Thomas Ritchie Weir died at sea, as the result presumably of enemy action, in July 1942, at the age of 58.
He was born and educated at Dunedin, New Zealand, and from 1899 to 1902 was engaged as accountant, and later as assayer and sampler, at the O.P.Q. (Waipori).Gold Mines. From 1903 to 1911 he was actively employed in the gold-dredging industry in Otago and Southland and obtained the Government’s certificate of competency as a dredgemaster in 1908.
In June 1911 he left New Zealand to take up an appointment with the Siamese Tin Syndicate in Western Siam, and assisted in the erection of the syndicate’s first tin dredge, afterwards taking charge of the tin-saving department, and later of the prospecting operations. In all he was in the employment of the syndicate for thirty years, during the last fifteen of which he was general manager in the East.
In the war of 1914-18 he served in the New Zealand Engineers (Tunnelling Companies). On the outbreak of hostilities with Japan in 1941 he was evacuated to Singapore, where he joined H.M. Forces with others of his staff, and reached the rank of Major, but in what unit is not known.
Mr. Weir was admitted to Studentship of the Institution in 1914 and was elected an Associate in 1916.
Vol. 52, Trans IMM 1942-43, p.403
