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Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David (commonly known as Edgeworth David) KBE, FRS, (28 January 1858 – 28 August 1934) was a Welsh-born Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 1858 ( MDCCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A geologist is a contributor to the Science of Geology, studying the physical structure and processes of the Earth and planets of the solar system A household name in his lifetime, David's most significant achievements were discovering the major Hunter Valley coalfield in New South Wales and leading the first expedition to reach the Magnetic South Pole. The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, extending from approximately to north of Sydney, Australia The Earth 's South Magnetic Pole is the wandering point on the Earth's surface where the geomagnetic field lines are directed vertically upwards He also served with distinction in World War One. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All
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Early life
David was born in St. Fagans near Cardiff, Wales, the eldest son of the Rev. St Fagans ( Welsh Sain Ffagan) is a village in the west of the City of Cardiff, Wales and in the traditional county of Cardiff ( 'kɑːdɪf) is the Capital and the largest city and county in Wales. William David, a fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, a classical scholar and naturalist. Jesus College (in full Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of "Classical literature" redirects here For literature in Classical languages outside the Graeco-Roman sphere see Ancient literature. Natural history is the Scientific research of Plants or Animals leaning more towards the Observational than Experimental methods His mother's cousin, William A. E. Ussher of the Geological Survey, first interested David in what was to be his life work. The term geological survey can be used to describe both the conduct of a survey for geological purposes and an institution holding geological information
David went to Magdalen College School, Oxford in 1870. Magdalen College School is an independent school for boys located in Oxford, England. In 1876 he gained a scholarship to New College, Oxford. A scholarship is an award of access to an institution or a financial aid award for an individual student scholar for the purpose of furthering their Education New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. While there he was lectured by the famous John Ruskin and William Spooner, and studied geology under Sir Joseph Prestwich. John Ruskin (8 February 1819 &ndash 20 January 1900 is best known for his work as an Art critic, sage writer, and Social critic, but is remembered Several notable persons have been named William Spooner: William Archibald Spooner, professor of spoonerism fame William Spooner (Australian Joseph Prestwich FRS, ( 12 March, 1812 &ndash June 23, 1896) was a British Geologist and businessman known as In 1878 he suffered a health breakdown and travelled to Australia to recuperate. Returning to Oxford, he concentrated on geology, graduating as a Bachelor of Arts without honours in 1880. He spent the following two years in field study of the geology of Wales. In November 1881 he read his first paper, Evidences of Glacial Action in the Neighbourhood of Cardiff before the Cardiff Naturalists' Society. In the following year he briefly studied at the Royal School of Mines, London, under Professor J. W. Judd before accepting the position of Assistant Geological Surveyor to the Government of New South Wales, Australia.
Career in Australia
David took up his post in November 1882. In 1884 his report on the tin deposits in the New England district was published, and three years later it was expanded into the Geology of the Vegetable Creek Tin Mining Field, New England District. Tin is a Chemical element with the symbol Sn (stannum and Atomic number 50 History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the Apart from its scientific interest this was valuable in connexion with the mining operations on this field, from which some £10,000,000 worth of tin was won. On 30 July 1885 he married to Caroline (Cara) Mallett, principal of the Hurlstone Training College for Teachers, who had travelled to Australia in the same vessel with him. Events 1419 - First Defenestration of Prague. 1502 - Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common
In April 1886 he began surveying the Hunter Valley coalfields and in August discovered the Greta coal seam, which yielded over £50,000,000 worth of coal up to 1949. The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, extending from approximately to north of Sydney, Australia The South Maitland coalfields was the most extensive coalfield in New South Wales until the great coal mining slump of the 1960s Much of his time during the next four years was spent near Maitland where he was still tracing and mapping the coal measures and reporting to the government on other matters of commercial value. David's assistant in 1890 was William Sutherland Dun. William Sutherland Dun ( 1 July 1868 – 7 October 1934) was an Australian palaeontologist, geologist and president
In 1891 David was appointed Professor of Geology at the University of Sydney, a position he held till 1924. The University of Sydney (informally Sydney Uni or USyd) is the oldest university in Australia
David was not only a good scientist but very cultured, with a sense of humour, great enthusiasm, sympathy, and courtesy, and he quickly fitted into his new position. His department was housed in a small cottage, its equipment was poor, and he had no lecturers or demonstrators; but he gradually got better facilities built and up his department. In 1892 he was president of the geological section of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science at the Hobart meeting, and held the same position at Brisbane in 1895. The Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science ( ANZAAS) is an organisation that was founded in 1888 by Archibald Liversidge as the Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland
In 1896 David went to the Pacific atoll of Funafati as part of an expedition under Professor William Sollas of Oxford in order to take borings which it was hoped would settle the question of the formation of coral atolls. William Johnson Sollas ( 30 May 1849 - 20 October 1936) was a British geologist There were defects in the boring machinery and the bore penetrated only slightly more than 100 feet (approx. 31 m). In 1897 David led a second expedition (that included George Sweet as second-in-command, and Walter George Woolnough) which succeeded in reaching a depth of 557 feet (170 m) after which he had to return to Sydney. George Sweet (1844 – 1920 was an English -born Australian geologist president of the Royal Society of Victoria in 1905 Walter George Woolnough ( 15 January 1876 – 28 September 1958) was an Australian geologist. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 He then organized a third expedition which, under the leadership of Alfred Edmund Finckh, was successful in carrying the bore to 1114 feet (340 m). The results provided support for Charles Darwin's theory of subsidence, and the expeditions made David's name as a geologist. Charles Robert Darwin (February 12 1809 &ndash April 19 1882 was an English naturalist, who realised and demonstrated that all Species of life Cara accompanied him on the second expedition and published a well-received account called Funafuti, or Three Months on a Coral Island.
