"I see no reason why every pupil in every school should not have a globe. Even the tiny pencil-sharpener type has its uses."
L. Dudley Stamp, 1950
Monday 30 September 2019
Sunday 29 September 2019
1938: Spring Conference in Durham
Around this time, there were changes to the GA conference in terms of timing and also format. This was more peripatetic than the current circus between Manchester, Guildford and Sheffield (the city I hoped my own Presidential year would be held in, but it was not to be)
The 1938 conference was held in Durham.
The President, Thomas Henry Holland, gave a lecture on Continental Drift, which must have been cutting edge stuff at the time.
There were also guests from various countries, including Norway and France.
A lot of the conference was on the theme of the Durham region, and the fieldtrip to the industrial highlights of the region sounded good.
"It is doubtful whether the Association has ever had a more important gathering, or one so closely linked with the main sdtreams of local life".
Reference
“THE SPRING CONFERENCE, 1938.” Geography, vol. 23, no. 2, 1938, pp. 126–127. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40561786
The 1938 conference was held in Durham.
The President, Thomas Henry Holland, gave a lecture on Continental Drift, which must have been cutting edge stuff at the time.
There were also guests from various countries, including Norway and France.
A lot of the conference was on the theme of the Durham region, and the fieldtrip to the industrial highlights of the region sounded good.
"It is doubtful whether the Association has ever had a more important gathering, or one so closely linked with the main sdtreams of local life".
Reference
“THE SPRING CONFERENCE, 1938.” Geography, vol. 23, no. 2, 1938, pp. 126–127. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40561786
Saturday 28 September 2019
1966: OHPs
Between 1982 and 1985, I did my degree at Huddersfield Polytechnic with some excellent lecturers - some of whom are still working, as they were young at the time. They included Tim Burt, David Butcher, John Fernie, Stuart Corbridge, Lance Tufnell, Ian Couch, Alan Pitkethly (a legend), Derek Reeve and Jim Wrathall. Many of these went on to even greater things after Huddersfield gave them a perfect place to experiment and develop their craft. I have bumped into some of them as the years have gone by. I liked coming across their work in various journals.
Here's a piece from Jim Wrathall 17 years before I was taught by him, while working at a college in Huddersfield. It describes a brand new technology which promised to change things for teachers. It was called, the overhead projector....
References
WRATHALL, J. E. “The Overhead Projector — A New Aid for the Geographer.” Geography, vol. 51, no. 1, 1966, pp. 38–41. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40566039
https://www.tes.com/news/peak-performance-ict-geography
Here's a piece from Jim Wrathall 17 years before I was taught by him, while working at a college in Huddersfield. It describes a brand new technology which promised to change things for teachers. It was called, the overhead projector....
References
WRATHALL, J. E. “The Overhead Projector — A New Aid for the Geographer.” Geography, vol. 51, no. 1, 1966, pp. 38–41. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40566039
https://www.tes.com/news/peak-performance-ict-geography
Wednesday 25 September 2019
1937: Professor Leslie Patrick Abercrombie (later Sir)
Patrick Abercrombie was a major person in the development of town planning, and was another of the Presidents who were chosen because of their public profile, rather than a connection with geography teaching per se.
I remember learning about his work in a module on planning which formed part of my degree in the early 1980s.
His name has since cropped up with respect to BAAS Section E and links with Sir Peter Hall, who is referenced quite a bit on the blog.
He was born in Cheshire, and studied at Liverpool School of Architecture.
His work's legacy persists today and is still influential in discussions around town planning.
When he became GA President, the Second World War was approaching, but there was still a lot of change occurring in the British landscape.
Following the Second World War, Abercrombie became a leading person in the rebuilding of London and other places. This was also a time when planning was a big focus of the BAAS Section E.
His work led to the New Towns Act which has left a legacy of cities across the UK, and work on other cities which have been influenced by the movement, spreading worldwide.
From his Wikipedia page (shared under CC license)
Sir Patrick trained as an architect before becoming the Professor of Civic Design at the University of Liverpool School of Architecture in 1915, and later Professor of Town Planning at University College London.
Afterwards, he made award-winning designs for Dublin city centre and was involved in the replanning of several other cities, including Hull.
He was also closely involved in the founding of the Council for the Preservation of Rural England (CPRE). After its formation in December 1926, he served as its Honorary Secretary. This is yet another important institution with a link to a GA President.
When Abercrombie became GA President, he had not yet completed his most famous work, which was yet to come after the Second World War.
His Presidential Address was entitled 'Geography, the basis of Planning'.
Duncan Hawley (and other geologists) need to look away from this extract.
He championed the idea of a Green Belt around London, and contributed to the Royal Commission on the Distribution of the Industrial Population, the report of which (Barlow Report) appeared in 1940. Green Belts are very much in the news in the summer of 2023 in terms of their suggested impact on new housing which is needed.
He is perhaps best known for the post-Second World War replanning of London. He created the County of London Plan (1943) and the Greater London Plan (1944) which are commonly referred to as the Abercrombie Plan.
His work's legacy persists today and is still influential in discussions around town planning.
When he became GA President, the Second World War was approaching, but there was still a lot of change occurring in the British landscape.
Following the Second World War, Abercrombie became a leading person in the rebuilding of London and other places. This was also a time when planning was a big focus of the BAAS Section E.
His work led to the New Towns Act which has left a legacy of cities across the UK, and work on other cities which have been influenced by the movement, spreading worldwide.
From his Wikipedia page (shared under CC license)
Sir Patrick trained as an architect before becoming the Professor of Civic Design at the University of Liverpool School of Architecture in 1915, and later Professor of Town Planning at University College London.
Afterwards, he made award-winning designs for Dublin city centre and was involved in the replanning of several other cities, including Hull.
He was also closely involved in the founding of the Council for the Preservation of Rural England (CPRE). After its formation in December 1926, he served as its Honorary Secretary. This is yet another important institution with a link to a GA President.
When Abercrombie became GA President, he had not yet completed his most famous work, which was yet to come after the Second World War.
His Presidential Address was entitled 'Geography, the basis of Planning'.
ABERCROMBIE, PATRICK. “GEOGRAPHY, THE BASIS OF PLANNING.” Geography, vol. 23, no. 1, 1938, pp. 1–8. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40560522. Accessed 24 Aug. 2023.
Duncan Hawley (and other geologists) need to look away from this extract.
He championed the idea of a Green Belt around London, and contributed to the Royal Commission on the Distribution of the Industrial Population, the report of which (Barlow Report) appeared in 1940. Green Belts are very much in the news in the summer of 2023 in terms of their suggested impact on new housing which is needed.
He is perhaps best known for the post-Second World War replanning of London. He created the County of London Plan (1943) and the Greater London Plan (1944) which are commonly referred to as the Abercrombie Plan.
I've seen the plan / map referred to as the potato map.
He appears in the film The Proud City presenting his plan to the public - a rare film of a GA President talking:
The Proud City. Patrick Abercrombie from Planum. The Journal of Urbanism on Vimeo.
In 1945 he published A Plan for the City & County of Kingston upon Hull, with the assistance of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Lutyens had died the year before publication whilst much of the plan was being finalised, and the plan was ultimately rejected by the Councillors of Hull.
From the Abercrombie Plan came the New Towns movement which included the building of Harlow and Crawley. He produced the Clyde Valley Regional Plan in 1946 with Robert H Matthews that proposed the new towns of East Kilbride and Cumbernauld.
During the postwar years, Sir Patrick was commissioned by the British government to redesign Hong Kong.
In 1956 he was also commissioned by Haile Selassie to draw up plans for the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.
