Alexander Moncrieff Finlayson died of wounds in France on July 23rd, 1917, whilst serving as 2nd Lieutenant in the South Lancashire Regiment. He was 33 years of age. He returned to England from Burma in March, 1915, and obtained his commission three months later. His period of active service in France extended over less than a year, but during that time he was wounded on three separate occasions before receiving the injuries which terminated fatally.
Dr. Finlayson was educated at Otago University, Dunedin, New Zealand, where he obtained the degree of M.Sc. with first class honours; and at the Otago School of Mines, where he obtained the school diploma. For two years he worked on the staff of the New Zealand Geological Survey, and in 1908 was awarded the 1851 Exhibition Research Scholarship in Geology. This enabled him to come to England and continue his, studies on ore deposits, which resulted in his obtaining the degree of D.Sc. at London University in 1910.
On the termination of his research studies he became associated with Messrs. Steel Bros. & Co., Ltd., managing agents to the Indo-Burma Petroleum Co., Ltd., at Rangoon, and acted as geologist to the company until he resigned his post to join the Army, at which time he held the position of head geologist. He was the author of several able articles and pamphlets on the nature and origin of ore deposits in New Zealand, the British Isles and the Huelva district of Spain.
Dr. Finlayson was admitted to Studentship of the Institution in 1908, and was transferred to Associateship in 1909.
Vol. 27, Trans IMM 1917-18, pp.395-6
