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Gill , Sir , David , 1843-1914 , Knight , astronomer

Born Aberdeen 1843; educated Dollar Academy and Marischal College Aberdeen; left university prematurely to take up watchmaking apprenticeship aged 17; took up astronomy 1863; visted Pulkovo Observatory, St Petersburg and Germany, 1873; observed Transit of Venus in Mauritius, 1874-1976; visited Ascension to observe Mars, 1876; Her Majesty's Astronomer at Cape of Good Hope, 1879-1907; pioneered photography in astronomy especially from 1882 resulting in the publication of the magnitudes and positions of more than 455,000 stars; organised geodetic survey of South Africa, largely completed by 1897; Fellow of the Royal Society, 1883; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1890-1914; died 1914.

In 1918 the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) put forward to the Secretary of State for India proposals for a preliminary expedition to Mount Everest. Initialy refused, the Tibetan Government finally gave permission for a British expedtion to proceed into Tibet in 1921. The RGS and the Alpine Club formed the Mount Everest Committee to co-ordinate and finance the 1921 British Reconnaissance Expedition to Mount Everest, this included raising funds, selecting expedition personnel, buying stores and equipment, carrying out surveys, arranging transport and communication and organising publicity, lectures and filming and photographing of the expedition. The Mount Everest Committee oversaw the 1921, 1922, 1924, 1933, 1935 and 1938 expeditions to Everest.

In 1947 the Mount Everest Committee was renamed the Joint Himalayan Committee, again composed of members of the Alpine Club and the RGS. The Joint Himalayan Committee was responsible for organising and financing expeditions to Everest in 1951 and 1952 and the first ascent in 1953.

The Mount Everest Foundation was founded after the successful ascent of Everest in 1953, again a joint initiative between the RGS and the Alpine Club, it was initially financed from surplus funds and subsequent royalties of the 1953 expedition, the Foundation was established to encourage 'exploration of the mountain regions of the earth'. Since inception the MEF has dispensed almost £840,000 in grants. The majority go to small expeditions organised by adventurous young men and women. However the Foundation has also supported expeditions to the Earth's highest peaks, fine examples of which were first ascents of and new routes on Everest, Kangchenjunga, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Xixabangma, Nuptse, Kongur and the Ogre. In fifty years over 1,500 expeditions have been helped in this way.

Ethel Gertrude Woods was born 1865; educated, Newham College, Cambridge, 1891; research studentship in Munich; science teacher, 1898-1910; worked in the Censorship Department during World War One; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1927-1939; died 1939.

Born, 1904; educated as a scholar at Sedbergh School, -1921; lived with his family for a year in Germany; worked writing travel guides, 1923; wrote for newspapers, especially on birds, and by 1925 was well established; read modern history, Hertford College, Oxford, 1926-1929; set up the Oxford University Exploration Club, and took part in expeditions to Greenland and British Guiana; assistant editor of the Weekend Review, 1929; member of the think-tank Political and Economic Planning (PEP), 1931-; founder of the British Trust for Ornithology, 1933; chairman of the British Trust for Ornithology, 1947-1949; founder member of the Edward Grey Institute in Oxford, 1938; Head of Allocation of Tonnage Division, Ministry of War Transport, 1942-1945; Secretary, Office of The Lord President of the Council, 1945-1952; Member, Advisory Council on Scientific Policy, 1948-1964; Director-General of The Nature Conservancy, 1952-1966; participated in Guy Mountfort's expeditions to the Coto Doñana in 1957 and to Jordan in 1964; Lecturer, University of California, 1964; Convener, Conservation Section, International Biological Programme, 1963-1974; founder of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), 1961; Secretary, Duke of Edinburgh's Study Conference on the Countryside in 1970, 1963; Albright chairman of Land Use Consultants, 1966-1989; chairman of the New Renaissance Group, 1966-; a Director and Managing Editor, Environmental Data Services Ltd, 1978-1980; President, RSPB, 1980-1985; President, Trust for Urban Ecology (formerly Ecological Parks Trust), 1987-1988; President, New Renaissance Gp, 1998-2000; died, 2003.

Publications:

Birds in England (1926)

How Birds Live (1927)

The Art of Bird-Watching (1931)

The System (1967)

The Environmental Revolution (1970)

The Big Change (1973)

Born, 1814; entered the navy, 1826, under his uncle, John Ommanney; passed his examination, 1833; mate in the brig PANTALOON; appointed to the transport COVE (Captain Clark Ross), which was ordered to Baffin's Bay to release a number of whalers caught in the ice, 1835; joined the frigate PIQUE (Captain Henry John Rous), 1836; appointed to the DONEGAL as flag-lieutenant to his uncle, now Sir John Ommanney, commander-in-chief on the Lisbon and Mediterranean stations, 1837; commander, 1840; served on board the steam sloop VESUVIUS in the Mediterranean, 1841-1844; second in command, Franklin search expedition, 1850-1851; Deputy Controller-General of the Coastguard, 1851-1854; commissioned the EURYDICE as senior officer of a small squadron for the White Sea in the Russian War, 1854; appointed to the HAWKE, blockship for the Baltic, and was employed chiefly as senior officer in the Gulf of Riga, 1855; appointed to the BRUNSWICK, going out to the West Indies, 1857, and later the Channel Fleet, 1859; senior officer at Gibraltar from 1862; promoted to flag rank, 1864; retired, 1875; died, 1904.

Wilding , Edward H , 1875-1939 , naval architect

Born, 1875; naval architect in the employment of Harland and Wolff, builders of the Titanic, and gave evidence in the inquiry into its loss, 1912; CBE, 1920; consulting naval architect, Argentine Navigation Company, 1926; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1926-1933; died, 1939.

