Peregrine Oliver Wilson died on February 13th, 1919, at the age of 67 years.
He was educated at Felsted Grammar School, Essex, during the years 1865 to 1869, and for the two following years was engaged in office work in London. In 1872 he began a course of study of mining engineering, surveying and assaying; his father was at the time secretary to a number of mining companies, which was the means of granting him unusual facilities. Towards the close of that year he went out to the San Pedro copper mines in Chile for a term of about five years, during the last two of which he occupied the position of general manager, in charge of a staff of 300 men. In 1877 he became associated with Mr. Charles Madge in the erection of an establishment to extract and treat borate of lime for a Chilian company.
During 1878 and 1879 he returned to England and studied mining work at Scorrier and other parts of Cornwall, and metallurgy with Mr. Madge, who was then technical manager for Messrs. Vivian & Sons, of Swansea. From 1879 to 1882 he was employed at the Tolima Mines in the Republic of Colombia, latterly as general manager, and in the next two years visited many mining properties in South America, the United States and Canada, incidentally examining and reporting on the Panama Canal works.
Returning to England he took, in 1884-5, a course of mining and metallurgy at the Royal School of Mines in Jermyn Street and South Kensington, and then went back to Colombia in charge of the Santa Maria, Organos, Socorro and Silencio Mines. In 1888, Mr. Wilson went to South Africa, to Barberton, Transvaal and Swazieland. He was, for a time, manager of Roartey’s Luck Mine, and was associated with the late Mr. Charles J. Alford in reporting on many properties, and with Mr. Edgar Taylor, of John Taylor & Sons, in consultations as consulting engineer He was, subsequently, 1891-2, engineer and general manager of the Witpoortje Silver Syndicate, and then engineer and manager of the Geldenhuis Main Reef Gold Mine. Mr. Wilson’s later years were spent in similar activities. He was engaged in reporting work in various parts of the world, South America, the Sudan, and Mexico especially.
Mr. Wilson was elected a Member of the Institution in 1892, within a few months of its foundation.
Vol. 29, Trans IMM 1919-20, pp.5
