Llewellyn Henry Powell (c1877-1947)
1948 Obituary [1]
"LLEWELLYN HENRY POWELL, whose death occurred at Durban, on 27th March 1947, in his seventieth year, was one of the best known engineers in the sugar industry, especially in South Africa where he had spent the last twenty years of his career.
He was educated privately and received his technical training at the State College in Zurich, Switzerland. His apprenticeship was served from 1894 to 1898 with Messrs. George Fletcher and Company, Ltd., of Derby, and after some experience of engineering in this country he went to Mauritius to take up the appointment of works manager to the Forge and Foundry Co, with whom he remained for six years. During this period he was chiefly engaged with the repair and maintenance of sugar factories. He then held the responsible position of engineer in charge of new construction for the Cuban American Sugar Co in Cuba and Peru. During the war of 1914-18 he served for four years in the Royal Engineers and rose to the rank of major and was mentioned in despatches three times. In 1919 he joined the Liebig's Extract of Meat Company, Ltd., as chief engineer of their factory at Colon, Argentina, and was promoted manager in 1920.
He resigned this position in 1923, and spent the next three years as chief engineer to the Guantanamo Sugar Company of Cuba. He was next occupied in constructing and starting up a large new sugar factory in the Philippine Islands until 1928 when he began his long connection with Natal, where for some years he represented Messrs. Mirrlees and Watson Company, Ltd., makers of sugar machinery, of Glasgow. He was also in business on his own account as consulting engineer to sugar factories and other industrial concerns. Since 1939 he had acted as manager in Natal for Messrs. E. L. Bateman, Ltd., makers of sugar and mining equipment, of Johannesburg. More recently he became a director of Messrs. John Murray, Ltd., sugar engineers of Durban.
Mr. Powell was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1906 and was transferred to Membership in 1915. He was a Past-President of the Natal Institute of Engineers."