Patrick Abercrombie was Knighted in 1945. In 1948 he became the first president of the newly formed group the International Union of Architects, or the UIA (Union Internationale des Architectes). The group now annually awards the Sir Patrick Abercrombie Prize, for excellence in town planning. In 1950 he received the AIA Gold Medal. The University of Liverpool's Department of Civic Design also continues to award an Abercrombie Prize annually to its top-performing student.
He died in 1957.
A Blue Plaque has been erected at a house formerly occupied by Patrick Abercrombie (lived there 1915-1935), in Oxton, Merseyside. Another place on the list to try to visit in my Presidential year.
References
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Abercrombie
Source of image - Creative Commons
I amended the entry to add his GA Presidency - something I have done for each GA President who has a Wikipedia page.
Presidential Address: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40560522?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
David Matless piece: Matless, David. “Appropriate Geography: Patrick Abercrombie and the Energy of the World.” Journal of Design History, vol. 6, no. 3, 1993, pp. 167–178. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1316006.
https://www.ft.com/content/97afa1b2-44a3-11e4-ab0c-00144feabdc0
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/davehillblog/2014/mar/22/london-county-plan-abercrombie-forshaw
https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095343737
Update (late September 2019)
Thoughts on Abercrombie's legacy from Brendan Conway
Update (October 2019)
Abercrombie's legacy is also discussed in the new Short History of London by Simon Jenkins - a current read of mine.
The author is not a fan of the period where a lot of the historical streets of London were replaced, buildings removed, and threats to other buildings such as St. Pancras, in the period after the Second World War.
Abercrombie talked about London's past as a time of 'obsolescence, bad and unsuitable housing, uncorrelated road systems and inequality in the distribution of open spaces'.
I have a copy of a book which features the plan. A green belt was proposed to stop the expansion of the city, and there would be up to five 'ringways' to take traffic around the city centre.
People would be moved out of the city to new towns to take the pressure of the centre. The 1947 Town and Country Planning Act gave Abercrombie the power to change the lives of the 7 million inhabitants of the city, but it met opposition from the realities of a city which had survived the Blitz and needed to be rebuilt and given a new energy.
Jenkins' books is well worth reading.
In G. R. Crone's chronology of Geography in the 20th Century, there is a brief mention of Abercrombie's Presidential address.
Reference
Crone, G. R. “British Geography in the Twentieth Century.” The Geographical Journal, vol. 130, no. 2, 1964, pp. 197–220. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1794582.
Update
A video describing the plan.
Matless, David. “Appropriate Geography: Patrick Abercrombie and the Energy of the World.” Journal of Design History, vol. 6, no. 3, 1993, pp. 167–78. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1316006. Accessed 24 Aug. 2023.
The Proud City. Patrick Abercrombie from Planum. The Journal of Urbanism on Vimeo.
In 1945 he published A Plan for the City & County of Kingston upon Hull, with the assistance of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Lutyens had died the year before publication whilst much of the plan was being finalised, and the plan was ultimately rejected by the Councillors of Hull.
From the Abercrombie Plan came the New Towns movement which included the building of Harlow and Crawley. He produced the Clyde Valley Regional Plan in 1946 with Robert H Matthews that proposed the new towns of East Kilbride and Cumbernauld.
During the postwar years, Sir Patrick was commissioned by the British government to redesign Hong Kong.
In 1956 he was also commissioned by Haile Selassie to draw up plans for the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.
Patrick Abercrombie was Knighted in 1945. In 1948 he became the first president of the newly formed group the International Union of Architects, or the UIA (Union Internationale des Architectes). The group now annually awards the Sir Patrick Abercrombie Prize, for excellence in town planning. In 1950 he received the AIA Gold Medal. The University of Liverpool's Department of Civic Design also continues to award an Abercrombie Prize annually to its top-performing student.
He died in 1957.
A Blue Plaque has been erected at a house formerly occupied by Patrick Abercrombie (lived there 1915-1935), in Oxton, Merseyside. Another place on the list to try to visit in my Presidential year.
References
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Abercrombie
Source of image - Creative Commons
I amended the entry to add his GA Presidency - something I have done for each GA President who has a Wikipedia page.
Presidential Address: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40560522?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
David Matless piece: Matless, David. “Appropriate Geography: Patrick Abercrombie and the Energy of the World.” Journal of Design History, vol. 6, no. 3, 1993, pp. 167–178. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1316006.
https://www.ft.com/content/97afa1b2-44a3-11e4-ab0c-00144feabdc0
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/davehillblog/2014/mar/22/london-county-plan-abercrombie-forshaw
https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095343737
Update (late September 2019)
Thoughts on Abercrombie's legacy from Brendan Conway
Every time we drive on the M25 or London's Circular roads, it's a reminder of the significant long-term impact of decisions taken by Abercrombie and his team 75+ years ago. His influence on life in the UK, especially in SE England, was profound. pic.twitter.com/YvNW3GX9h1— BC (@mildthing99) September 25, 2019
Update (October 2019)
Abercrombie's legacy is also discussed in the new Short History of London by Simon Jenkins - a current read of mine.The author is not a fan of the period where a lot of the historical streets of London were replaced, buildings removed, and threats to other buildings such as St. Pancras, in the period after the Second World War.
Abercrombie talked about London's past as a time of 'obsolescence, bad and unsuitable housing, uncorrelated road systems and inequality in the distribution of open spaces'.
I have a copy of a book which features the plan. A green belt was proposed to stop the expansion of the city, and there would be up to five 'ringways' to take traffic around the city centre.
People would be moved out of the city to new towns to take the pressure of the centre. The 1947 Town and Country Planning Act gave Abercrombie the power to change the lives of the 7 million inhabitants of the city, but it met opposition from the realities of a city which had survived the Blitz and needed to be rebuilt and given a new energy.
Jenkins' books is well worth reading.
In G. R. Crone's chronology of Geography in the 20th Century, there is a brief mention of Abercrombie's Presidential address.
Reference
Crone, G. R. “British Geography in the Twentieth Century.” The Geographical Journal, vol. 130, no. 2, 1964, pp. 197–220. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1794582.
Update
A video describing the plan.
And a dramatised film describing the rebuilding of Plymouth based on Abercrombie's planning after the war.
Updated November 2020
In November 2019, Abercrombie got an English Heritage blue plaque unveiled at his house in his honour. Here's the ceremony...
Updated August 2021
A plan for a future Dublin - from 1922
Updated July 2022
I'm adding in additional perspectives on the work of Presidents and the people themselves as I find them, particularly where they may be problematic and relate to the current need to decolonise the subject itself but also revisit what are accepted narratives.
This thread is an interesting one with respect to the reasoning behind some of Abercrombie's planning decisions - this is of course a great responsibility.
Delighted to have a forthcoming paper in Town Planning Review on Hong Kong, colonial planning, & Patrick Abercrombie. Started many years ago in the @UkNatArchives reading complaints about Hong Kong's hotels & UK Gov's poor consultancy fees pic.twitter.com/AxkCwGQUIn
— Dr Yasminah Beebeejaun (@yasminah_b) May 10, 2022
Researching planning history & empire. Unfortunately Patrick Abercrombie was not one of life's great record keepers whereas Gerald Dix even kept his Cathay Pacific flight menu cards. Here's a picture of Abercrombie in Ethiopia on the invitation of Haile Selassie pic.twitter.com/FA4PJ1Fw57
— Dr Yasminah Beebeejaun (@yasminah_b) September 13, 2021
Updated August 2023
Abercrombie met Patrick Geddes... another person linked with the GA...
Abercrombie was apparently influenced by Feng Shui
A piece in Nature from 1938 by S H Beaver (another former GA President to be...)
