Robert Allen
ALLEN, Robert MA BSc MIMM MCMMS(South Africa) (1866-1944)
Robert was born on March 21, 1866, in Plymouth, England, the son of Chemist Joseph Allen and his wife Eliza Reeves Allen (nee Stevens).
Robert studied at Cambridge graduating with a Master of Arts and at the University of London graduating with a Bachelor of Science. In 1891 he was working as a Mathematics Teacher in Plymouth.
By 1895, he was working as a partner with G Graves Gifford and Company, Assayers and Metallurgists, in Coolgardie. In July 1897, he formed Allen Stanley and Company with James Stanley, in Coolgardie. They operated as assayers and metallurgists, in Coolgardie, until 1901.
On November 5, 1902, he married teacher Mary Alice Maud Girdlestone at Christ Church, Hawthorn, Victoria. They had three children, Robert Girdlestone Allen (born Perth 1903), Catherine Mary Allen (born Perth 1906) and Wilmot Girdlestone Allen (born Johannesburg 1911).
In November 1904, Robert was made General Manager of the Westralia Mine at Mount Morgans. He held this position until April 1905.
Robert authored a number of papers on processing plants in the Goldfields such as the ore reduction plant at the Horseshoe Mine, Ivanhoe Gold Mine, Brown hill Gold Mine, Associated Northern Gold Mine, Sons of Gwalia Gold Mine, Kalgurli Gold Mine and Great Boulder Perseverance Gold Mine. They were published in conjunction with the Chamber of Mines, in 1906, as West Australian Metallurgical Practice: Being a Description of the Ore Treatment Mills and Processes of Twelve of the Principal Gold Mines of Western Australia.
By 1910, Robert had moved to South Africa. He attended the Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa, June 18, 1910, Annual General Meeting and was elected to the council. His paper Air lift Agitation of Slime Pulp was read at the March 1911 Meeting. He continued to be a member of council until 1913. He also worked in Mexico, Southern Rhodesia and the USA.
Robert was the Superintendent of the Mineral Resources Department of the Imperial (later Commonwealth) Institute in London by 1923. He authored Copper ores (London, 1923, 221p), Bismuth ores (London, 1925, 62p) and Report on the mineral industry of the British Empire and foreign countries: Chrome and chromium (with G. E. Howling; London, 1940, 118p).
Robert died on December 4, 1944 at Salisbury, Wiltshire, aged 78. He was survived by his three children.
Based on a biography in Westralian Founders of Twentieth Century Mining and augmented by Chris Fitzhardinge November 27, 2024.
References:
Coolgardie Pioneer 11.9.1895, p15
Goldfields Morning Chronicle, 23.7.1897, p4
West Australian, 13.12.1902, p8
Coolgardie Mining Review, 22.8.1906, p19
Kalgoorlie Western Argus, 11.9.1906, p10
Denis A Cumming and Richard G Hartley, Westralian Founders of Twentieth Century Mining, Graphic Source Pty Ltd, 2014
