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Bob Gannicott left England for Yellowknife nearly penniless when he was 19 because of a thwarted romance. He had been studying mining engineering at the University of Nottingham, but dropped out to work at the Giant Mine in Yellowknife. From that start Mr. Gannicott, who died this month at the age of 69, went on to become a prospector and mining promoter and, with the discovery of diamonds in Canada, he became one of the richest men in Yellowknife.
Robert Gannicott was born on June 11, 1947, in Sandford, a quiet country village in Somerset, in England’s West Country. His mother, Ida, was a school teacher and his father, Ivor, was an engineer who was in submarines in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
Back then England had “11-plus” exams, which were used to determine children’s abilities so they could be streamed toward either academics or more practical training. Bob Gannicott passed on the bright side, winning a scholarship to a local grammar school, which led to university.