Charles Deamster Hornsby was born in Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham in 1927, the son of Henry Hornsby, at the time the Agent for Pelaw Main Collieries. He was educated at Sedbergh School and Durham University, where he gained a 1st Class honours degree in Applied Science in 1945. He joined the National Coal Board as one of the first students on the mining engineering training scheme and had various managerial appointments, including at Watergate Colliery, Gateshead, before becoming a Group Manager in 1960. In 1965 he moved to Northumberland as Manager of the Ellington, Ashington Group and in 1969 became the Deputy Chief Mining Engineer for the Northumberland Area and then for the North East Area. In 1980 he was appointed Director of Mining Environment of the NCB.
Hornsby was active in professional organisations, being President of the North of England Branch of the National Association of Colliery Managers in 1964 and NEIMME President in 1973-74. He was President of the Institution of Mining Engineers in 1981-82.
He published many technical papers and won NEIMME’s George May student’s prize in 1947 for a paper on a winder installation and then again for the paper on time study analysis noted below. This also won the Institution of Mining Engineers’ Sam Mavor prize for the best paper by a student or associate member in vol.112 of the Transactions. In 1980 he was awarded the G.C.Greenwell Silver Medal for his paper on face mechanisation in the North East Area.
Outside the profession he was a magistrate and a keen ornithologist.
Hornsby died in 2000.
Some publications
Hornsby, C.D. An example of the application of time study analysis to mechanised units Transactions – Institution of Mining Engineers 112, 1952-53, 117-133
Charlton, E. and Hornsby, C.D. Underground water considerations in the Northumberland and Durham Coalfield in Institution of Mining Engineers Symposium on Environmental Engineering in Coal Mining. Harrogate 1972, 153 – 175.
Hornsby, C.D. The use of continuous miners for rapid in seam development in Northumberland Mining Engineer 133 1973-74, 77-89
Hornsby, C.D. Presidential address [NEIMME] Mining Engineer 133 1973-74, 321-324
Hornsby, C.D. Aspects of face mechanisation in the North East Area Mining Engineer 139 1979-80, 773-784
Hornsby, C.D. Things happen because there is a need [Presidential address – IME] Mining Engineer 141 1981-82, 135-137
Hornsby, C. D. Underground mining environment engineering in Institution of Mining Engineers Mining 85 Conference Vol 1. 1985, 193-204
