Lewis Dold Browne, O.B.E., died on 11th September, 1960, at the age of 54.
Mr. Browne was born in Cape Province, South Africa, and educated at Kimberley Boys’ High School. From 1922 until 1928 he worked for De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd., receiving technical training first in land surveying, and afterwards in mine surveying.
Between 1929 and 1932, Mr. Browne carried out mine surveying at the Koffiefontein and Premier diamond mines. He obtained the Union of South Africa Mine Surveyor’s Certificate in 1929 and the Mine Manager’s Certificate in 1936, after attending Witwatersrand Technical College for periods of study. He left De Beers in 1932 to join West Rand Consolidated Mines, Ltd., as mine surveyor and in 1934 was appointed chief surveyor, East Champ d’Or Gold Mining Co., Ltd.
In April, 1935, Mr. Browne went on to work as surface surveyor on construction work in opening up Vlakfontein and Spaarwater gold mines with Sub Nigel, Ltd., and over the following six years he was transferred to the positions of mining shift boss, mine overseer and finally underground manager with Sub Nigel.
From 1941 to 1946 Mr. Browne was on active service in Syria and Italy with the Mines Engineering Brigade, South African Engineering Corps. From 1941 to 1943 he was O/C 61st Tunnelling Coy., engaged on cutting and lining the Chekka railway tunnel, Syria, and the Ras Bayada railway tunnel, South Lebanon, and providing irrigation tunnels at Kasmieh, South Lebanon. In October, 1943, he
was officer in charge of a tunnelling detachment, having the administration and organization of two Tunnelling Coys. attached to the South African Railway Construction Engineers Group, engaged in re-opening and reconstructing railway tunnels in the area of Ortona, Foligno and Fabriano, Italy. In November, 1944, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel, second in command of S.A. Railway Construction Engineers Group, S.A.E.C., and was responsible for work on re-opening
the Florence-Bologna railway. For his outstanding work Mr. Browne was awarded the O.B.E.
In February, 1946, Mr. Browne returned to Sub Nigel, Ltd., in the post of underground manager and chief of the study department, and later that year was appointed acting assistant manager, Vlakfontein Gold Mining Co., Ltd. In May, 1947, he became assistant manager and acting manager of Vogelstruisbult Gold Mining Areas, Ltd., and in 1950 was made manager. Shortly after this promotion Mr. Brown was transferred to the head office of New Consolidated Gold Fields, Ltd., Johannesburg, as consulting engineer. He was elected to the board of directors of Vogelstruisbult Gold Mining Areas, Ltd., in 1957 and in 1959 was made a member of the executive committee of the Transvaal and Orange Free State Chamber of Mines.
Mr. Browne was elected a Member of the Institution in 1950, and had been a member of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy for many years, serving on their Council from 1958. Several technical papers of which he was author were published in South African professional journals.
Vol. 71, Trans I.M.M. 1961-62, pp. 243-4
