David William Watson died on 27th August, 1960, at the age of 58.
Mr. Watson was educated at George Heriot’s School, Edinburgh, from 1916 to 1919, and received five years’ technical training in underground and surface surveying and layout and in the general practice of a consulting mining engineer with Messrs. Williamson, Miller and Robertson, civil and mining engineers, Edinburgh. His apprenticeship completed, Mr. Watson spent three years as assistant in the company.
He left Scotland for Northern Nigeria in 1927 to join Kaduna Syndicate, Ltd., and Kaduna Prospectors, Ltd., and served, over the next eight years, as surveyor, assayer, engineer-in-charge of prospecting and alluvial mining, and assistant general manager of Kaduna Syndicate, Ltd., and associated Companies. In 1935, he was appointed manager of several of the companies of Naraguta Tin Mines, Ltd., Northern Nigeria, and assistant general manager of the Naraguta Group. He was promoted general manager in 1945, and held this position for eleven years. A member of the Nigerian Chamber of Mines, Mr. Watson was appointed Joint Secretary in 1957, serving in that capacity until his death.
Mr. Watson was elected to Associate Membership of the Institution in 1932 and transferred to Membership in 1949. He had been a member of committee of the Nigerian Section of the Institution for several sessions and served as vice-chairman from 1954 to 1956.
Vol. 71, Trans IMM 1961-62, p.248
