George Hay Rattray
Son of George Rattray and Sarah Jane Butler, born on the 7th of May 1873 at Sunnyside, Kenley, Coulsdon, Croydon, Surrey, baptised on the 3rd of September 1873 at Kenley, Surrey.
Married Franceska Mary Eleanor Mähler on the 5th of December 1901 in Streatham, London
Children
Louis, born on the 26th of September 1902 (died 26 May 1903)
Beryl Mary, born on the 27th of June 1904
Alan George Hay, born on the 15th of June 1907
Dorothy Eleanor Mary, born on the 9th of May 1910
Edward, born on the 18th of May 1912
Joan Evelyn, born on the 12th of February 1916
Sheila Margaret, born on the 16th of February 1918
George, born on the 3rd of April 1920
Died on the 4th of December 1937 in Bindura, Rhodesia (cancer).
His father died when he was five and he was promised a job with his father's company but he did not like the prospect and emigrated at 17 to South Africa!
| "Like Cecil Rhodes,
he first took up farming as his first occupation, but
the call of adventure was too strong for him to remain
at that for long, and in 1893 he came to Rhodesia. "He was a member of the Victoria Column which participated in the advance on Bulawayo in the Matabele War, and he was with Major P. Forbes's Flying Column in the pursuit of Lobengula. On that disastrous day of November 4th, 1893, on the banks of the Shangani, when the Matabele king was within their grasp, Mr. Rattray volunteered to go with Major Alan Wilson to capture him, but he was refused because he was under the age of 21. His youth saved his life. He later took up Pioneer mining rights and went prospecting. |
 George Rattray in 1901 2 |
|
 |
A letter from George Rattray to his mother in 1893 recounting his experiences in the Matabele War. Click on envelope for full text of letter | |
| "In the Matabele Rebellion
Mr Rattray was a member of A Troop (under Capt.
Warwick), of Gifford's Horse, which performed yeoman
service throughout the campaign. "Mr. Rattray also fought in the Boer War, and was present at the relief of Ladysmith (1900). |
||
| "When he returned to
Rhodesia after the cessation of hostilities, he engaged
in prospecting and in working small properties.
"He came to Bindura, then known as Kimberley Reefs, in 1908, and pegged the Hay Mine. In 1913 he settled on Kingston Farm, and had lived there ever since." 1 |
 On Kingston Farm in 1916 |
|
Notes
1 From obituary December 8, 1937.
2 Photograph of a young man, taken by photographers S.P.L Phillips, 147 North End Croydon marked on back Mrs Rattery (sic) ?6 Winsor. In a matching frame, by the same photographers, an elderly woman, marked on the back 'black oak', Mrs Rattray, 26 Winsor Terr.
3 Probate:-
More information
1873 Kenley, Coulsdon, Surrey
1881 Sunnyside, Coulsdon, Surrey
1893 Sunnyside, Kenley, Surrey
1901 28, Lansdowne Road, Croydon (by East Croydon Station) (December)
26 Windsor Terrace
1922 71, Lansdown Road - Mary Rattray
1927 402, Camden Road Holloway - Mary Rattray
The mines:-
There were two mines operated by George at Bindura - the Hay mine (George Hay Rattray) and the R.A.N. mine (Rattray and ANother (Freestone)). I don't yet know the dates of opening the mines nor the date at which the RAN was eventually sold to Anglo-American.
RATTRAY, George Hay (1873 - 1937) p388
"Later he returned to Natal, taking part in the Relief of
Ladysmith in 1900, and made a trip home to England before
finally settling in Rhodesia. In 1908 he went to Kimberley Reefs
and pegged Hay Mine as well as other claims in the Mazoe ... "
Guide to the historical manuscripts in the National Archives
of Rhodesia
National Archives of Rhodesia, T. W. Baxter, Eric Edward Burke
1970
"All the commoner ores of bismuth have been
reported as occurring in Rhodesia, notably at the
Hay Mine, Mazoe, where bismuth sulphide occurs associated
with molybdenite and iron- pyrites. The mine was
formerly worked for gold only, and it does not appear that any
effort was made to save the bismuth."
The Mineral industry of the British Empire and foreign
countries , Volume 7 (1920)
There was a limited production of bismuth ores during the war period in Rhodesia (Hay mine, Mazoe)
"Hay Gold Mining Company"
... Rhodesian Minings [shares] were supported in anticipation
of the Hay mine flotation. July 2nd 1910
Hay Gold Mining Company. — The present does not seem a very
happy moment for the flotation of fresh Rhodesian mining
enterprise, but still they come. The latest is from the Weil
stable, being issued under the auspices of the London and
Rhodesian Mining and Land. The capital is fairly modest, as
things go, at ;£155,ooo in £1 shares, of which 82,500 go to the
vendors, 55,000 are reserved for working capital, and 17,500 are
in reserve. What the ground floor terms were we do not know, but
the shares were started on Monday at about 1 9/16. The
company acquires from the Mazoe Syndicate 126 claims in the
Mazoe district. Southern Rhodesia, known as the Hay claims, and
Messrs. Pearse, Kingston and Browne, on the strength of a report
by Mr. V. S. Allen, have pleasure in recommending the vigorous
development of the property. The ore bodies occur as lenticular
deposits in hornblendic granite, and are said to be highly gold
bearing. A new shaft sunk to cut the ore bodies on their
westerly dip is now down to loi ft. The ore is oxidised to the
present depth, and some sulphide coming in the winze at 160 ft.
carries high values. There is a small treatment plant consisting
of a 5-stamp mill, boiler and winding engine, and a small
cyanide plant is in course of erection. About 6,000 tons of
tailings are ready for cyaniding, but may require re-grinding,
to get satisfactory extraction. From tests made on the ore,
however, it is not anticipated that any real difficulties will
occur in actual treatment. The water supply is assured, and fuel
is available. " Provided the present widths and average values
continue in depth, the ' Hay ' should develop into a very
valuable property."
Investors Review July 9th 1910
Commenting on the 1912 and 1913 production
figures for the Mazoe district "The Mazoe district has suffered
by the closing of the Hay mine ....
Output of Hay mine 1912 £28, 873, 1913 nil
The Mining magazine , Volume 10 March 1914 p231
Thomas Arthur
Rickard - 1914
The London Gazette 20 June 1919
Ashanti Goldfields operates the Freda Rebecca mine, the smallest mine in the Ashanti Group’s stable, but also Zimbabwe’s richest. The mine produced just over 102 000 oz gold in 2001, marginally lower than the previous year - however costs continue to rise. Cash costs have increased dramatically over the last few years based on Zimbabwe's current foreign exchange laws and weak currency. Exploration at Freda Rebecca continues to extend the life of mine to beyond 2005. Ashanti have also made good progress in evaluating a potential gold - copper deposit located east of the town of Bindura. Here the RAN project has been evaluated at containing 2.8 Mt grading 2.6 g/t gold and 0.42% copper. The deposit is amenable to open pit mining and a feasibility study is underway. (written c.2001)
(R.A.N. - ) (2.8million tons x 2.6g/t x $7.5/g = $55million approx)
On-line references to other George Rattrays:-
Rattray, George (1872-1941). Listed in Bolton (1975) as having collected ants in East London. Biography: G&C p. 290.
Another Rattray 'opening up Africa' http://lucy.ukc.ac.uk/machin/machin_21.html
A G. Rattray aged 34 arrived in Southampton on the Galician on the 22nd of June 1906 apparently after departing from London England, and calling at East London, Cape Town and Las Palmas. (UK Incoming passenger lists on Ancestry.co.uk.) but there is a Dr G. Rattray of the same age travelling between South Africa and London.