Born, 1819; entered the navy, 1831; passed his examination, 1838; promoted lieutenant on 29 July 1845, when serving in the steamer HMS GORGON on the South American station; served on the sloop HMS FROLIC in the Pacific, 1845-1847; appointed to the HMS ENTERPRISE (Captain Sir James Clark Ross) for a voyage to the Arctic, 1848; first lieutenant of the HMS ASSISTANCE in the Arctic, 1850-1851; commander of HMS INTREPID part of the Arctic expedition of five ships under the command of Captain Sir Edward Belcher, 1852-1854; commander of the FOX on the search for Sir John Franklin, 1854-1859; commanded the frigate HMS DORIS in the Mediterranean, 1861-1862; commissioned HMS AURORA for service with the channel squadron, 1863; commodore-in-charge at Jamaica, 1865-1868; Admiral-Superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard, 1872-1877; Commander-in-Chief on the North America and West Indies station, 1879-1882; elected an elder brother of Trinity House, 1884; retired, 1884; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1880-1907; died, 1907.

Skead , Francis , fl 1849-1881 , surveyor

Francis Skead was a surveyor in the Royal Navy. He was Second Master on board HMS ENTERPRISE to search for Franklin and his ships by way of the Bering Strait, 1849-1852; he invented the Skead sounder during telegraph survey operations between Malta and Crete off HMS TARTARUS, 1857 and accompanied David Livingstone to the mouth of the Zambesi, [1859-1861]. For most of his career he appears to have been Government Surveyor at the Cape, South Africa.

McGrigor , George Duncan , 1868-1953

Born, 1868; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1898; died, 1953.

Publications: Field analysis of minerals for the prospector, mining engineer, traveller, and student (1915)

Born, 1865; educated at the Oratory School, Edgbaston under Cardinal Newman, 1876-1883 and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, 1883-1884; commissioned in the 3rd battalion of the Grenadier Guards, 1884; a hunting accident in January left him with a permanent limp which interrupted his career, 1885; home service until 1899; seconded for service with the Chinese regiment of infantry recently formed at Weihaiwei, 1899; touring the provinces of north-east China, 1901; rejoined his battalion in South Africa for the campaigns in the Transvaal and Cape Colony, 1902; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1902-1923; Korea, 1903; temporary military attaché to the British minister at Seoul in Korea, 1904; as military attaché with the Japanese army he witnessed the Manchurian campaign, 1905; military attaché at Peking, 1905-1910; came back to Europe in 1909 and resigned his commission; returned to China and journeyed from Peking through Chihli (Zhili) and Shansi, across the Ordos to Ninghsia, 1910; spent nine months exploring and shooting in the Altai and T'ien Shan, 1911; visited the Kumbun and Labrang monasteries in south-western Kansu before moving south along the upper reaches of the Salween and Mekong rivers and crossing briefly into the Shan states in Burma, he then moved across country to Foochow (Fuzhou) and by steamer to Shanghai, 1912; rejoined the service, 1914; served in France with the 47th London division; commander of the 4th Royal Welch Fusiliers, 1915; commanded the 47th brigade of the 16th division, 1916-1917; commanded the 43rd brigade, 1918; joined General Knox's mission to Admiral Kolchak in Siberia, 1919; returned to China, 1920 to journey to Lhasa; died, 1923.

Wilson , Guy Edward Harrington , 1883-1963 , Captain

Born 1883; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1914-1963; qualified as a surveyor, 1911; Second in Command of the Boundary Commission set up by the Bolivian Government to establish the boundary between Bolivia, Peru and Brazil, 1912; took command of the Commission, 1914; government service in Tanzania, 1920; government service in Uganda, his surveys included the Western Ugandan Railway and the Wilson Dam; died 1963.

Richards , Herbert Arthur , 1866-1957 , consular officer

Born, 1866; educated, Framlington; an Assistant in the British Central Africa Protectorate, 1900-1901; Oriental Secretary to the Legation at Tehran; HM Vice Consul, Tehran, 1903; transferred to Bushire, 1904; to Zanzibar, 1906; to Abidjean, West Africa, 1907; Acting Consul at Lorenzo Marques, 1910; Vice-Consul at Beira, 1910; Consul for the Society Islands, 1912; also a Deputy Commissioner for the Western Pacific, 1912; Acting Consul at Calais, 1916-1919; in charge at Callao, 1919; Consul there, 1919; in charge of the Legation at Lima, 1922 and 1923; Consul General, Chicago, 1923-1928; retired, 1928; died, 1957.

Born, 1810; entered for the East India Company's service and set out for India, 1827; engaged in reorganising the Persian army, 1833-1839; undertook tours in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan; awarded the gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), 1839; returned to India and was appointed assistant to Sir W. Macnaughton in Afghanistan; political agent for lower Afghanistan, 1842; political agent of the East India Company in Turkish Arabia, 1843; consul in Baghdad, 1844; Fellow of the RGS 1844-1895; RGS Council Member from 1850; Vice-President of the RGS, 1864, 1871, 1872, 1874, and 1875; Conservative MP for Reigate, 1858; MP for Frome, 1865-1868; member of the newly created Council of India, 1858; minister to Persia; died, 1895.

Grinnell , Henry , 1799-1874 , geographer

Born, 1799; one of the founders of the American Geographic Society; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1852-1874; died, 1874.

Pennell , Harry Lewin Lee , 1882-1916 , Commander

Born, 1882; educated Exeter School; joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in HMS BRITANNIA, 1898; went to sea as midshipman, 1899 and by 1903, had been promoted to lieutenant; commanded the TERRA NOVA for Robert Falcon Scott's British Antarctic Expedition, 1910-1913; in addition to his duties as navigator, Pennell was responsible for conducting magnetic observations; also assisted Edward Wilson and Dennis Lillie in their studies of birds and whales; discovered and named Oates Land, 1911; promoted to the rank of commander after the expedition, 1913; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1914-1916; appointed to the battle cruiser QUEEN MARY, 1914-1916; lost with his ship at the Battle of Jutland, 1916.

Publications: 'Voyages of the Terra Nova' by Edward Ratcliffe Garth Russell Evans and Harry Lewin Lee Pennell in, Scott's last expedition volume 2 (Smith, Elder & Co. London, 1913).

Deasy , Henry Hugh Peter , 1866-1947 , Major

Born, 1866; educated Dublin and Bournmouth; British Army officer, Lancers, 1888-1897; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1894-1939; travelled in Tibet, 1896-1899; RGS Founders medal, 1900; founder of the Deasy Motor Car Company, 1906; resigned, 1908; died, 1947.

