Frederick William Watson, metallurgical chemist, qualified as Bachelor of Science (BSc) in London. He had arrived on the Witwatersrand by 1903, when he became a member of the Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa. He served on the society's council from 1911 to at least 1914 (when he was a member also of the finance committee) and was its president for the year 1923/4. In 1916 he became a member of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science. He was a Fellow of either the (British) Institute of Chemistry or of Imperial College, London (FIC), became a member of the South African Chemical Institute in 1920 and was still a member by 1934.

In 1905 Watson worked as an analytical chemist at the Simmer & Jack Proprietary Mines, Ltd in Germiston, but by 1922 was employed at the Rand Mines Metallurgical Laboratory in Johannesburg. His publications included "Native food supplies and their quality" (Journal of the Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa, 1910/1), "Method of assay for osmiridium in pyritic concentrates" (Ibid, 1924) and, with R.A. Cooper, "The development of the Chlorine Process of extraction of platinum metals from ores" (Ibid, 1929).

Watson was survived by his wife, Gertrude Agnes Watson.

List of sources:

FamilySearch: Frederick William Watson. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9BY-R3ZB-N?view=index&personArk=/ark:/61903/1:1:WQQM-GYT2&action=view&cc=2998108&lang=en&groupId= AND https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/P7LY-3VS

Google Scholar. http://scholar.google.co.za

Journal of the Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa, 1904/5, Vol. 5, List of members; 1910/1, Vol. 11, paper by F.W. Watson; 1911/2, Vol. 12 to 1913/4, Vol. 14, List of officers; 1940, Vol. 41(1), Past presidents.

National Automated Archival Information Retrieval System (NAAIRS). http://www.national.archives.gov.za/naairs.htm Documents relating to Frederick William Watson.

South African Association for the Advancement of Science. Report, 1918, List of members.

South African Chemical Institute. Proceedings and list of members, 1921/2 and 1933/4.

Compiled by: C. Plug

Last updated: 2026-02-24 11:40:28