THE Geographical Association's annual conference usually has a theme corresponding to the interests of its president for the time being, and since in its choice of presidents the Association does not confine itself to academic geographers, considerable service to the subject is often done by this importation of a new viewpoint. This year the keynote of the Conference held at the London School of Economics on January 4–6 was the part that geography can play in planning. The presidential address, delivered by Prof. Patrick Abercrombie, professor of town planning at University College, London, was entitled “Geography, the Basis of Planning” ; and a symposium on town and rural planning was the principal individual item in the programme. To a certain extent these items in the Conference may be considered as corollary to the important discussion on “Planning the Land of Britain”, which was held at the Nottingham meeting of the British Association, as reported in NATURE of November 6, 1937, p. 791.
On his work on the Green Belt
Monday 23 September 2019
Definition of Geography of the Day
"Aeschylus addressed earth as one shape of many names: in the same spirit may we not address geography as one name of many shapes? Indeed it is possible and even probable that geography does not mean quite the same thing to any two professors of the subject."
Cyril Norwood (1946)
The GA and the Second World War - an introduction
I came across an article by Rex Walford in 1993 called 'Mackinder, the GA in Wartime and the National Curriculum' which provided more details on the activities of the GA during the First World War and also the Second World War.
This also provided more information on Mackinder himself.
Fleure, in his 60th Anniversary look back also mentioned this period, which has also appeared in the biographies of Presidents from that time.
The start of the war saw a decline in membership, and branch activity ceased. "The shadow of war fell in 1939" according to Fleure.
One additional challenge for the GA during the Second World War was that membership dropped as teachers enrolled to fight in the various armed forces. Bombing in London meant that the conference moved out of the city of London too, away from the LSE.
The GA tried to hold its annual meetings and continue publishing the journals, although they were made shorter due to a lack of printing materials and capacity.
In an air raid on Manchester, in December 1940, the High School of Commerce was damaged by a huge fire, and the Library and Office were only saved from disaster, according to Fleure, "by the courage and devotion of a caretaker called Mr. Sim who brought the racing flames to a halt by keeping a hose at work for hours, while he was supposed to be away from duty".
T. C. Warrington was asked if he would like the Presidency in 1942 in recognition of his long and valuable services during the early period of the war. He was to hold the role for several years. The GA Conference was held in Exeter in 1942 as a consequence.
In the first post-war Annual Conference, there was a debate on the future of Geography, and the war was mentioned by A Austin Miller, who was to become President.
One development after the war was the arrival of the Secondary Modern School, as outlined by Boscow.
Reference
Walford, Rex: ' Mackinder, the GA in Wartime and the National Curriculum' (Geography, Vol 78, 1993)https://www.jstor.org/stable/40572493
Fleure, H. J (1953) https://www.jstor.org/stable/40564702
Boscow, H. “GEOGRAPHY IN THE SECONDARY MODERN SCHOOL.” Geography, vol. 32, no. 1, 1947, pp. 13–17. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40562541.
“GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION. Annual Conference Discussions on the Future for Geography.” Geography, vol. 30, no. 2, 1945, pp. 50–62. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40563427.
This also provided more information on Mackinder himself.
Fleure, in his 60th Anniversary look back also mentioned this period, which has also appeared in the biographies of Presidents from that time.
The start of the war saw a decline in membership, and branch activity ceased. "The shadow of war fell in 1939" according to Fleure.
One additional challenge for the GA during the Second World War was that membership dropped as teachers enrolled to fight in the various armed forces. Bombing in London meant that the conference moved out of the city of London too, away from the LSE.
The GA tried to hold its annual meetings and continue publishing the journals, although they were made shorter due to a lack of printing materials and capacity.
In an air raid on Manchester, in December 1940, the High School of Commerce was damaged by a huge fire, and the Library and Office were only saved from disaster, according to Fleure, "by the courage and devotion of a caretaker called Mr. Sim who brought the racing flames to a halt by keeping a hose at work for hours, while he was supposed to be away from duty".
T. C. Warrington was asked if he would like the Presidency in 1942 in recognition of his long and valuable services during the early period of the war. He was to hold the role for several years. The GA Conference was held in Exeter in 1942 as a consequence.
In the first post-war Annual Conference, there was a debate on the future of Geography, and the war was mentioned by A Austin Miller, who was to become President.
One development after the war was the arrival of the Secondary Modern School, as outlined by Boscow.
Reference
Walford, Rex: ' Mackinder, the GA in Wartime and the National Curriculum' (Geography, Vol 78, 1993)https://www.jstor.org/stable/40572493
Fleure, H. J (1953) https://www.jstor.org/stable/40564702
Boscow, H. “GEOGRAPHY IN THE SECONDARY MODERN SCHOOL.” Geography, vol. 32, no. 1, 1947, pp. 13–17. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40562541.
“GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION. Annual Conference Discussions on the Future for Geography.” Geography, vol. 30, no. 2, 1945, pp. 50–62. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40563427.
I'd love to know more about the GA during this period in history.
Sunday 22 September 2019
Peter Jackson's 125th Anniversary summing-up
As part of the 125th Anniversary of the GA, Peter Jackson delivered a session at conference where he looked back and thought about the legacy of past Presidents.
Peter Jackson is Professor of Human Geography at the University of Sheffield, and here is the session for those who may have missed it. There are some spoilers here for the names of future Presidents of course.
Peter Jackson is Professor of Human Geography at the University of Sheffield, and here is the session for those who may have missed it. There are some spoilers here for the names of future Presidents of course.
Saturday 21 September 2019
1936: Sir Josiah Stamp GCB GBE FBA (later Lord Stamp)
Updated August 2021Sir Josiah Stamp was not an obvious President of the GA, with no apparent geographical education background, but a great deal of influence.
He did, however, have a high public profile, and this was a period when non-geographers were given the Presidency, as mentioned previously. He was also apparently a very wealthy man because of his links with the Bank of England.
This was already changing to a period when GA officers were rewarded for their long service, such as the previous President.
Stamp's background was in railways. He was the Chairman of a number of railways.
He was the third of seven children, and his youngest brother was L Dudley Stamp, who later became President of the GA in 1950, and one of the most prolific authors of geographical support material for teachers.
These are the only brothers to have been GA Presidents.
I wonder whether other GA Presidents have brothers with a geographical background? I can't think of many brother and brother/sister geographer teams.
Stamp became a civil servant, and worked as a tax inspector at first, alongside his studies in economics.
In 1919 Stamp changed career, leaving the civil service for business, to join as secretary and director of Nobel Industries Ltd, from which Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) developed.
In 1928 he was appointed a director of the Bank of England.
He was remembered in an issue of 'Geography' in 1941
Image credit:
Josiah Charles Stamp, 1st Baron Stamp of Shortlands
by Lafayette
whole-plate film negative, 21 March 1930
NPG x70222
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Shared under CC license
References
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josiah_Stamp,_1st_Baron_Stamp
I amended this entry to add his GA Presidency role, as I have with all the others who have Wikipedia pages. If anyone knows more about this interesting person's work while at the GA, please get in touch.
Bibliography: http://www.steamindex.com/people/stamp.htm
https://www.norwoodsociety.co.uk/articles/129-josiah-stamp-1st-baron-stamp.html
https://sydney.edu.au/secretariat/senate-committees/honorary-awards/Citations/Pre-2016/S/Citation_Sir_Josiah_Stamp.pdf - an Honorary degree from the University of Sydney
Remembrance: “LORD STAMP.” Geography, vol. 26, no. 2, 1941, pp. 87–87. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40562086.
Books - he wrote many - on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/search.php?query=%28%28Josiah+Stamp%2C+1st+Baron+Stamp%29%20OR%20%28%221880-1941%22%20AND%20Stamp%29%29%20AND%20%28-mediatype:software%29
Presidential Address:
STAMP, JOSIAH C. “GEOGRAPHY AND ECONOMIC THEORY.” Geography, vol. 22, no. 1, 1937, pp. 1–14. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40560061
Sir Josiah and Lady Stamp perform the opening ceremony of the new Sandilands esplanade in Saltcoats.
