William Stanley Foster was born in 1916 in Heath, Derbyshire and began work in 1930 with the Hardwick Coal Co., Derbyshire, joining his father, grandfather, five uncles and a cousin. In 1938 he went to Durham University on a Miners Welfare National Scholarship, graduating in 1942 and gaining his Certificate of Competency in the same year. He then became assistant to the Agent of Charlaw and Sacriston Collieries.
After nationalisation he was Manager at Wooley Colliery, near Durham, and then held various posts in Co. Durham – Assistant Divisional Planning Engineer, Divisional Ventilation Engineer, Deputy Area Production Manager (Planning), and Deputy Chief Mining Engineer (Planning and Surveying). He retired in 1975, but did some consultancy work, including for NCB (IEA Services) on world coal reserves.
He was President of NEIMME in 1967-68
Foster died in 2004
Publications:
Foster, W.S. Presidential address [NEIMME] Mining Engineer 127 1967-68, 358-360.
Foster, W.S. Extraction of undersea reserves indicated by the boring tower Mining Engineer 123 1963-64, 442-454.
Foster, W.S. and others Planning and control techniques for management Mining Engineer 128 1968-69, 489-503.
