Last updated July 2022
Professor Bowen worked at Aberystwyth University as a human geographer, where the GA was based for many years.
He was known to all as 'EGB'.
He was born in 1900 in Carmarthen, Wales.
He studied at the University of Aberystwyth under another previous President: H. J. Fleure, graduating in 1923.
He also later wrote an obituary for Fleure on behalf of the Royal Anthropological Institute.
The following year he entered the Education department and obtained a teacher's diploma. Subsequently, and after a year's research at Aberystwyth, he became the first Cecil Prosser Fellow at the Welsh National School of Medicine at Cardiff.
During 1928-9 he was an assistant editor with the 14th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica (writing some geography content) before being appointed an assistant lecturer in the department of Geography and Anthropology at Aberystwyth in 1929. There he stayed for the rest of his academic career as lecturer, senior lecturer and ultimately Gregynog Professor from 1946.
During the Second World War he remained at Aberystwyth and lectured in meteorology to the Initial Training Wing (ITW) of the RAF which was located there - like many Presidents of this time, he had wartime experience.
He had pieces published in GA journals as early as 1932, over 30 years before he eventually became the President - this was a time when longevity and continuity of GA membership was perhaps greater than today, with a few notable exceptions who I always look forward to seeing at the GA conference.
Bowen's Presidential Address was on the theme of 'The Geography of Nations', connecting with his interests in anthropology, and was given in 1963 at the London School of Economics.
EGB was President of The Institute of British Geographers in 1958, President of section E of the British Association in 1962, and President of the Cambrian Archaeological Society in 1967.
He was awarded the Murchison grant of the Royal Geographical Society in 1958.
This makes him another one of many GA Presidents to have gone on to receive RGS Medals.
In 1949 Bowen was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He was awarded an honorary Ll.D. by the University of Wales and an honorary Doctorate by the Open University. He was also an honorary member of the Gorsedd of Bards.
The Annual E. G. Bowen Lecture was established by Aberystwyth University in 2014 in memory of Professor E. G. Bowen, who had a particular interest in the social and physical geographies of Wales.
I liked this final honour, because it links in with my own ideas of storytelling as being one of the great gifts of any teacher, and the Bardic tradition is strong in this element of teaching and listening.
The Biography of Wales piece also has this comment:
"it was in the tradition of the cyfarddwyddiaid, of the story-tellers of early Wales and of the Welsh preachers of later times rather than of the academic disquisition, just as his research was based on intuition rather than on the systematic analysis of data bases."
Former GA President Steve Rawlinson (who will have his own entry in due course) has some very happy memories of Professor Bowen. They are included here:
EG Bowen – memories from Steve Rawlinson.
My first meeting with EG was during Freshers week. It was a long tradition that he would give a
lecture to all the new students at the university in the Kings Hall – a building now sadly demolished. I
was warned by roommate who knew about this event not to dress up for the occasion. We freshers
were herded into the stalls while the second and third years occupied the upper tiers. EG appeared
on the stage to riotous applause and then promptly disappeared behind the lectern – he was a
diminutive figure, although as I was to later discover one with a huge personality. From then on we
only saw the top of his head as he gave what I subsequently heard was a superb lecture delivered in
an inimitable style. His words were rather lost to us as we fended off an almost continuous hail of
missiles of water and flour and the occasional egg from above. This barrage only stopped when the
pictures of the fire in 1885 that engulfed the original college appeared to huge applause and cheers
from those above. The end of his lecture was marked by further enthusiastic applause from the
whole audience though none had heard very much of it.
Always smiling EG was a legend at the uni – long retired by the time I got there he was still an almost
continuous presence during my undergrad years and I was highly privileged to get to know him when
I became expeditions officer for the Geog Soc. I enjoyed many trips to various locations with him
sitting next to me giving an almost continuous commentary about the places we passed through. It
was a privilege to hear him speak in more formal settings where I came to appreciate his
consummate skill as a presenter and teacher. He always had three points/themes/threads to his
arguments and his timing was that of the professional actor. It was a delight to be in his company.
It seemed he never turned down a speaking engagement and put as much energy into talking to a
village WI meeting as he did that of more academic gatherings. No one got short changed at an EG
lecture. His enthusiasm and that twinkle in his eyes always drew his audience in. His travelling
around Wales giving lectures was truly in the spirit of the founders of the University who undertook
such trips to convince people of the importance of having a university on their doorstep.