Preservation of this film supported by the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
He did, however, have a high public profile, and this was a period when non-geographers were given the Presidency, as mentioned previously. He was also apparently a very wealthy man because of his links with the Bank of England.
This was already changing to a period when GA officers were rewarded for their long service, such as the previous President.
Stamp's background was in railways. He was the Chairman of a number of railways.
He was the third of seven children, and his youngest brother was L Dudley Stamp, who later became President of the GA in 1950, and one of the most prolific authors of geographical support material for teachers.
These are the only brothers to have been GA Presidents.
I wonder whether other GA Presidents have brothers with a geographical background? I can't think of many brother and brother/sister geographer teams.
Stamp became a civil servant, and worked as a tax inspector at first, alongside his studies in economics.
In 1919 Stamp changed career, leaving the civil service for business, to join as secretary and director of Nobel Industries Ltd, from which Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) developed.
In 1928 he was appointed a director of the Bank of England.
He was knighted in 1920.
Stamp refused to be moved out of his house, in Park Hill Road, Shortlands, because of German bombing during The Blitz. He, aged sixty, and his wife were killed by a bomb's direct hit on the air-raid shelter at their home on 16 April 1941. They were buried at Beckenham Cemetery.
He joined the railway company LMS and served on many committees in this regard.
From 1927 until his death he was Colonel commanding the Royal Engineers Railway and Transport Corps, and became Honorary Colonel of Transportation Units in the Royal Engineers Supplementary Reserve in 1938.
Here he is, on YouTube, speaking in 1931... about savings... another early sighting of a GA President.
And here on Pathe News talking about the "Gold Standard" in his role at the Bank of England.
Stamp was widely regarded as the leading British expert on taxation, and took an active part in the work of the Royal Statistical Society, serving as its president from 1930 to 1932.
Here he is, on YouTube, speaking in 1931... about savings... another early sighting of a GA President.
And here on Pathe News talking about the "Gold Standard" in his role at the Bank of England.
Stamp was widely regarded as the leading British expert on taxation, and took an active part in the work of the Royal Statistical Society, serving as its president from 1930 to 1932.
He also served as the Mayor of Beckenham in Kent. He was raised to the peerage on 28 June 1938 as Baron Stamp of Shortlands, Kent.
His GA Presidential Address was not surprisingly on Economic Geography.
I like this quote attributed to him, a timely one:
Also from his
His GA Presidential Address was not surprisingly on Economic Geography.
I like this quote attributed to him, a timely one:
Also from his
Wikipedia page, we get the story of his untimely death.
Stamp refused to be moved out of his house, in Park Hill Road, Shortlands, because of German bombing during The Blitz. He, aged sixty, and his wife were killed by a bomb's direct hit on the air-raid shelter at their home on 16 April 1941. They were buried at Beckenham Cemetery.
Ironically in 1935, he had been a founder member of the Anglo-German Fellowship and had made low key visits to Nuremberg in 1936 (when he met Adolf Hitler – whom Stamp noted was a "statesman and demagogue combined").
He was remembered in an issue of 'Geography' in 1941
Image credit:
Josiah Charles Stamp, 1st Baron Stamp of Shortlands
by Lafayette
whole-plate film negative, 21 March 1930
NPG x70222
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Shared under CC license
References
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josiah_Stamp,_1st_Baron_Stamp
I amended this entry to add his GA Presidency role, as I have with all the others who have Wikipedia pages. If anyone knows more about this interesting person's work while at the GA, please get in touch.
Bibliography: http://www.steamindex.com/people/stamp.htm
https://www.norwoodsociety.co.uk/articles/129-josiah-stamp-1st-baron-stamp.html
https://sydney.edu.au/secretariat/senate-committees/honorary-awards/Citations/Pre-2016/S/Citation_Sir_Josiah_Stamp.pdf - an Honorary degree from the University of Sydney
Remembrance: “LORD STAMP.” Geography, vol. 26, no. 2, 1941, pp. 87–87. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40562086.
Books - he wrote many - on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/search.php?query=%28%28Josiah+Stamp%2C+1st+Baron+Stamp%29%20OR%20%28%221880-1941%22%20AND%20Stamp%29%29%20AND%20%28-mediatype:software%29
Presidential Address:
STAMP, JOSIAH C. “GEOGRAPHY AND ECONOMIC THEORY.” Geography, vol. 22, no. 1, 1937, pp. 1–14. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40560061
Updated August 2021
It is easy to dodge our responsibilities - Sir Josiah Stamp (1080x900)
— The Wisdom Post (@thewisdomposts) May 10, 2020
⚡️RT IF YOU AGREE🔥#motivation #quotes #motivationalquotes #getmotivated #nlp #selfimprovement pic.twitter.com/Ek7tY9C4rB
This old film shows him opening a new Esplanade at Saltcoats. A film which has his voice once again.
Sir Josiah and Lady Stamp perform the opening ceremony of the new Sandilands esplanade in Saltcoats.
Preservation of this film supported by the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
Wednesday 18 September 2019
Freemasonry and the GA
I noted when doing some research on Presidents that several of them were members of the Freemasons, which was only open to men at the time, but now has parallel branches for women.Sir Thomas Henry Holland (1938) and Sir Richard Arman Gregory (1924) were both members of the Imperial Lodge college of Freemasons.
I wondered to what degree membership of the Freemasons may have been a factor in selection to the GA Presidency, if at all. I guess this not something that we are going to find out, and it may not be relevant at all. I also think it's fair to assume that many organisations would have had Freemasons at this time.
I know very little about this, and it may be those were the only two Presidents who were Freemasons and they didn't even know each other, but I'm guessing there may have been others, given the high profile of many of the Presidents in the first third of the 20th Century in particular.
More information would be gratefully received if anyone knows anything further.
Update
Doing some image searches for various Presidents, I found that John Linton Myres became a Freemason in 1899 and also came across some images of badges and recognition of work that he had been awarded.
Tuesday 17 September 2019
100 posts
I'm now about a third of the way through the project to write biographies of all GA Presidents and share documents and stories from the development of the GA, and its journals. I've got many excellent stories still to share, although already we've discovered that previous Presidents were eminent people in their relative professions.
So far, we've had lots of female contributions to the journals, but no female GA President. We are in the 1930s currently, the Second World War is approaching, and a time of change is coming. Please feel free to subscribe to the blog and "never miss a President" or share it with your own subject networks. Thanks for reading, and if you know more about any of the Presidents then please get in touch.
So far, we've had lots of female contributions to the journals, but no female GA President. We are in the 1930s currently, the Second World War is approaching, and a time of change is coming. Please feel free to subscribe to the blog and "never miss a President" or share it with your own subject networks. Thanks for reading, and if you know more about any of the Presidents then please get in touch.
Sunday 15 September 2019
1935: James Fairgrieve
Last update August 2023"Anyone who leaves school without geography as part of their education cannot be considered to be fully educated..."
(1926)
Quoted by David Lambert in a conference lecture (see link at the end of the piece)
James Fairgrieve was a geographer, and author, and prior to taking up the Presidency, he had held several roles within the Association and, as so often, his name appears on the minutes of many meetings and gatherings. He was one of the most significant people in the GA's history and development and many of his documents are in the GA Archives.
He is perhaps best known for his books Geography and World Power (1915) and Geography in School (1926), which were popular at the time of publication, although he wrote others.
James was a British geographer, born in 1870, and had a long career as a teacher too, which is good to see in a GA President, and is still relatively rare. He died in the 1950s.
Fairgrieve originally had no formal training in geography, but took part-time courses in geography at the London School of Economics.