Born, 1899, educated, St Catherine's College, Cambridge; First World War service; schoolteacher, Framlington College, 1921; departmental demonstrator, Cambridge, 1922; University demonstrator, Cambridge, 1924; University Lecturer, 1927; Geographical Section of the Great Barrier Reef expedition led by C M Yonge, 1928; leader of a Great Barrier Reef expedition, 1936; expedition to the coral islands of Jamaica, 1939; Chair of the Department of Geography, Cambridge, 1949-1966; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), 1918-1987; member of the RGS Council; Vice-President of the RGS, 1959-1963; Victoria Medal, 1960; retired, 1966; died, 1987.

Fraser , James Baillie , 1783-1856 , traveller and artist

Born, 1783; tutored in Edinburgh; oversaw the family's sugar plantation at Berbice, Guiana, 1799-1811; sailed for India, 1813 where he sketched the scenery of the Himalayas and toured the region seeking the sources of the rivers Jumna and Ganges; crossed India via Delhi and Rajputana to Bombay, sketching and gathering geological information, 1820; travelled from Bombay to London via Bushehr, Shiraz, Esfahan, Tehran, Mashhad, Tabriz, and Tiflis, 1821-1823; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1838-1852; sent by the Foreign Office to report on Russian influence in Persia, 1833-1836; died, 1856.

Publications:

Views in the Himala Mountains

Views of Calcutta and its Environs

Narrative of a Journey into Khorasan in the Years 1821 and 1822 (1825)

Travels and Adventures in the Persian Provinces of the Southern Banks of the Caspian Sea (1826)

The Kuzzilbash, a Tale of Khorasan (1828)

The Persian Adventurer (1830)

The Highland Smugglers (1832)

Tales of the Caravanserai (1833)

Allee Neemro, the Buchtiaree Adventurer (1842)

The Dark Falcon (1844).

Military Memoir of Lieut. Col. James Skinner

Various

The Royal Geographical Society (RGS) was founded in 1830 as the Royal Geographical Society of London. Its aim was the advancement of Geographical Science. The Society was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria in 1859. In 1995 the RGS merged with the Institute of British Geographers (IBG) to create the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers). Since 1831 the Society has published a Journal, initially containing the principal papers read at the Society's evening meetings and abstracts of Geographical works published elsewhere, it is now a refereed academic publication. The journal has appeared under various titles: Journal of the RGS (JRGS) 1831-1880; Proceedings of the RGS (PRGS) 1857-1878; Proceedings of the RGS (New Series) (PRGS (NS)) 1879-1892; Supplementary Papers (1882-1893); and the Geographical Journal (GJ) 1893 onwards. At first edited by the Secretary of the Society, the preparation and editing of these journals is currently carried out by the Geographical Journal Office.

Various

The Royal Geographical Society (RGS) was founded in 1830 as the Royal Geographical Society of London. Its aim was the advancement of Geographical Science. The Society was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria in 1859. In 1995 the RGS merged with the Institute of British Geographers (IBG) to create the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers). Since 1831 the Society has published a Journal, initially containing the principal papers read at the Society's evening meetings and abstracts of Geographical works published elsewhere: it is now a refereed academic publication. The journal has appeared under various titles: Journal of the RGS (JRGS) 1831-1880; Proceedings of the RGS (PRGS) 1857-1878; Proceedings of the RGS (New Series) (PRGS (NS)) 1879-1892; Supplementary Papers (1882-1893); and the Geographical Journal (GJ) 1893 onwards. At first edited by the Secretary of the Society, the preparation and editing of these journals is currently carried out by the Geographical Journal Office.

Rennell , James , 1742-1830 , cartographer , Major

Born, 1742; captain's servant under Captain Hyde Parker in the frigate BRILLIANT, 1756; action against the French at St Cast, 1758; followed Parker to the East India station, rejoining him as midshipman in the GRAFTON at Madras, 1760; action off Pondicherry, and visits to Trincomalee, Bombay, and Rodriguez Island; assistant Draughtsman or Surveyor to Alexander Dalrymple, East India Company, on an exploratory voyage to the Sulu islands and China , 1762; Madras, 1763; left the to take command of the UNION; command of the NEPTUNE, first superintending troop disembarkation for the siege of Madura, and then sailing in Feb 1764 under owner's orders to Calcutta; practitioner engineer in the construction of the new citadel at Fort William, Bengal army, 1764; Surveyor-General, 1767; returned to England, 1778; published A Bengal Atlas, 1780; Fellow of the Royal Society 1781; Gold Medal, Royal Society of Literature, 1825; died, 1830.

Wilson , John , 1811-1879 , ship's surgeon

Born in Leeds, 1811; LRCP, Edinburgh 1860; MRSC, Eng. 1844; LSA, 1839; Surgeon on a Whaling Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, 1839-1843; died, 1879.

Brian Lapping Associates

The Washington Version, was a three part television documentary on the Gulf War produced for BBC Television and Discovery Channel by Brian Lapping Associates. The documentary was conceived and arranged for The American Enterprise Institute by Richard Perle. The producers were Mark Anderson, Norma Percy and Grace Kitto. The UK version of the documentary was transmitted by BBC2 on 16, 17 and 18 Jan 1992, the US version was transmitted on 17, 24 and 31 January 1992. The US version of the documentary was titled The Gulf Crisis: Road to War, and Program 2 was titled 'New World Order'.

