Alfred Mulock Bentley died in Bulawayo on 3rd January, 1959, at the age of 81.
He was born in Ireland and was educated at St. Andrew’s College, Dublin. He went to South Africa in 1896 and during the following two years served in the British South African Police and until 1902 in the Boer War, gaining a medal and two bars.
He served in Northern Rhodesia Rifles during the first world war. From 1899 to 1909, Mr. Bentley was engaged in various capacities at Goldfields Matabeleland, Ltd., and Rhodesian Exploration and Development Co., Ltd. He was appointed manager of Bwana M’kubwa Copper Mining Co., Ltd., in 1909, also having charge of development work on Kaloko iron deposits, and in 1912 became superintendent of Kafue Copper Development Co., Ltd., Rhodesian Broken Hill Development Co., Rhodesian Copper & General Exploration and Finance Co., Ltd., and Northern Copper (B.S.A.) Co., Ltd. He managed the latter company for some time, with headquarters at Broken Hill and Sable Antelope mines. More recently Mr. Bentley had transferred his interests from mining to educational and local government work but was associated with Bwana M’kubwa Copper Mining Co., Ltd., and Bechuanaland Exploration Co., Ltd.
Mr. Bentley was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1917.
Vol. 69, Trans I.M.M. 1959-60, p. 259
