Clutha River Gold Dredging, Ltd. He returned to England to live in Sussex.
Mr. Watson was elected to Associate Membership of the Institution in 1920.
Vol. 68, Trans IMM 1958-59, p.548