Born 1886; educated Merchant Taylors' School in Crosby and King's College, Cambridge; Professor of Modern History, Liverpool University, 1914-1922; served World War One as a Subaltern in the Royal Army Service Corps, 1915-1917 and on the General Staff of the War Office, 1917-1918; Secretary, Military Section, British Delegation to the Conference of Paris, 1918-1919; Wilson Professor of International Politics, University of Wales, 1922-1932; Ausserordentlich Professor, University of Vienna, 1926; Nobel Lecturer, Oslo, 1926; Reader, University of Calcutta, India, 1927; Professor of History, Harvard University, USA, 1928-1932; Stevenson Professor of International History, London School of Economics and Political Science, 1932-1953; Foreign Research and Press Service, 1939-1941; Director, British School of Information, New York, 1941-1942; Foreign Office, 1943-1946; Member of British Delegation, Dumbarton Oaks and San Francisco Conferences, 1944-1945; Member, Preparatory Commission and General Assembly, United Nations, 1945-1946; Ford Lecturer, Oxford University, 1948; President, 1950-1954, and Foreign Secretary, 1955-1958, British Academy; retired 1953; died 1961. Publications: The European alliance, 1815-1825 (University of Calcutta, 1929); The Congress of Vienna, 1814-1815 (Foreign Office Historical Section, London, 1919); editor of Britain and the independence of Latin America, 1812-1830 (Ibero-American Institute of Great Britain, London, 1938); The art and practice of diplomacy (LSE, London, 1952); British Diplomacy, 1813-1815 (G Bell and Sons, London, 1921); British Foreign Policy since the Second World War; The Congress of Vienna, 1814-15, and the Conference of Paris, 1919 (London, 1923); The foreign policy of Castlereagh, 1815-1822 (G Bell and Sons, London, 1925); The foreign policy of Palmerston, 1830-1841 (G Bell and Sons, London, 1951); The founder of the national home (Weizmann Science Press of Israel, 1955); The League of Nations in theory and practice (Allen and Unwin, London, 1933); The pacification of Europe, 1813-1815 (1922); Palmerston, Metternich and the European system, 1830-1841 (Humphrey Milford, London, 1934); Sanctions: the use of force in an international organisation (London, 1956); Some problems of international organisation (University of Leeds, 1943); What the world owes to President Wilson (League of Nations Union, London, 1930); The strategic air offensive against Germany, 1939-1945 (London, 1961); editor of British diplomatic representatives, 1789-1852 (London, 1934); editor of Some letters of the Duke of Wellington to his brother, William Wellesley-Pole (London, 1948).

Born 1913; educated at Hertford College, Oxford University; on staff of Chatham House, 1936-1938 and 1946-1949; Assistant Master, Haileybury College, 1938-1941; on staff of Nuffield College Colonial Research, Oxford University, 1941-1946; Journalist, The Observer, 1946-1947; Reader in International Relations, LSE, 1949-1961; Member of Council, Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1952-1972; Visiting Professor, University of Chicago, 1956-1957; Professor of History, University of Sussex, 1961-1972; Dean, School of European Studies, 1961-1969; died 1972. Publications: Editor of Diplomatic investigations: essays in the theory of international politics (George Allen and Unwin, London, 1966); British colonial constitutions (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1952); The development of the Legislative Council, 1606-1945 (Faber and Faber, London, 1946); The Gold Coast Legislative Council (Faber and Faber, London, 1947); edited by Hedley Bull Systems of state (Leicester University Press for the LSE, 1977), and Power politics (Leicester University Press for the RIIA, 1978); edited by Gabriele Wight and Brian Porter International theory: the three traditions (Leicester University Press for the RIIA, 1991).

The Chinese Government Purchasing Commission was constituted by the China Indemnity (Application) Act of 1931, which implemented the terms of the Exchange of Notes between the Chinese and British Government, dated September 19th and 22nd 1930, concerning the disposal of the British share of the China Indemnity of 1901.

The original China Indemnity totalling $333 million was set by the Boxer Protocol of 1901, aimed at compensating eleven nations (including Britain, USA, France, Japan, Russia, Holland and Belgium) for losses incurred during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. However, China's role as an ally in the Great War led the British Government to issue a declaration in December 1922 which stated that the balance of the share of the Indemnity would be thenceforth devoted to 'purposes mutually beneficial to China and the United Kingdom'. A report published by the Anglo-Chinese Advisory Committee in 1926 set out recommendations for the best use of deposited Indemnity Funds and all future instalments. The Exchange of Notes with the Chinese Government in 1930 confirmed that the bulk of Indemnity Funds would be used for the creation of an endowment to be devoted to educational purposes. It was proposed that the provision of this endowment would lie in the investment of the greater part of the Funds in rehabilitating and building railways and in other productive enterprises in China. For the control, apportionment and administration of the endowment, a Board of Trustees would be appointed in China, which would include a certain number of British members.

The Chinese Government further proposed that Funds on deposit be transferred to a 'Purchasing Commission in London to consist of a chairman, who shall be China's diplomatic representative in London, a representative of the Chinese Ministry of Railways, and four other members appointed by the Chinese Government after consultation with the Board of Trustees from a panel of persons commended to those Trustees by His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs as being persons of standing with wide experience in business matters, for the purpose of purchasing bridges, locomotives, rolling stock, rails and other materials from United Kingdom manufacturers for the use of the Chinese Government Railways and other productive undertakings in China'.

The Board of Trustees for the Administration of the Indemnity Funds Remitted by the British Government was inaugurated on 8th April 1931, and based in Nanking [Nanjing], China. The Chinese Government Purchasing Commission held its first meeting on 29th April 1931. The first members of the Purchasing Commission included the Chairman, Sao-Ke Alfred Sze (Envoy Extraordinary & Minister Plenipotentiary), Dr C C Wang (Ministry of Railways), Sir Arthur Balfour, Sir Basil Blackett (Treasurer), Mr W T Charter, Sir Ralph Wedgewood and Mr T S Wynn (Secretary). The premises were at 21 Tothill Street, London.

The primary function of the Chinese Government Purchasing Commission was to enter into, supervise and secure the carrying out of contracts for the supply and delivery in China of such plant, machinery and other materials to be manufactured in the UK as required and ordered by the Chinese Government. One half of all instalments of the Indemnity Funds were to be transferred to the Purchasing Commission to be used in discharging its obligations, and one half to the account of the Board of Trustees for application to mutually beneficial objects. Until 1940, the Purchasing Commission was also involved in the work of arranging facilities for the practical training of Chinese students and junior engineers with British firms.

The Chinese Government Purchasing Commission was directly responsible to the Board of Trustees in China, which determined its Constitution and approved the nomination of its members. The term of office for a member of the Purchasing Commission was three years, subject to reappointment. Four members were required to constitute a quorum. It purchased materials under instruction from the Board, which communicated orders from the various Chinese Ministries. Only those orders that were transmitted through the Board were deemed valid. The Purchasing Commission was required to report to the Board on receipts, expenditure and purchases, and submit an annual report with a statement of accounts and audited balance sheet. It was permitted to provide itself with offices, staff, expert consultants and accountants with the consent of the Board.