These courses were taught by geographer and geopolitician Halford Mackinder (GA President in 1916, and one of the most influential geographers of the early 20th century).
From that point forward, Fairgrieve devoted his life's work to geography (according to his Wikipedia page)
He was appointed a geography master in 1907 at the William Ellis School. He is described as "bubbling with fresh ideas and astonishing energy". He set up a geographical laboratory at the school and also wrote many textbooks. His commitment to pedagogy was equal to that of geography. He was a long way from the 'Capes and Bays' of the day, and looked at active teaching methods, and lots of fieldwork in the local area.
He is quoted as saying: "We must work from the known to the unknown, not like some teachers - work from the unknown the unknowable."
The full quote goes:
From the known to the unknown
From the simple to the complex
From the indefinite to the definite
From the particular to the general
During the First World War, he wrote 'Geography and World Power'.
Fairgrieve was an intellectual disciple of the great British geopolitical thinker Sir Halford Mackinder, and borrowed some of Mackinder’s concepts in formulating his own geopolitical worldview. Fairgrieve factored into his geopolitical analyses topography, location, climate, relative population density, the distribution of energy, the ease or difficulty of movement, and political and social organization.
Geography and World Power traced the impact of geographical conditions on the course of history, beginning with the desert, marsh and steppe lands of Egypt and Mesopotamia; to the near and readily accessible regions of Palestine and Phoenicia; to Greece, Carthage, and Rome; to the forest lands of Germany and Russia; to the great plain of Eurasia from which nomadic tribes invaded the settled peoples of Europe; to the lands of Arabia from which Mohammedans attempted to convert the known world to Islam; to the age of exploration and the discovery of the New World; to the African grasslands; to the Monsoon lands of China and India.
In 1918, he wrote a piece against environmental determinism called 'Geographical Control'.
He was also a predecessor of former GA Chief Executive David Lambert at the Institute of Education.
As with many other geographers who became President, there was a connection with previous Presidents, and the work of the RGS-IBG.
During the late 1920s and through the 30s, James Fairgrieve worked on developing support materials for teachers to help in their use of educational films. I have blogged about this work separately here.
In 1926, he published his main book "Geography in School". It attracted a lot of interest, as did his definition of Geography. It can be downloaded as a PDF from the Archive.org website. It ran to several editions.
"The function of Geography is to train future citizens to imagine accurately the conditions of the great world stage and so help them think sanely about political and social problems in the world around."
His book, and teaching approaches inspired a generation of geography teachers.
Here it is, from the GA collection
Fairgrieve later led a group of voluntary workers who watched a huge range of educational films to look at their potential for classroom use.
He served on the GA's council for several years during the 1940s, including as Chair of the GA Council in 1947.
He was a relatively rare GA President in that he was a teacher for pretty much all of his career, but had retired before taking office.
Fairgrieve was a Geography Master at William Ellis School, joining in 1907, a school which had a remarkable Geography classroom.
KENT, ASHLEY. “Challenging Geography: A Personal View.” Geography, vol. 82, no. 4, 1997, pp. 293–303. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40572948. Accessed 15 Jan. 2021.
During the First World War, he wrote 'Geography and World Power'.
Fairgrieve was an intellectual disciple of the great British geopolitical thinker Sir Halford Mackinder, and borrowed some of Mackinder’s concepts in formulating his own geopolitical worldview. Fairgrieve factored into his geopolitical analyses topography, location, climate, relative population density, the distribution of energy, the ease or difficulty of movement, and political and social organization.
Geography and World Power traced the impact of geographical conditions on the course of history, beginning with the desert, marsh and steppe lands of Egypt and Mesopotamia; to the near and readily accessible regions of Palestine and Phoenicia; to Greece, Carthage, and Rome; to the forest lands of Germany and Russia; to the great plain of Eurasia from which nomadic tribes invaded the settled peoples of Europe; to the lands of Arabia from which Mohammedans attempted to convert the known world to Islam; to the age of exploration and the discovery of the New World; to the African grasslands; to the Monsoon lands of China and India.
In 1918, he wrote a piece against environmental determinism called 'Geographical Control'.
He was also a predecessor of former GA Chief Executive David Lambert at the Institute of Education.
As with many other geographers who became President, there was a connection with previous Presidents, and the work of the RGS-IBG.
During the late 1920s and through the 30s, James Fairgrieve worked on developing support materials for teachers to help in their use of educational films. I have blogged about this work separately here.
In 1926, he published his main book "Geography in School". It attracted a lot of interest, as did his definition of Geography. It can be downloaded as a PDF from the Archive.org website. It ran to several editions.
"The function of Geography is to train future citizens to imagine accurately the conditions of the great world stage and so help them think sanely about political and social problems in the world around."
His book, and teaching approaches inspired a generation of geography teachers.
Here it is, from the GA collection
Fairgrieve later led a group of voluntary workers who watched a huge range of educational films to look at their potential for classroom use.
He served on the GA's council for several years during the 1940s, including as Chair of the GA Council in 1947.
He was a relatively rare GA President in that he was a teacher for pretty much all of his career, but had retired before taking office.
Fairgrieve was a Geography Master at William Ellis School, joining in 1907, a school which had a remarkable Geography classroom.
I have been given some wonderful images of this classroom by Chris Willey, a Historian of the school - these will feature in a future post.
I also discovered that he was succeeded as a Geography Master by another former GA President: Leonard Brooks, who we will come to in due course, when I shall also share some of the images.
In 1931, he wrote about broadcasting in schools.
Fairgrieve's Presidential Address explored the themes of pedagogy in a way that other previous GA Presidents hadn't really. It was simply called 'Can we teach Geography better?'
Save your money on some of the new teaching books that have emerged and read this address instead.
The first suggestion he has is that we need to let others see us teach and have the chance to see others teach in return.
We also have to spread a love for geography in our subjects or we have failed in our job.
Feed your geographical caterpillars geographical cabbage and they will soon learn to fly.
Remember to move from the known to the unknown, he says. Go from simple to complex. Move from concrete to abstract. There is a place for wonder.
I also discovered that he was succeeded as a Geography Master by another former GA President: Leonard Brooks, who we will come to in due course, when I shall also share some of the images.
In 1931, he wrote about broadcasting in schools.
Fairgrieve's Presidential Address explored the themes of pedagogy in a way that other previous GA Presidents hadn't really. It was simply called 'Can we teach Geography better?'
Save your money on some of the new teaching books that have emerged and read this address instead.
The first suggestion he has is that we need to let others see us teach and have the chance to see others teach in return.
We also have to spread a love for geography in our subjects or we have failed in our job.
Feed your geographical caterpillars geographical cabbage and they will soon learn to fly.
Remember to move from the known to the unknown, he says. Go from simple to complex. Move from concrete to abstract. There is a place for wonder.
Fairgrieve travelled to Scandinavia on an Orient Line ship in the 1920s and contributed a large number of lantern slides of images from that trip into the GA's collection.
Read about 'Geography and World Power'
This is a very enjoyable address and worth reading.
Fairgrieve continued to attend GA meetings for another 20 years after his Presidency, according to Rex Walford, "able to attend meetings only with the help, successively, of sticks, wheelchair and basket bed".
Quite a commitment to the Association indeed!
Fairgrieve died in 1953, active to the very last within the GA.
References
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Fairgrieve
I amended this entry to add reference to the GA Presidency role, as I have for all Presidents when that information was missing.
FAIRGRIEVE, J. “GEOGRAPHIC CONTROL.” The Geographical Teacher, vol. 9, no. 4, 1918, pp. 189–192. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40554568.
Mentioned in: https://www.geography.org.uk/write/MediaUploads/Journals/Boardman_McPartland_Building_on_the_foundations.pdf
Fairgrieve, J. “USE OF BROADCASTING IN TEACHING GEOGRAPHY IN SCHOOLS.” Geography, vol. 16, no. 1, 1931, pp. 34–44. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40557798.