Personally he gave me an immeasurable amount of encouragement during my MSc year and was
always interested to hear how the research was going and offer advice and thought. I think it was EG
that suggested I employ a Welsh speaker to carry out my interviews with farmers – a cunning move
as it increased the response rate considerably. It was a delight to have him on the stage at my
graduation for that degree and meet my parents afterwards. I always remember him removing his
hat when introduced to my mother – a real gentleman. I was so pleased to recently discover the
reference he wrote for me.
EG tales are part of the myths and legends of Aber – everyone has their favourites. I have two
particular stories that seem to sum up EG.
When his yellow mini was sold – the car in which he travelled all over Wales – it was advertised as never having been out of second gear. Having survived two journeys with him I can vouch that the garage had got that right.
Others have written that being an administrator was not his forte – his filing system was really to
have tables on which piles of papers accumulated. How he found anything always was a mystery. He
had offices in the old college originally which had a rather ancient heating system consisting of gas
fires in each room. EG was very wary of these and would turn the gas on and then retreat to the far
side of the room and proceed to throw lighted matches at the fire. The eventual loud explosion as
the gas caught was the signal that ‘the prof is in’.
EG really was a one off – a story teller, a supreme teacher and communicator whose passion for and curiosity for all things geographical was irresistible.
His twinkling eyes, his every present smile and his ability to talk to anyone made him the best of company. He features hugely in my many happy memories of Aber and my deep love of the ‘college by the sea’.
https://slideplayer.com/slide/10339855/
Bowen also wrote many reviews of other GA Presidents' work, including H J Fleure, as mentioned in his own blog post from 1948.
He was welcomed to the Presidency in a piece in 'Geography', where he was described as being "already well known to numerous members through his own inspired teaching and scholarship".
EGB died in 1983.
An obituary, written by Harold Carter, was published in the Transactions of the IBG
He was also remembered by another former GA President Sheila Jones as "a very kind member of the hierarchy". Further memories of EGB may follow, and I am happy to add them here, along with other images and memories.
References
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._G._Bowen - source of the image above
Added the GA Presidency role to this entry.
https://www.therai.org.uk/archives-and-manuscripts/obituaries/herbert-john-fleure
BOWEN, E. G. “The Geography of Nations: Address to the Geographical Association.” Geography, vol. 48, no. 1, 1963, pp. 1–17. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40565501.
Bowen, E. G. “EARLY CHRISTIANITY IN THE BRITISH ISLES: A STUDY IN HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY.” Geography, vol. 17, no. 4, 1932, pp. 267–276. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40558508.
Biography: https://biography.wales/article/s8-BOWE-GEO-1900
British Geography 1918-1945, Edited by Robert.W Steel - published in 1987.
Chapter 12 was by J A Patmore, where he gave a personal perspective on the period.
Obituary: Carter, Harold. “Emrys G. Bowen, 1900-1983.” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, vol. 9, no. 3, 1984, pp. 374–380. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/622242. Accessed 4 Apr. 2020.
Emrys Bowen is described as "with nonconformist fervour, always happy to show that every worthwhile innovation had its roots in Aberystwyth"
“Obituary: E. G. Bowen, 1900-1983.” The Geographical Journal, vol. 150, no. 2, 1984, pp. 297–297. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/635050. Accessed 4 Apr. 2020.
I liked this final honour, because it links in with my own ideas of storytelling as being one of the great gifts of any teacher, and the Bardic tradition is strong in this element of teaching and listening.
The Biography of Wales piece also has this comment:
"it was in the tradition of the cyfarddwyddiaid, of the story-tellers of early Wales and of the Welsh preachers of later times rather than of the academic disquisition, just as his research was based on intuition rather than on the systematic analysis of data bases."
Former GA President Steve Rawlinson (who will have his own entry in due course) has some very happy memories of Professor Bowen. They are included here:
EG Bowen – memories from Steve Rawlinson.
My first meeting with EG was during Freshers week. It was a long tradition that he would give a
lecture to all the new students at the university in the Kings Hall – a building now sadly demolished. I
was warned by roommate who knew about this event not to dress up for the occasion. We freshers
were herded into the stalls while the second and third years occupied the upper tiers. EG appeared
on the stage to riotous applause and then promptly disappeared behind the lectern – he was a
diminutive figure, although as I was to later discover one with a huge personality. From then on we
only saw the top of his head as he gave what I subsequently heard was a superb lecture delivered in
an inimitable style. His words were rather lost to us as we fended off an almost continuous hail of
missiles of water and flour and the occasional egg from above. This barrage only stopped when the
pictures of the fire in 1885 that engulfed the original college appeared to huge applause and cheers
from those above. The end of his lecture was marked by further enthusiastic applause from the
whole audience though none had heard very much of it.