During its relatively brief history, the Purchasing Commission arranged purchases on behalf of the Ministry of Railways, Hangchow Kiangshan Railway, Tientsin Pukow Railway, Ministry of Communications, National Construction Commission, Ministry of Industries, National Resources Commission, Huai River Commission, Kwantung River Conservancy Commission and the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company. Contracts included the provision of locomotives, rolling stock and track for the Canton Hankow Railway, and the Nanking Pukow Train Ferry; coasting steamers for the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company (built on the Clyde and the Tyne); radio and telegraphy equipment for the Ministry of Communications; plant for the construction of power stations such as the Tsishuyen Power Station and Kunming Electricity Works for the National Construction Commission, and factories such as the National Central Machine Works for the Ministry of Industries.

The work of the Purchasing Commission suffered seriously from the effects of the Second World War. By 1938-1939 hostilities with the Japanese were causing shipping difficulties in Chinese ports. Raw and manufactured materials were subject to regulations for the control of exports, and the handling of export licences created extra work. Prices were unstable, with insurance premiums and freight rates considerably higher due to the need to cover against War Risk. There was a consequent decrease in purchases. From December 1938 the remittance of Indemnity Funds was suspended, and by 1941 the purchase of materials with these Funds had almost ceased. During the War and in the following years, the main efforts of the Purchasing Commission were given to services rendered through the China Purchasing Agency Ltd. In addition the Purchasing Commission attempted to complete deliveries pursuant to orders in place prior to 1949.

By 1949 the Chinese Communist Party had seized power from the Chinese Nationalist government. The Peoples' Republic of China was established at Peking [later Beijing] on 1st October, with Mao Zedong as Chairman of the Central Peoples' Government. The change in government undoubtedly had an effect on the position of the Board of Trustees, and by 1951 it seems that communication from the Board had ceased. The position of the Purchasing Commission became increasingly uncertain. The late Chinese Ambassador had relinquished his position as Chairman on the termination of his diplomatic mission, and the representative of the Chinese Ministry of Railways had retired on the grounds of ill-health, with no replacement. The remaining four British members continued to administer the affairs of the Purchasing Commission and safeguard the balance of funds, $300,000. However, the sudden death of Sir Arthur Rundell Guinness in March 1951 meant that only three members remained - less than was required for a quorum. Furthermore, the expiration of their terms of office was due to expire on 22nd September 1951. Various approaches were made to the Foreign Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Peking requesting the appointment of an additional member, or a reduction in the size of quorum. No word was received from China, and the Purchasing Commission was officially wound up in September 1951.

The China Purchasing Agency Ltd was formed in 1939 to effect purchases with funds that did not come under the arrangements for the disposal of the British share of the China Indemnity. It shared staff and offices with the Chinese Government Purchasing Commission.

Warren , W H , c 1870-1940 , missionary

Born, c1870; worked as a printer and bookbinder, living in Canterbury; served the China Inland Mission (CIM), leaving for China aged 21, 1891; arrived, 1892; studied the language at Anking, in Anhwei; sent to Ningpo in Chekiang province; married the daughter of a missionary, Minnie Meadows, 1897; stationed at Shaohsing, c1897-1911; moved to Hangchow, 1911; Principal of the Bible Training Institute, which prepared Chinese students for Christian service; subsequently CIM Superintendent of the Chekiang field; left Chekiang and served the CIM administration in various capacities from 1922; appointed CIM Assistant China Director, 1931; travelled from the CIM headquarters in Shanghai to distant provinces including Kansu, Kweichow and Yunnan; died, 1940.

Mather , Percy Cunningham , 1884-1933 , missionary

Born in Fleetwood, England, 1884; employed by the railways; converted to Wesleyan Methodism, 1903; became a Sunday school teacher and local preacher; applied to join the China Inland Mission, 1908; pioneering missionary to central Asia; sailed to Shanghai, China, 1910; moved upriver to Anking (Anqing) language school; proceeded to Ningkwo (Ningguo) in Anhwei (Anhui) province, 1911; influenced by Roland Allen's Missionary Methods: St Paul's or Ours? (1912) and volunteered to join George Hunter (1861-1946) among the Islamic peoples of Urumchi (Urumqi), Chinese Turkestan (later Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region) and arrived, 1914; with Hunter, itinerated in Outer Mongolia among Mongol tribes and Chinese traders and border settlers, 1914-1926; pursued intensive medical studies on furlough, 1927; subsequently concentrated on medical work and on translations, grammars, and dictionaries of Mongolian languages; to Kashgar, 1928; became involved in hostilities in China and was accused of political intrigue; died of typhus during the siege of Urumchi, 1933. Publication: letters published as The Making of a Pioneer: Percy Mather of Central Asia, ed Alice Mildred Cable and Francesca Law French (1935).

The Council for World Mission is a co-operative of 31 Christian denominations world wide, and was established in its present form in 1977. It grew out of the London Missionary Society (founded 1795), the Commonwealth (Colonial) Missionary Society (1836) and the Presbyterian Board of Missions (1847).

During the period after 1945, the work of the London Missionary Society (LMS) evolved from traditional mission fieldwork to a more democratic and decentralised structure based on the development of local churches and local church leadership. This response was brought about not only in answer to so-called 'decolonisation' but also to social and political change and demographic shifts in the post-war years. In 1966 the LMS ceased to exist as a Society and merged with the Commonwealth Missionary Society to form the Congregational Council for World Mission (CCWM). The Presbyterian Church of England joined with the Congregational Church of England and Wales (a constituent body of CCWM) in 1972 to form the United Reformed Church. Its foreign missions work was incorporated into CCWM, leading to a name change in 1973 to the Council for World Mission (Congregational and Reformed). The CWM (Congregational and Reformed) was again restructured to create the Council for World Mission in 1977. This structure was more internationalist, reflecting greater ecumenism and church independence, and the end of Western dominance in the mission field. The CWM today is a global body, which aids resource sharing for missionary activity by the CWM community of churches.