Fairgrieve commented on by David Lambert in a lecture here. (from 2015)
https://thediplomat.com/2015/04/geography-and-world-power-at-100/ - Geography and World Power
Also had a section in Rex Walford's book p.97-9
Fairgrieve, J. “CLOUD AND RAIN.” Geography, vol. 27, no. 1, 1942, pp. 31–33. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40562174.
Boardman, David, and Michael McPartland. “A Hundred Years of Geography Teaching: Building on the Foundations: 1893—1943.” Teaching Geography, vol. 18, no. 1, 1993, pp. 3–6. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23754476.
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/ocw/pluginfile.php/631169/mod_resource/content/1/geog_sk6_06t_5.pdf - an interesting perspective by Bill Marsden
FAIRGRIEVE, J. “CAN WE TEACH GEOGRAPHY BETTER?” Geography, vol. 21, no. 1, 1936, pp. 1–17. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40559408.
As always, if anyone has further information relating to James Fairgrieve and his work for the GA, please let me know so that I can expand on this post.
Update
Here's an image of a contemporary Geography classroom from Fairgrieve's book, reproduced in Rex Walford's 'Geography in British Schools 1850-2000'
Update - late October
Here's a silent educational film from 1925 - of a village in the Punjab
Made by British Instructional Films Ltd of Surbiton Surrey and apparently approved by James Fairgrieve and the Geographical Association.
Can be viewed here...
And here's one of a Mediterranean island...
Fairgrieve died in 1953, active to the very last within the GA.
References
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Fairgrieve
I amended this entry to add reference to the GA Presidency role, as I have for all Presidents when that information was missing.
FAIRGRIEVE, J. “GEOGRAPHIC CONTROL.” The Geographical Teacher, vol. 9, no. 4, 1918, pp. 189–192. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40554568.
Mentioned in: https://www.geography.org.uk/write/MediaUploads/Journals/Boardman_McPartland_Building_on_the_foundations.pdf
Fairgrieve, J. “USE OF BROADCASTING IN TEACHING GEOGRAPHY IN SCHOOLS.” Geography, vol. 16, no. 1, 1931, pp. 34–44. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40557798.
Fairgrieve commented on by David Lambert in a lecture here. (from 2015)
https://thediplomat.com/2015/04/geography-and-world-power-at-100/ - Geography and World Power
Also had a section in Rex Walford's book p.97-9
Fairgrieve, J. “CLOUD AND RAIN.” Geography, vol. 27, no. 1, 1942, pp. 31–33. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40562174.
Boardman, David, and Michael McPartland. “A Hundred Years of Geography Teaching: Building on the Foundations: 1893—1943.” Teaching Geography, vol. 18, no. 1, 1993, pp. 3–6. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23754476.
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/ocw/pluginfile.php/631169/mod_resource/content/1/geog_sk6_06t_5.pdf - an interesting perspective by Bill Marsden
FAIRGRIEVE, J. “CAN WE TEACH GEOGRAPHY BETTER?” Geography, vol. 21, no. 1, 1936, pp. 1–17. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40559408.
As always, if anyone has further information relating to James Fairgrieve and his work for the GA, please let me know so that I can expand on this post.
Update
Here's an image of a contemporary Geography classroom from Fairgrieve's book, reproduced in Rex Walford's 'Geography in British Schools 1850-2000'
Update - late October
Here's a silent educational film from 1925 - of a village in the Punjab
Made by British Instructional Films Ltd of Surbiton Surrey and apparently approved by James Fairgrieve and the Geographical Association.
Can be viewed here...
And here's one of a Mediterranean island...
Updated January 2021
Fairgrieve also featured in the Presidential Address of the 1996 President Ashley Kent, where he outlined his life and also the strong connections between the IoE and the GA. It is well worth reading to get an idea for the links and the changing nature of Geography. Ashley's Presidential Address was given at the Institute of Education.
He provides additional detail on Fairgrieve's life.
"A central figure in the long struggle for the subject to which he gave a life of enthusiastic work"
H. J. Fleure (1953)
Updated April 2021
Fairgrieve seems to have spent 1921 out of the country according to this piece in 'The Geographical Teacher'
Updated June 2021
Aberystwyth University has a Prize named after James Fairgrieve.
Updated August 2021
I have been exploring some of Fairgrieve's lantern slides over the last month for a project called 'A Geographer's Gaze'
Updated July 2022
A remarkable piece of film from the 1930s.
Filmed by Scottish geographer James Fairgrieve
— Ali Asghar Khan (@AliAsgharPTI) February 3, 2019
Scenes from Abbottabad, St. Luke's Church etc. https://t.co/iGRE9KSe82
Updated August 2023
Neville Scarfe's influences included James Fairgrieve, who he described as
"a down to earth geographer bent on assisting students to imagine world characteristics accurately, the better to imagine political and social problems"
Sunday 8 September 2019
1934: Rt. Hon Lord James Scorgie Meston
Last updated August 2023When I started this blog post, I couldn't find a great deal about Lord Meston's geographical 'credentials', so had to do a little more digging than usual.
I then came across a piece on the RSGS website, which gave me a way in to finding out more.
Lord Meston was involved with Geography for many years it seems, particularly in Scotland, although there was still little about his time at the GA.
On 24th October 1934, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society celebrated its Golden Jubilee. The newspapers were full of the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of York, who were visiting the Society as representatives of its Patron, King George V.
In the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, RSGS members joined delegates from other scientific and geographical societies at an afternoon reception for 2,000 guests. This was the opening session of the Society’s Edinburgh branch, and the Duke of York had agreed to present some awards. Among the recipients were Isobel Wylie Hutchison, who was awarded the Mungo Park Medal for her explorations in the Arctic, and Lord Meston of Agra and Dunnottar, who received the Scottish Geographical Medal “for distinguished services to geography over a period of many years.”
We are moving into a period when the Presidents don't have Wikipedia pages which are as detailed in all cases as some of the earlier, or slightly later ones.
I then came across a piece on the RSGS website, which gave me a way in to finding out more.
Lord Meston was involved with Geography for many years it seems, particularly in Scotland, although there was still little about his time at the GA.
On 24th October 1934, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society celebrated its Golden Jubilee. The newspapers were full of the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of York, who were visiting the Society as representatives of its Patron, King George V.
In the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, RSGS members joined delegates from other scientific and geographical societies at an afternoon reception for 2,000 guests. This was the opening session of the Society’s Edinburgh branch, and the Duke of York had agreed to present some awards. Among the recipients were Isobel Wylie Hutchison, who was awarded the Mungo Park Medal for her explorations in the Arctic, and Lord Meston of Agra and Dunnottar, who received the Scottish Geographical Medal “for distinguished services to geography over a period of many years.”
After the ceremony, Lord Meston, a statesman whose family hailed from Aberdeen, addressed the company on the subject of India.
“LORD MESTON.” Geography, vol. 28, no. 4, 1943, pp. 120–120. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40562330
Updated November 2020
Source: https://rsgs.org/the-kings-speech/
His interests were wide, and he was also the President of the Royal Statistical Society.
There was a strong connection with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, which continued.
He received the Scottish Geographical Medal from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 1934. This led me to a useful biography, and as an RSGS medal winner myself gave me a connection with Scorgie Meston.
Sir James Scorgie Meston. 1st Baron Meston KCSI, was a prominent British civil servant, financial expert and businessman. He served as Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh from 1912 to 1918. He passed the Indian civil service examination in 1883 and was posted to the North-Western Provinces and Oudh in 1885 (which later became the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh), where he was director of land records between 1897 and 1899 and financial secretary to the government between 1899 and 1903. From 1905 to 1906 he briefly left India to act as an adviser to the Cape Colony and Transvaal governments in South Africa.
