From the GA Conference in 1945
Mr W W French
“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. Accessed 15 May 2021.
Showing posts with label 1945 Conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1945 Conference. Show all posts
Sunday, 16 May 2021
Saturday, 15 May 2021
1945 GA Conference
I am grateful to Alastair Owens, who will be GA President for 2022-3 as many readers will know, for finding and sharing images of this programme from the 1945 GA Conference which he came across earlier.
As shown here, the 1944 conference had had to be cancelled due to falling bombs...
The 1945 Conference was the first for a while. Thomas Cotterill Warrington was the President: he served from 1942-5 so was the last President to serve more than a year. The Conference was held at the City Literary Institute in Holborn, London.
The conference was held in early January, as they used to be before the move to April.
There are some sessions which sound really fascinating, and I would love to have been there... Tea in the refectory sounds fun too.
There are some familiar names there as well, many of whom have featured on the blog already.
The Conference was opened with a lecture on 'Post-War Europe' by Sir Walter Layton.
He was an economist, and lectured at Trinity College.
He was an economist, and lectured at Trinity College.
The lecture is available here, as it was published in a future issue of 'Geography' later that year:
Layton, Walter. “THE FUTURE OF EUROPE.” Geography, vol. 30, no. 2, 1945, pp. 44–50. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40563426. Accessed 15 May 2021.This was followed by a lecture on fruit growing from Raymond 'Bush'.
At 2pm a Symposium featured a range of other future GA Presidents: Leonard Sydney Suggate and Leonard Brooks (who would both become President in the 1950s) which was chaired by the legendary James Fairgrieve.
The first day ended with a session on the Geography of Poland, actively involved in the conflict that had just ended.
Text from Wikipedia:
Equally the 2nd day started with a session which probably referred back to recent military service, with Brigadier Ralph A Bagnold on the sand dune of N E Africa. He had already made a crossing of the Libyan Desert in the 1930s. During the Second World War, he was a soldier in the British Army, in which he founded the behind-the-lines reconnaissance, espionage and raiding unit that was named the "Long Range Desert Group", serving as its first commanding officer in the North Africa Campaign.
The session on the Future of Primary Geography featured Olive Garnett (see her entry) and also Mrs. Katz (who got a mention in my Charney Primary Geography conference presentation as she chaired the Primary committee when it launched. It was chaired by G J Cons, who had been due to be the President in 1961 but sadly died in 1960.
Here is part of the contribution of Olive Garnett.
“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. Accessed 15 May 2021.
The session on the Future of Secondary Geography had some interesting participants.
“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. Accessed 15 May 2021.
I looked back at 'Geography' to try to find some outcomes from this conference in the journal and found the report of the conference and links to some of the lectures:
Thomas Cotterill Warrington was also asked to be President for another year at the end of the conference in the business meeting.
References
Wikipedia entry on Sir Walter Layton:
Image Wikimedia
Raymond Bush article:
Bush, Raymond. “FROST AND THE FRUITGROWER.” Geography, vol. 30, no. 3, 1945, pp. 80–86. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40563438. Accessed 14 May 2021.Brigadier Ralph Bagnold: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Bagnold
Image Wikimedia
“GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION. ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1944.” Geography, vol. 30, no. 1, 1945, pp. 18–19. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40562425. Accessed 15 May 2021.
Thanks to Alastair Owens for the images. Hopefully more documents like this will come to life when I can next get to Solly Street and get into the archive.
Monday, 14 October 2019
1942-1945: Thomas Cotterill Warrington
Updated August 2023Part way through the Second World War, the Presidency moved to Thomas Cotterill Warrington - a post he was to hold for three years to steady the ship.
He was asked if he would like the Presidency at the Annual Meeting in Exeter in 1942 (detailed in the previous blogpost) in recognition of his long and valuable services to the Association.
Prior to that, he had held other posts within the GA, notably taking on the Honorary Librarian post following the retirement of H J Fleure, and the increase in use of the library connected with the move to Manchester.
In this role, he spent much time on "the arrangement of books, the answering of many queries, the selection of reviewers and so on. The filling of our shelves with annual volumes of journals made it necessary to discard books clearly known to be of little value.."
Books were sometimes lost or re-arranged as the premises of the time had to be used for evening classes - which must have been a source of some frustration for Warrington.
He also helped with the accounts of the Association during the 1940s: https://www.jstor.org/stable/i40024392
One additional challenge for the GA during the Second World War was that the GA's 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. More on this in later blog posts on the impact of the war.
In 1942, conference had moved to Exeter, but fortunately missed Hitler's famous Baedeker raids on the city. In 1943, it was held in Cambridge. In that year, there was the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Association (see separate blogpost), but it was a sombre affair under the circumstances of the war, and some time before it was properly celebrated).
Warrington had written about the origins of the Geographical Association in 'Geography' on the 50th anniversary of its founding, which formed his Presidential Address for that year (1943)
His initials can be found all over copies of 'Geography' through the 1930s and 1940s, often with reviews of books or documents relating to GA activity and committees and other reports.
In an Address from 1943, he went back to the GA's origins, as Fleure and others had done before him, and discussed the beginnings of the GA.
He was asked if he would like the Presidency at the Annual Meeting in Exeter in 1942 (detailed in the previous blogpost) in recognition of his long and valuable services to the Association.
Prior to that, he had held other posts within the GA, notably taking on the Honorary Librarian post following the retirement of H J Fleure, and the increase in use of the library connected with the move to Manchester.