The Colonial Missionary Society was founded in 1836 to work with British colonies, and to provide ministers for communities in Canada and America. In 1956 it changed its name to the Commonwealth Missionary Society, merging with the LMS in 1966.

The Council for World Mission is at present administered as an incorporated charity, under a Scheme of the Charity Commissioners (sealed on 14 June 1966, revised 29 March 1977 and further adapted in 2003), with the express aim 'to spread the knowledge of Christ throughout the world'. The Assembly includes members appointed by its constituent bodies, and meets once every two years. A Trustee Body is appointed by the Council, and holds at least one meeting per year. A General Secretary and other officers are also appointed by the Trustee Body.

Murdoch , Dame , Jean Iris , 1919-1999 , author

Iris Murdoch was born in Dublin, Ireland on 15 Jul 1919. When she was very young Iris and her parents moved to London, England, and Iris studied at Frobel and Badminton Schools. She followed this with studies in classics, ancient history and philosophy at Oxford, and further study at Cambridge. During the war years Iris worked for the Treasury in London, and then joined the UNRRA providing relief in formerly occupied countries in Europe. In 1948 she became a fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford, where she taught and researched philosophy.

Iris Murdoch wrote a number of tracts on philosophy, however it is for her novels that she is best known. She wrote 26 novels in total, her first being Under the Net published in 1954. Other notable works include The Bell and The Sea, the Sea, for which she won the Booker Prize. Her last novel, Jackson's Dilemma, was published in 1995. In her youth Iris Murdoch had relationships with a number of individuals, including Elias Canetti. She met author and scholar John Bayley while at Oxford, and they married in 1956. She wrote to a great number of people and maintained friendships in this way. Later in life Iris Murdoch was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, the first effects of which she had attributed to writer's block. She died in 1999.

Iris Murdoch was born in Dublin, Ireland on 15 Jul 1919. When she was very young Iris and her parents moved to London, England, and Iris studied at Frobel and Badminton Schools. She followed this with studies in classics, ancient history and philosophy at Oxford, and further study at Cambridge. During the war years Iris worked for the Treasury in London, and then joined the UNRRA providing relief in formerly occupied countries in Europe. In 1948 she became a fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford, where she taught and researched philosophy.
Iris Murdoch wrote a number of tracts on philosophy, however it is for her novels that she is best known. She wrote 26 novels in total, her first being 'Under the Net' published in 1954. Other notable works include 'The Bell' and 'The Sea, the Sea', for which she won the Booker Prize. Her last novel, 'Jackson's Dilemma', was published in 1995.

In her youth Iris Murdoch had relationships with a number of individuals, including Elias Canetti. She met author and scholar John Bayley while at Oxford, and they married in 1956. She wrote to a great number of people and maintained friendships in this way.
Later in life Iris Murdoch was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, the first effects of which she had attributed to writer's block. She died in 1999.

Leo Pliatzky was a senior civil servant who spent much of his career working for the Treasury. He became friends with Iris Murdoch at the University of Oxford and they remained in contact for many years afterwards.

Kingston Polytechnic Gipsy Hill Teacher Training College

Gipsy Hill Teacher Training College was established in 1917 and a revolutionary College for the education of Kindergarten and primary school children. Originally founded on a site on Gipsy Hill, near Croydon, the College's first principal was Lilian de Lissa, an expert in education training from Australia. The College continued at the Gipsy Hill site until the Second World War, growing in popularity but suffering from failing buildings. During the War the College was evacuated, first to Brighton and then to a large house near Bradford. After the war in 1946 the College moved to Kingston Hill, where it continued to grow in popularity. In 1975 the College became part of Kingston Polytechnic, which later became Kingston University. The site of the College from 1946 onwards is now the University's Kingston Hill campus.

Kingston University is a university in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London. Formerly Kingston Polytechnic, it was granted university status in 1992. It has approximately 18000 students.

Kingston School of Art (later Kingston College of Art) was originally part of Kingston Technical Institute, but formed as a separate institution in 1930. The College moved into its own campus in the Knight's Park area of Kingston in 1939. The School continued to grow in the subsequent years, teaching a number of design related subjects including Fashion and architecture. In 1970 the Kingston College of Art merged with Kingston College of Technology to form Kingston Polytechnic. The former College's site is now the University's Knights Park Campus.

Kingston University is a university in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London. Formerly Kingston Polytechnic, it was granted university status in 1992. It has approximately 17000 students.

Iris Murdoch was born in Dublin, Ireland on 15 Jul 1919. When she was very young Iris and her parents moved to London, England, and Iris studied at Frobel and Badminton Schools. She followed this with studies in classics, ancient history and philosophy at Oxford, and further study at Cambridge. During the war years Iris worked for the Treasury in London, and then joined the UNRRA providing relief in formerly occupied countries in Europe. In 1948 she became a fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford, where she taught and researched philosophy.
Iris Murdoch wrote a number of tracts on philosophy, however it is for her novels that she is best known. She wrote 26 novels in total, her first being 'Under the Net' published in 1954. Other notable works include 'The Bell' and 'The Sea, the Sea', for which she won the Booker Prize. Her last novel, 'Jackson's Dilemma', was published in 1995.

In her youth Iris Murdoch had relationships with a number of individuals, including Elias Canetti. She met author and scholar John Bayley while at Oxford, and they married in 1956. She wrote to a great number of people and maintained friendships in this way.

Later in life Iris Murdoch was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, the first effects of which she had attributed to writer's block. She died in 1999.

Devaki Jain is a writer and economist, best known for her writing on feminist economics.

Kingston School of Art (later Kingston College of Art) was originally part of Kingston Technical Institute, but formed as a separate institution in 1930. The College moved into its own campus in the Knight's Park area of Kingston in 1939. The School continued to grow in the subsequent years, teaching a number of design related subjects including Fashion and architecture. In 1970 the Kingston College of Art merged with Kingston College of Technology to form Kingston Polytechnic. The former College's site is now the University's Knights Park Campus.

Dame Jean Iris Murdoch was born on 15 July 1919 in Dublin; later moving with her family to Brook Green, Hammersmith. Murdoch was educated at Froebel Demonstration School at Colet Gardens; Badminton School, Bristol from 1932 and Somerville College Oxford; winning scholarships to both Badminton and Somerville College.