Always smiling EG was a legend at the uni – long retired by the time I got there he was still an almost
continuous presence during my undergrad years and I was highly privileged to get to know him when
I became expeditions officer for the Geog Soc. I enjoyed many trips to various locations with him
sitting next to me giving an almost continuous commentary about the places we passed through. It
was a privilege to hear him speak in more formal settings where I came to appreciate his
consummate skill as a presenter and teacher. He always had three points/themes/threads to his
arguments and his timing was that of the professional actor. It was a delight to be in his company.
It seemed he never turned down a speaking engagement and put as much energy into talking to a
village WI meeting as he did that of more academic gatherings. No one got short changed at an EG
lecture. His enthusiasm and that twinkle in his eyes always drew his audience in. His travelling
around Wales giving lectures was truly in the spirit of the founders of the University who undertook
such trips to convince people of the importance of having a university on their doorstep.
Personally he gave me an immeasurable amount of encouragement during my MSc year and was
always interested to hear how the research was going and offer advice and thought. I think it was EG
that suggested I employ a Welsh speaker to carry out my interviews with farmers – a cunning move
as it increased the response rate considerably. It was a delight to have him on the stage at my
graduation for that degree and meet my parents afterwards. I always remember him removing his
hat when introduced to my mother – a real gentleman. I was so pleased to recently discover the
reference he wrote for me.
EG tales are part of the myths and legends of Aber – everyone has their favourites. I have two
particular stories that seem to sum up EG.
When his yellow mini was sold – the car in which he travelled all over Wales – it was advertised as never having been out of second gear. Having survived two journeys with him I can vouch that the garage had got that right.
Others have written that being an administrator was not his forte – his filing system was really to
have tables on which piles of papers accumulated. How he found anything always was a mystery. He
had offices in the old college originally which had a rather ancient heating system consisting of gas
fires in each room. EG was very wary of these and would turn the gas on and then retreat to the far
side of the room and proceed to throw lighted matches at the fire. The eventual loud explosion as
the gas caught was the signal that ‘the prof is in’.
EG really was a one off – a story teller, a supreme teacher and communicator whose passion for and curiosity for all things geographical was irresistible.
His twinkling eyes, his every present smile and his ability to talk to anyone made him the best of company. He features hugely in my many happy memories of Aber and my deep love of the ‘college by the sea’.
Updated January 2021
Steve included a picture of EGB in his Presidential lecture in 2016.
https://slideplayer.com/slide/10339855/
Bowen also wrote many reviews of other GA Presidents' work, including H J Fleure, as mentioned in his own blog post from 1948.
He was welcomed to the Presidency in a piece in 'Geography', where he was described as being "already well known to numerous members through his own inspired teaching and scholarship".
EGB died in 1983.
An obituary, written by Harold Carter, was published in the Transactions of the IBG
He was also remembered by another former GA President Sheila Jones as "a very kind member of the hierarchy". Further memories of EGB may follow, and I am happy to add them here, along with other images and memories.
References
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._G._Bowen - source of the image above
Added the GA Presidency role to this entry.
https://www.therai.org.uk/archives-and-manuscripts/obituaries/herbert-john-fleure
BOWEN, E. G. “The Geography of Nations: Address to the Geographical Association.” Geography, vol. 48, no. 1, 1963, pp. 1–17. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40565501.
Bowen, E. G. “EARLY CHRISTIANITY IN THE BRITISH ISLES: A STUDY IN HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY.” Geography, vol. 17, no. 4, 1932, pp. 267–276. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40558508.
Biography: https://biography.wales/article/s8-BOWE-GEO-1900
British Geography 1918-1945, Edited by Robert.W Steel - published in 1987.
Chapter 12 was by J A Patmore, where he gave a personal perspective on the period.
Obituary: Carter, Harold. “Emrys G. Bowen, 1900-1983.” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, vol. 9, no. 3, 1984, pp. 374–380. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/622242. Accessed 4 Apr. 2020.
Emrys Bowen is described as "with nonconformist fervour, always happy to show that every worthwhile innovation had its roots in Aberystwyth"
“Obituary: E. G. Bowen, 1900-1983.” The Geographical Journal, vol. 150, no. 2, 1984, pp. 297–297. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/635050. Accessed 4 Apr. 2020.
Updated August 2021
A portrait of EGB:
One of his books
Updated July 2022
These are mostly on themes related to Wales.
If you have further information relating to EGB, please get in touch.
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