In this role, he spent much time on "the arrangement of books, the answering of many queries, the selection of reviewers and so on. The filling of our shelves with annual volumes of journals made it necessary to discard books clearly known to be of little value.."
Books were sometimes lost or re-arranged as the premises of the time had to be used for evening classes - which must have been a source of some frustration for Warrington.
He also helped with the accounts of the Association during the 1940s: https://www.jstor.org/stable/i40024392
One additional challenge for the GA during the Second World War was that the GA's 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. More on this in later blog posts on the impact of the war.
In 1942, conference had moved to Exeter, but fortunately missed Hitler's famous Baedeker raids on the city. In 1943, it was held in Cambridge. In that year, there was the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Association (see separate blogpost), but it was a sombre affair under the circumstances of the war, and some time before it was properly celebrated).
Warrington had written about the origins of the Geographical Association in 'Geography' on the 50th anniversary of its founding, which formed his Presidential Address for that year (1943)
His initials can be found all over copies of 'Geography' through the 1930s and 1940s, often with reviews of books or documents relating to GA activity and committees and other reports.
In an Address from 1943, he went back to the GA's origins, as Fleure and others had done before him, and discussed the beginnings of the GA.
This is well worth reading to go along with the other documents that I've mentioned during the blog which reference the early years of the Association - it's always good to look backwards before contemplating the future.
The piece was only published in 1953, some ten years later, and is an excellent summary of some of the key personalities in the GA, including more details on the role of people like Douglas Freshfield and Halford MacKinder.
He also thanked other unsung heroes of the time, including J. S. Masterman and Miss E. J. Rickard
His Obituary, written by H J Fleure, who seems to have written a great many of them in his long career at the GA, provides the fullest story of his life within the Association and outside it.
He was a teacher, and finally Headteacher at Leek Grammar School until 1934. This is important as there were few teacher Presidents during this time.
Following the founding of the IBG in 1933, Warrington was involved in close working with them. He also selected the four maps which the OS made available to GA members at a special discount price. These areas he selected were:
- the Cairngorms
- Wenlock and the Wrekin
- South Welsh Valleys
- part of the Sussex Downs
His Presidential Address was on the theme of renewing geography, and linked with Sir Isaac Newton. It was the 3rd centenary of his birth in 1942 when Newton was born.
He was influential in greater use of Ordnance Survey maps in education during this time.
Warrington was a member of Council from 1930-1954.
He died in 1963, aged 94, but had actually first joined the Association in 1904 - that is some service to the Association!!
During the immediate Post-War period, the work of former President Patrick Abercrombie also became very important, as London was rebuilt following severe damage in the Blitz, and his plans were also adopted or discussed in other cities.
References
Obituary: Written by Fleure, H. J. “THOMAS COTTERILL WARRINGTON.” Geography, vol. 49, no. 1, 1964, pp. 56–57. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40565763
Source of the image of T C Warrington
The piece was only published in 1953, some ten years later, and is an excellent summary of some of the key personalities in the GA, including more details on the role of people like Douglas Freshfield and Halford MacKinder.
He also thanked other unsung heroes of the time, including J. S. Masterman and Miss E. J. Rickard
His Obituary, written by H J Fleure, who seems to have written a great many of them in his long career at the GA, provides the fullest story of his life within the Association and outside it.
He was a teacher, and finally Headteacher at Leek Grammar School until 1934. This is important as there were few teacher Presidents during this time.
Following the founding of the IBG in 1933, Warrington was involved in close working with them. He also selected the four maps which the OS made available to GA members at a special discount price. These areas he selected were:
- the Cairngorms
- Wenlock and the Wrekin
- South Welsh Valleys
- part of the Sussex Downs
His Presidential Address was on the theme of renewing geography, and linked with Sir Isaac Newton. It was the 3rd centenary of his birth in 1942 when Newton was born.
He was influential in greater use of Ordnance Survey maps in education during this time.
Warrington was a member of Council from 1930-1954.
He died in 1963, aged 94, but had actually first joined the Association in 1904 - that is some service to the Association!!
During the immediate Post-War period, the work of former President Patrick Abercrombie also became very important, as London was rebuilt following severe damage in the Blitz, and his plans were also adopted or discussed in other cities.
References
Obituary: Written by Fleure, H. J. “THOMAS COTTERILL WARRINGTON.” Geography, vol. 49, no. 1, 1964, pp. 56–57. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40565763
Source of the image of T C Warrington
Warrington, T. C. “THE BEGINNINGS OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION. From an Address to the Geographical Association at Its Jubilee Conference. Cambridge, 10th-15th August, 1943.” Geography, vol. 38, no. 4, 1953, pp. 221–230. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40564701
Mackinder, Halford J., et al. “THE DEVELOPMENT OF GEOGRAPHY.” Geography, vol. 28, no. 3, 1943, pp. 69–77. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40563379
Fleure, H. J (1953) https://www.jstor.org/stable/40564702
Rex Walford's book was an important source here as well.
Details on the 1943 Conference: “ANNUAL CONFERENCE, 1943.” Geography, vol. 28, no. 3, 1943, pp. 86–87. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40563381
If you know more about T. C. Warrington's time as President, please get in touch. This is quite a brief entry. I wish I knew more about the GA during this period in History.
Updated May 2021
Thanks to Alastair Owens for sharing two images of a programme from the 1945 Conference which he found. It is an amazing document.
This document will have its own blog post as well....
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