At Oxford, Murdoch was influenced by the classicist, Eduard Fraenkel, and her philosophy tutor Donald MacKinnon and soon joined the Communist Party. Murdoch gained a first in Classics in 1942 and was employed as assistant principal in the Treasury, 1942-1944; later joining the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, working in London, Brussels and Austria. Murdoch returned to London in 1946, winning a place at Vassar College and a Commonwealth Scholarship, however as she had declared herself a communist on her application for an American visa her application was denied. Murdoch studied at Newnham College, Cambridge, 1947-1948 and won a philosophy tutorship at St Anne's, Oxford, where she stayed until 1963, she later worked as a lecturer at Royal College of Art for four years.

Murdoch's first book Sartre: Romantic Rationalist was published in 1953 by Bowes and Bowes in a series titled 'Studies in Modern Thought' and her first novel Under the net was accepted for publication. She went on to write many books including The Bell, 1958, which achieved great commercial success and The Red and the Green, 1965, concerning the Easter rising, reflecting her Irish background. Murdoch was appointed DBE in 1987 and presented with an honorary degree from Kingston University in 1993. In 1997 Murdoch was diagnosed as suffering with Alzheimer's disease and died in Oxford on 8 February 1999.

Publications include: Existentialists and Mystics: Writings on Literature and Philosophy, 1997; A Fairly Honourable Defeat, 1970 and Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals, 1992.

Barbara Dorf studied at the Slade School of Art. She has exhibited in a large number of prominent London galleries and mixed shows, and in Paris and Belgrade. She is also a lecturer and an art historian. Her paintings were much admired by EH Gombrich and Iris Murdoch.

Smith , Brian , 1930-2009 , teacher

Brian Smith was a mathematics teacher with a passion for the arts. Originally from Australia, he moved to the UK in the early 1950s and work for a short time as a dresser for the theatre before becoming a teacher. Brian regularly visited the theatre and kept the programmes for all the plays, concerts, ballets and events he attended.

Ellison , Cary , 1915-2002 , talent spotter

Cary Ellison was originally named Ellison Bayles, however he started using his stage name on the advice of his agent, shortly after starting his career as an actor in 1939. He spent many years touring in theatrical productions, and on one such tour met actress Olive Milbourne who he married in 1944. Eventually Ellison decided to move on from acting, and after trying a number of different jobs, he joined the staff of Spotlight in 1953. Spotlight is a major casting directory. When Ellison joined in 1953 he was given the task of improving the number of subscribers- within a few years the directory had more than doubled in size and new actors and actresses were added to its pages every year. As part of his work Ellison would tour the repertory theatre companies twice a year, making notes on the cast, director and play, to help match the actors and actresses with suitable parts, and to spot future theatre stars. Actors he spotted early on include Derek Jacobi, Richard Briers, Judi Dench, Patricia Routledge and Leonard Rossiter. He would also make notes on the performances of such well known actors as Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Vivien Leigh when at the peak of their fame. His influence was not only confined to Spotlight, he also held an advisory service for performers looking to improve their career prospects, and founded ‘12’- an association of those interested in supporting the future of the acting industry. He retired from Spotlight in 1980, at which time many of those whose careers he had helped shape held a tribute concert in his honour. Even after his retirement Ellison continued to advise up and coming actors at Guildford School of Drama. He died in 2002.

Kingston Polytechnic was formed in 1970 from the merger of Kingston College of Technology and Kingston College of Art. Gipsy Hill Teacher Training College then became part of the Polytechnic in 1975. In 1992 the Polytechnic was given university status to form Kingston University.

Rams Rugby Football Club was the student rugby club of Kingston Polytechnic.

John Shepherd was a student at Kingston Polytechnic and a member of the Rams Rugby Football Club from 1979-1982.

Perriam , Wendy , b 1940 , author

Wendy Perriam is the author of several novels, often associated with suburban life. Her work includes Sin City, Absinthe for Elevenses and Broken Places. She has also published several collections of short stories and had these, poetry and other works published in magazines. After studying at a convent school Perriam studied at Oxford and Kingston School of Art before becoming a full-time author. She also teaches creative writing.

Stephen Sondheim Society

The Stephen Sondheim Society was established in 1993 to promote the works of the musical theatre composer and lyricist in the UK and elsewhere, and to build an appreciation and interest in them. The Society has a number of patrons connected to the world of musical theatre, including Sondheim himself. Their work includes running a website and forums dedicated to Sondheim, sharing news of performances of Sondheim’s shows and arranging trips to see them, and publishing a magazine on Sondheim’s work. They also run an annual competition for student performers, the Stephen Sondheim Society Performer of the Year awards (or SSSPOTY), as well as organising other events such as an annual garden party. As part of their aim to educate others on the work of Sondheim, the Society has built up an archival collection relating to him and his work. The core of the Collection was formed by antiquarian bookseller Peter Wood which was then passed to the Society, and it has since continued to be added to. The Archive will continue to grow as more items are collected.

Battersea College of Education was established in the department of 'Women's Studies' at Battersea Polytechnic Institute as the Training School of Domestic Economy. A special grant had been given to the Polytechnic by the London County Council to open a teacher training school in domestic economy, and the first eleven full time students started their course in 1894. The department was recognised by the Board of Education as a teachers' training school in 1895. The department flourished, and in 1903 a new block was opened to provide improved accommodation. In January 1911 the first hall of residence was opened, with further halls provided in 1914.

After the Second World War the premises of Manor House School on Clapham Common Northside were purchased by London County Council for the Department. In 1948 London County Council took over the management of the department from Battersea Polytechnic and it was re-designated Battersea College of Domestic Science. A programme of building was undertaken, including a new science block which opened in 1953, and further new buildings opened in 1960. The College acquired a new site, Manresa House in Roehampton, in 1963, which became the Battersea Training College for Primary Teachers, providing courses for mature students. The College had also become a constituent college of the University of London Institute of Education, with courses leading to a Teachers' Certificate with special reference to domestic subjects and Department of Education and Science recognition of Qualified Teacher Status. In 1965 responsibility for the college was transferred from the London County Council to the newly established Inner London Education Authority and the College became known as the Battersea College of Education.