After his return to India in 1906, Meston was secretary to the finance department of the government of India until 1912, when he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. He remained in this position until 1918, when he became finance member of the Viceroy of India's executive council. In 1917, along with Sir Satyendra Prasanno Sinha and Maharaja Ganga Singh, he assisted the Secretary of State for India in representing India in the Imperial War Cabinet and Conference.
After the war, Meston, along with Lionel Curtis, was the main designer of the Institute of International Affairs, and served as chairman of its first governing body from 1920 to 1926, of its publications committee and of the editorial board of International Affairs. Apart from this, Meston was also vice-chairman of the Supervisory Commission of the League of Nations. He sat on the Liberal benches in the House of Lords and served as President of the Liberal Party organization. He was also involved in business and served as chairman and as a board member of several companies.
Meston was made a CSI in 1908 and a KCSI in 1911 and in 1919 he was further honoured when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Meston, of Agra in the Indian Empire and Dunottar in the County of Kincardine.
In 1935, he gave his Presidential Address, which was on 'The Geography of an Indian Village.' He had spent a considerable time involved in the administration of India.
In the Address, he described his travels in India, from the perspective of someone who had lived there for a long period.
He also suggested that, as Fairgrieve explained the following year, the object of the Association was to spread interest in the population about the subject through supporting teachers.
I could find little else about his time working for the GA, but then came across an obituary. See the Update.
Image from the National Portrait Gallery.
Image - shared under CC license
James Scorgie Meston, 1st Baron Meston
by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 9 October 1923
NPG x122702
© National Portrait Gallery, London
A plaque with his name can be seen at Aberdeen University.
References
https://rsgs.org/the-kings-speech - link to medal ceremony at the RSGS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Meston,_1st_Baron_Meston - more details once I'd established the correct Lord Meston. Added his GA Presidency to the page.
“THE GEOGRAPHY OF AN INDIAN VILLAGE. ADDRESS TO THE GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION, By the Rt. Hon. BARON MESTON OF AGRA AND DUNOTTAR President, 1934-35.” Geography, vol. 20, no. 1, 1935, pp. 1–12. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40559216.
Obituary: G. F. S. “Lord Meston 1865-1943.” Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, vol. 106, no. 3, 1943, pp. 294–296. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2979981.
I amended this entry to add his GA Presidential role and RSGS Medal award.
Some papers: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F42492
https://saalg.blogspot.com/2018/04/meston-formation-of-civil-servant.html
If anyone has further information on this President and his time at the GA please get in touch. This is quite a slight entry compared with some of the others.
Update - late September
His interests were wide, and he was also the President of the Royal Statistical Society.
There was a strong connection with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, which continued.
He received the Scottish Geographical Medal from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 1934. This led me to a useful biography, and as an RSGS medal winner myself gave me a connection with Scorgie Meston.
Sir James Scorgie Meston. 1st Baron Meston KCSI, was a prominent British civil servant, financial expert and businessman. He served as Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh from 1912 to 1918. He passed the Indian civil service examination in 1883 and was posted to the North-Western Provinces and Oudh in 1885 (which later became the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh), where he was director of land records between 1897 and 1899 and financial secretary to the government between 1899 and 1903. From 1905 to 1906 he briefly left India to act as an adviser to the Cape Colony and Transvaal governments in South Africa.
After his return to India in 1906, Meston was secretary to the finance department of the government of India until 1912, when he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. He remained in this position until 1918, when he became finance member of the Viceroy of India's executive council. In 1917, along with Sir Satyendra Prasanno Sinha and Maharaja Ganga Singh, he assisted the Secretary of State for India in representing India in the Imperial War Cabinet and Conference.
After the war, Meston, along with Lionel Curtis, was the main designer of the Institute of International Affairs, and served as chairman of its first governing body from 1920 to 1926, of its publications committee and of the editorial board of International Affairs. Apart from this, Meston was also vice-chairman of the Supervisory Commission of the League of Nations. He sat on the Liberal benches in the House of Lords and served as President of the Liberal Party organization. He was also involved in business and served as chairman and as a board member of several companies.
Meston was made a CSI in 1908 and a KCSI in 1911 and in 1919 he was further honoured when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Meston, of Agra in the Indian Empire and Dunottar in the County of Kincardine.
In 1935, he gave his Presidential Address, which was on 'The Geography of an Indian Village.' He had spent a considerable time involved in the administration of India.
In the Address, he described his travels in India, from the perspective of someone who had lived there for a long period.
He also suggested that, as Fairgrieve explained the following year, the object of the Association was to spread interest in the population about the subject through supporting teachers.
I could find little else about his time working for the GA, but then came across an obituary. See the Update.
Image from the National Portrait Gallery.
Image - shared under CC license
James Scorgie Meston, 1st Baron Meston
by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 9 October 1923
NPG x122702
© National Portrait Gallery, London
A plaque with his name can be seen at Aberdeen University.
References
https://rsgs.org/the-kings-speech - link to medal ceremony at the RSGS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Meston,_1st_Baron_Meston - more details once I'd established the correct Lord Meston. Added his GA Presidency to the page.
“THE GEOGRAPHY OF AN INDIAN VILLAGE. ADDRESS TO THE GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION, By the Rt. Hon. BARON MESTON OF AGRA AND DUNOTTAR President, 1934-35.” Geography, vol. 20, no. 1, 1935, pp. 1–12. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40559216.
Obituary: G. F. S. “Lord Meston 1865-1943.” Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, vol. 106, no. 3, 1943, pp. 294–296. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2979981.
I amended this entry to add his GA Presidential role and RSGS Medal award.
Some papers: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F42492
https://saalg.blogspot.com/2018/04/meston-formation-of-civil-servant.html
If anyone has further information on this President and his time at the GA please get in touch. This is quite a slight entry compared with some of the others.
Update - late September
“LORD MESTON.” Geography, vol. 28, no. 4, 1943, pp. 120–120. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40562330
Updated November 2020
Sir James Scorgie Meston succeeded Sir John Hewett as the Lieutenant Gov. of the United Provinces of Agra & Oudh in 1912. He was looked upon as progressive and was very keen on public constructive works.Built in 1913 by the Raja of Sahaspur Bilari, this European mansion served as a guest house for the erstwhile Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, Sir James Scorgie Meston. Also home to Italian officers captured by the British Army during WWII. pic.twitter.com/ir1a14y4BP
— The Unhotel Company (@unhotelier) March 29, 2018
This may not have been the view of those in the United Provinces at the time of course.
Updated August 2021
James Scorgie Meston, 1st Baron Meston
by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 9 October 1923
NPG x122705
Built in 1913 by the Raja of Sahaspur Bilari, this European mansion served as a guest house for the erstwhile Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, Sir James Scorgie Meston. Also home to Italian officers captured by the British Army during WWII. pic.twitter.com/ir1a14y4BP
— The Unhotel® Company (@unhotelier) March 29, 2018
Updated August 2022
I came across this document with his Presidential Address in 1934 from the Scottish Educational Journal. It has been posted separately.
Updated August 2023
In 1912, he was made Lieut-Governor of the United Provinces and was in that post when the last World War began.
His wide knowledge of conditions in India led to his being summoned to London in 1917 and made representative for India in the Imperial War Cabinet.
Thursday 5 September 2019
1934: Backward Children
Not a term, we would use perhaps these days... although we perhaps have some alternative terms for the lower sets.
We've come a way from this at least...
There was some interesting curriculum making going on, with some ephemeral resources (rather than textbooks..) - good to see they ended with a test as well.
