Edward Otto Forster Brown
Edward Otto Forster Brown (1881-1941)
1941 Obituary [1]
EDWARD OTTO FORSTER BROWN was born at Cardiff on the 26th November, 1881, and died at Fountain House, Park Lane, London, on the 22nd May, 1941.
He was educated at Aysgarth School and Winchester, and pursued his Engineering studies at the Durham College of Science, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
He received his training in mining science in South Wales, Northumberland, Scotland, and Germany, and in 1905 passed first in the examination for the First Class Colliery Manager’s certificate.
He then spent 2 years in America, Africa, and the Far East, investigating mining conditions, and later acted as resident consulting engineer for seven colliery companies in northern Mexico for 2 years.
In 1912 he commenced to practise in London as a consulting mining engineer, and was directly associated in an administrative or advisory capacity with the development of coalfields in Kent, South Wales, the Midlands and Durham, and also with the iron ore reserves of Prance and North Africa, whilst he prepared numerous reports on coalfields in many other parts of the world.
He gave evidence before the Sankey Coal Commission in 1919 and the Samuel Commission in 1926, and also acted as a Special Referee for the Court of Appeal.
In 1921 he was sent by the League of Nations to Upper Silesia. He was a member of the Royal Commission on Safety in Mines, and of the Board of the Geological Survey of Great Britain....[more]
1941 Obituary [2]
"Mining Engineers, not only in this country, but also in many parts of tho world, will learn with deep regret of the death, on Thursday, May 22nd, at Fountain House, Park Lane, of Mr. Edward Otto Forster Brown, the President of the Institution of Mining Engineers. Mr. Brown, who lived at 14, Chester Square, and "Holbrook," Chislehurst, was fifty-nine years of age. He was in good health until recently, but following a chill broke a blood vessel and died after a short illness.
He was a well-known mining engineer with a wide experience and a high reputation, not only in this country, but also in South America, North America, Mexico and the Far East. After serving his apprenticeship he practised for some years as a consulting engineer in Mexico, and on his return to England was extensively engaged on mining engineering consulting work in London, specialising in coal and iron ore mining.
In 1923 he was awarded the Telford Gold Medal of the Institution of Civil Engineers. In 1926, a assisting the late Dr. Haldano, who represented the Institution of Mining Engineers, he gave evidence before the Samuel Commission. He was a member of the Royal Commission on Safety in Coal Mines in 1937.
Forster Brown was known intimately in all the British coalfields and was an authority on the Kent coalfield, in which he served as Chairman of the District Mining Board. He was for some time a Governor of the Imperial College of Science and Technology and a member of the Board of the Geological Survey of Great Britain. His death at a comparatively early age will be deeply mourned by his many friend and his colleagues in the' Institution of Mining Engineers;. He was elected President of the Institution in 1939 and served in that office up till the time of his death. He rendered valuable service to the Institution, not only a its President, but in the many consultations with the Mines and other Government Departments."