In 1976 it was proposed that Battersea should merge with the Polytechnic of the South Bank. Manresa House was closed in 1979, and primary education students were transferred to Rachel McMillan College. Home Economics students remained at Manor House which became part of the Polytechnic of the South Bank. The teacher training certificate was phased out in 1979, and in 1981/1982 the students transferred to the Polytechnic campus.

City of Westminster College St George's Institute

City of Westminster College has its origins in an evening institute established in the First World War providing lip-reading classes for deafened servicemen in the vestry of St George's Church in Hanover Square, Westminster. The institute, which became known as St George's Institute, only ran evening classes and moved to a number of different sites, successively St George's Row School, Ebury Bridge and Dean Farrar Street. A further move was made to the Burdett Cookery School, with some classes held in the Townsend Foundation School, Rochester Row. The institute grew rapidly during the 1930s, becoming one of the largest commercial institutes in London, with classrooms and chemistry laboratories in Westminster City College. In 1936 an arrangement with Westminster Training College was made enabling the institute to provide more student hours than any comparable institute in London and replacing the link with Westminster City College. The institute moved again to the Millbank School, Erasmus Street. In 1939 two social studies courses were introduced, whilst languages and commercial, administrative and social studies were all well established.

The Waterloo Road School site was taken over by the institute in 1951, shared with the Law Department of Kennington College. By 1959 there were 41 full-time staff, more part-time lecturers and over 30 rooms used. Full-time courses were offered in 1959 in the institute's three departments of Civil Service, Commerce and University Entrance, with part-time and evening work. In 1954 the institute moved to Francis House, renting space from the Army and Navy Stores. Further space was rented from them in 1955, enabling matriculation work to be transferred from Regent Street Polytechnic. New departments of Science, Social Studies and Day Release work were created. Awards and courses were rationalised following the 1959 McMeeking report 'Further Education in Commerce', with the introduction of national certificates in business studies, and establishment of new departments of Economics and Arts and Science and Maths. By 1962 there were over 6000 students associated with the institute. In 1965 the work of the Arts Department was transferred to the West London College of Commerce.

In 1959 the institute was renamed City of Westminster College. In the early 1960s the first courses in Hospital Administration were organised, and part of the college moved in 1966 to Blackfriars Road where housing laboratories and the Social Studies Department were accommodated (later to become part of Southwark College). In the mid 1960s new departments of Professional Studies, later renamed Accountancy and Finance, and Business Studies were established. The publication of the White Paper 'A Plan for Polytechnics and Other Colleges', published in 1966, had announced the creation of some 30 polytechnics throughout the country to form what became called the public sector of the binary system of higher education. The 13 existing colleges managed by ILEA were to be reorganised into five. City of Westminster College joined with Borough Polytechnic, the Brixton School of Building, and the National College for Heating, Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering to become the Polytechnic of the South Bank in 1970.

In December 1945 the Education Board for the Heating and Ventilating Industry set up a committee to look into the possibility of establishing a National School for the Heating and Ventilating Industries. This was in response to the Percy Report which recommended that National Schools associated with certain industries should be established. In 1946, with the agreement of the National Association of Heating, Ventilating and Domestic Engineering Employers, discussions were opened with the Ministry of Education on the establishment of a National School. These proposals were well received and in January 1947 a memorandum, drawn up by the Ministry on National Colleges and financial arrangements, were discussed by the Ministry and the Board. It was agreed that Industry should pay £50 per student per session with a guaranteed minimum of £1000 per year. The National Association also agreed to this and in April 1947 it was decided that a National College for Heating and Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering be formed within the Borough Polytechnic. The agreement of the London County Council was secured in November 1947 and the first meeting of the Board of Governors of the newly established National College for Heating, Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering was held on 20 January 1948 at the Borough Polytechnic.

The first Chair of Governors was Hubert Secretan and there were representatives from the three industries on the Board of Governors. There were high hopes for the new College and the third annual report of the Education Board for the Heating and Ventilating Industry hoped 'it will be the centre for the highest grade of technological training for the industry and will be in close contact with the most up-to-date development and research' (NC/7/2/3). The College existed to meet the needs of the industries and had two principal aims: to provide a high standard of technological training and to undertake research.

In its first session, commencing in September 1948, the College offered full-time Diploma courses in the three industries: Heating and Ventilating Engineering, Refrigeration Engineering and Fan Engineering. The College also offered part-time day or evening refresher courses for those employed in industry. Courses led to diplomas after full-time study for two terms, and later one year, or an Associateship of the National College with post graduate or post HND entry.

The College was, from its inception, closely linked with the Borough Polytechnic. Its premises were located within the grounds of the Borough Polytechnic Annexe and the College used the facilities of the Polytechnic for teaching ancillary subjects. Before the National College was established the Polytechnic had become the principal college in heating and ventilating engineering in London. A lecturer in heating and ventilating engineering had been appointed in 1917 for evening courses and after World War 1 part-time day classes were introduced. At first, the college was heavily dependent on service teaching from other departments of Borough Polytechnic, especially mechanical engineering, mathematics and humanities, but began to widen its work by undertaking research.

The College was given a logo of a shield divided into four, representing the three industries and the Borough Polytechnic. It also had a motto, 'e tribus unum', meaning 'one from three'.

In the 1950s the accommodation within the Borough Polytechnic was too small to allow the continued expansion of student numbers and to undertake research. The Ministry of Education agreed to cover the costs of the building and industry donated money to purchase new equipment. The new building on Southwark Bridge Road (now the Faraday Wing) was opened to students in September 1960.

By the 1960s government policy had moved away from National Colleges which taught a limited syllabus. The Ministry of Education preferred Technical Education Institutions to provide a broader education than covered by the National Colleges and in 1964 it began discussions with the National College on its future. It was proposed that the National College become a department of the Borough Polytechnic.

In September 1970 the National College amalgamated with the Borough Polytechnic, Brixton School of Building and City of Westminster College to become the Polytechnic of the South Bank. In effect, the National College became the Polytechnic's Faculty of Environmental Science and Technology.