References
Tiller, S. W. “AN EXPERIMENT IN TEACHING GEOGRAPHY TO A CLASS OF BACKWARD CHILDREN. WHERE OUR FRUITS COME FROM.” Geography, vol. 19, no. 2, 1934, pp. 132–139. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40561415.
We've come a way from this at least...
There was some interesting curriculum making going on, with some ephemeral resources (rather than textbooks..) - good to see they ended with a test as well.
References
Tiller, S. W. “AN EXPERIMENT IN TEACHING GEOGRAPHY TO A CLASS OF BACKWARD CHILDREN. WHERE OUR FRUITS COME FROM.” Geography, vol. 19, no. 2, 1934, pp. 132–139. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40561415.
Wednesday 4 September 2019
1934: Tramping on Skye
A review of a book from 'Geography' which I have a copy of on my bookcase, and which is a lovely book describing some early wanderings on the Isle of Skye - I have quite a few books on this place, which is one of my favourite places to be.
Monday 2 September 2019
1933: Professor Percy Maude Roxby
Last updated August 2023Percy Maude Roxby was an academic geographer connected with the University of Liverpool, and an expert on the geography of China.
He was one of the many people who were influenced by, and responded to, the work and teachings of A. J. Herbertson, who has featured previously on the blog.
He wrote a paper called "What is a natural region" in response to Herbertson's work and set out ideas for organising how geography could be taught in secondary schools. This connection with school geography has been an important part of many GA President's roles and legacies, and Roxby was particularly important in this regard.
He was also involved with the GA for a considerable period of time before being President, and so became one of the group of GA Presidents who were being 'rewarded' for their service to the Association during this period in its history.
The honours school of Geography at the University was formally approved in 1917-18, when Percy Maude Roxby was appointed as the first named chair of Geography in the British Isles.
Roxby visited China several times and wrote a book on the country as well, at a time when relatively little was known about the country. This is one of his great contributions to the work of the GA.
He traveled extensively in China, and both studied and wrote about Chinese geography. This was his particular passion.
Meanwhile, he promoted mutual understanding between China and Britain through geography. He also supervised the Department of Geography at Liverpool University and trained Chinese geographers.
Overall, Percy Maude Roxby played a significant role in Chinese geography including his own research, the internationalization of Chinese geography, and cultivation of Chinese scholars, all of which should be included in the history of modern Chinese geography.
This becomes even more significant now, given the growing power of China on the world stage.
He wrote a whole series of articles for GA journals. His Presidential Address was on the theme of China as an Entity, compared with Europe, as one would have expected.
Roxby died in 1947, and a prize in his name was introduced at the University of Liverpool after his death. This was to pay for a geographer to travel - something Roxby was a big promoter of.
His name was also connected with another, later President, who will have his own entry in due course.
Dick Lawton was inspired by lectures from Roxby to pursue his own geographical career at the University of Liverpool and become involved with the GA in due course.
His name was also connected with another, later President, who will have his own entry in due course.
Dick Lawton was inspired by lectures from Roxby to pursue his own geographical career at the University of Liverpool and become involved with the GA in due course.
He was also mentioned by another GA President, Roger Carter in his Presidential address:
"I came across the details of the Staffordshire Geographical Exhibition of 1934. The Exhibition gave rise to an account, edited by Jasper H. Stembridge. Here is an extract from Stembridge's account:
'The Staffordshire Geographical Exhibition proved that the popular press and the general public are deeply interested in education. On the second day the Exhibition was thronged. On the third and subsequent days it was so crowded in the afternoons and evenings that it was often difficult to make one's way round the rooms. Owing to requests received from all parts of the country it was decided to keep it open for a further three days' (Stembridge, 1934, p. 12).
The then President of the GA, Professor PM. Roxby, was equally enthusiastic about the event:
'Here was the new geography - pulsating with life - presented with a freshness of outlook, but with a deep conviction of the importance of the subject and its underlying principles' (Roxby quoted in Stembridge, 1934, p. 13).
References
No Wikipedia entry exists. Perhaps one needs to be written.
There is an archive of his lectures and notes held at the University of Liverpool.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F58505
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/geography-and-planning/about/
https://www.nature.com/articles/159462a0
Lei ZHANG. Percy Maude Roxby and Chinese geography[J].Acta Geographica Sinica, 2015, 70(10): 1686-1693.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F58505
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/geography-and-planning/about/
https://www.nature.com/articles/159462a0
Lei ZHANG. Percy Maude Roxby and Chinese geography[J].Acta Geographica Sinica, 2015, 70(10): 1686-1693.
Available in Chinese it seems... anyone able to translate?
In May 2017, his centenary was announced in a Tweet from the Liverpool University account, including his portrait.
Roxby, Percy Maude. “CHINA AS AN ENTITY: THE COMPARISON WITH EUROPE. ADDRESS TO THE GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION.” Geography, vol. 19, no. 1, 1934, pp. 1–20. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40558758.100 years ago today Percy Maude Roxby became the John Rankin Chair of Geography at @livuninews @livunigeog @livuniplanning @RGS_IBG #mayday pic.twitter.com/qqcb04pQTr— livunigeog (@livunigeog) May 15, 2017
https://www.jstor.org/stable/40563887?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents - details of Roxby Prize
Liverpool University Facebook page: https://d.facebook.com/livunigeog/photos/a.579114048787869/1640924519273478/?type=3&__tn__=EH-R
A prize winning essay from 1902 while studying at Christchurch, Oxford: https://archive.org/details/henrygrattanbein00roxb/page/n10
As always, if anyone knows anything more about Percy Maude Roxby, or has a contribution to make to the blog, please get in touch...
Major update October 2019
Quite a lot of additional detail on Roxby and his work is included in an article by Professor H C Darby, who was also a Professor at Liverpool University. He talks first about the time following the First World War.
I like the idea of Roxby's long cycling tours, particularly in East Anglia and like to think that I have travelled along the same routes as Roxby. He wrote a chapter in a volume on Great Britain.
When searching for this book, I found this biographical reference in another book.
This told me the book was called 'Great Britain' and edited by A. Ogilvie (1928) and that he also contributed chapters to other publications. such as 'The Geographer's Craft'.
H C Darby then talked about the time when he succeeded Roxby at Liverpool University.
I also found an obituary of Roxby, which I hadn't found previously, written by H J Fleure.
References
Darby, H. C. “Academic Geography in Britain: 1918-1946.” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, vol. 8, no. 1, 1983, pp. 14–26. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/622271.
https://archive.org/details/henrygrattanbein00roxb/page/n10 - prize-winning essay
https://archive.org/details/chinaproper0002grea/page/n425 - China manual for naval intelligence - showing his great knowledge of the city
Crone, G. R. “British Geography in the Twentieth Century.” The Geographical Journal, vol. 130, no. 2, 1964, pp. 197–220. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1794582.
CARTER, ROGER. “Connecting Geography: An Agenda for Action.” Geography, vol. 84, no. 4, 1999, pp. 289–297. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40573334. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.
Update: December 2020
In 2003, Chris Kington asked a number of former Presidents what had sparked their passion for geography.
He lent me the letters and Dick Lawton mentioned the influence of Roxby and other geographers including Clifford Darby and Bill Mead on his own academic career at the time.
He says they taught him not only about geography, but how to be a geographer...
Upated July 2022
Roxby contributed to some guides to China written for military intelligence, found on the Internet Archive. Another wartime contribution by a former GA President.
Updated August 2023
As with many Geographers, Roxby was involved with the British Association's Section E committee meetings. He became the President in the 1930s and spoke about his work. He had many interests aside of his trips to China.
Finally found his Biogeographical volume description:
On his links with the GA it has this to say:
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From the archive - Fleure to Mill 2 - Christmas 1933
Another letter from H J Fleure to Hugh Robert Mill. I love these old letters in the GA Archives. I plan to go up to Solly Street this comin...
