Charles Alfred Smith
Charles Alfred Smith (c1873-1949)
1950 Obituary [1]
"CHARLES ALFRED SMITH spent the greater part of his engineering career in South Africa. He served his apprenticeship, from 1889 to 1892, with Messrs. Gilbert Gilkes and Company, Ltd., hydraulic engineers, of Kendal, and remained with the firm as chief draughtsman for a further four years. He then found employment in Johannesburg as a draughtsman, where in 1899 he became foreman draughtsman to Messrs. S. Neumann and Company, Ltd.
Three years later he joined the staff of the East Rand Proprietory Mines as chief draughtsman, and subsequently was appointed assistant consulting mechanical engineer. Then followed seven years' experience in Mexico, where he first acted as resident engineer to the El Oro Mining and Railway Co, and afterwards was engaged on the design and erection of plant for two other gold mining concerns. He returned to Johannesburg in 1916, and after spending three years in the drawing offices of various firms was appointed chief draughtsman to the South American Corporation of South Africa, for whom he was engaged on the design of plant for several gold mines.
This appointment he retained until his retirement in 1939. Mr. Smith had been an Associate Member of the Institution since 1915. His death occurred at Bath on 25th January 1949 at the age of seventy-six."