David's reputation was growing in Europe, and in 1899 he was awarded the Bigsby medal of the Geological Society of London, and in 1900 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society. The Geological Society of London is a Learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth" The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 From 1900 to 1907 he conducted field studies of glaciation in the Kosciusko plateau and Precambrian glaciation in South Australia. Kosciuszko is one of the largest and one of the most important national parks in Australia The Precambrian ( Pre-Cambrian) is an informal name for the supereon comprising the eons of the Geologic timescale that came before the current South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country
In 1904 he was elected president of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science which met in Dunedin, and in 1906 he attended the International Geological Congress held in Mexico. Dunedin (dəˈneɪdɪn) Ōtepoti in Maori is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the region of The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. On his way back to Australia he was able to see the Grand Canyon of Colorado and to study the effect of the San Francisco earthquake. The Grand Canyon The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city
Antarctic exploration
In mid 1907 David was invited to join Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition to the Antarctic and in December won Australian Government funding for the expedition. The British Antarctic Expedition 1907&ndash09, otherwise known as the Nimrod Expedition, was the first of three expeditions to the Antarctic led by Ernest Shackleton The same month he left for New Zealand in December with Leo Cotton and Douglas Mawson, two of his former students. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island David was nearly 50 years of age and it was intended that he would stay only until April 1908, but on route to Antarctica on the Nimrod he altered his plans and decided to stay for the whole expedition.
From 5 March to 11 March 1908, David led the first ascent of Mount Erebus, the only active volcano in Antarctica. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Mount Erebus in Antarctica is the southernmost active Volcano on Earth Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the David led the summit party consisting of Mawson, Dr Alistair Mackay and himself, and there was a supporting party of three which it was afterwards decided should also attempt to reach the summit. In this they were successful in spite of a blizzard which barred their progress for a day and night. One member of the party had his feet badly frostbitten, and had to be left in camp before the final dash, but David and four others reached the summit and the whole party returned to the base.
On 5 October,David led Mawson and Mackay on an attempt to reach the Magnetic South Pole, which they accomplished on 16 January 1909. The Earth 's South Magnetic Pole is the wandering point on the Earth's surface where the geomagnetic field lines are directed vertically upwards Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Behind schedule and struggling with the severe conditions, they retraced their steps and made a lucky rendezvous with the Nimrod on 4 February 1909. Near the end of the journey David handed over leadership to Mawson on the grounds of ill health.
Shackleton's expedition returned to New Zealand on 25 March 1909. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting When David returned to Sydney he was presented with the Mueller medal by the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science at a rapturous official welcome. The Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science ( ANZAAS) is an organisation that was founded in 1888 by Archibald Liversidge as the
At Shackleton's request David then went on a lecture tour, and earned enough money to pay the expenses of publication of the two volumes on the geology of the expedition. He also wrote his "Narrative of the Magnetic Pole Journey", which appeared in the second volume of Shackleton's Heart of the Antarctic. In 1910 the honour of Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George was conferred on him, and visiting England in connexion with the scientific results of the Antarctic expedition, Oxford University gave him the honorary degree of Doctor of Science. The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George Prince Regent (later George The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa ( Latin: 'for the sake of the honour' is an Academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding DSc ScD SD, or DrSc are common abbreviations for the Latin Scientiæ Doctor, meaning Doctor of Science. In 1913 he was elected for the second time president of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science.
Australian Tunnelling Corps
When World War One broke out in 1914, David was a strenuous supporter of the war effort, supporting the campaign for conscription and using his advocacy and organisational abilities to set up the Australian Tunnelling Corps, or "Mining Battalion", in August 1915. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All
David enlisted with them as a Major, at age 58, one of the oldest enlisted men on the Allied side. Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country In February 1916 they sailed for the Western Front. When there he used his geological expertise to advise on the construction of dugouts, trenches, and tunnels, and to aid in the provision of pure drinking water from underground supplies.
Later that year the Corps was disbanded and its personnel redistributed. David became relatively independent and spent his time in geological investigations. In September 1916 he fell to the bottom of a well he was examining, breaking two ribs and rupturing his urethra. In Anatomy, the urethra (from Greek ουρήθρα - ourethra) is a tube which connects the Urinary bladder to the outside of He was invalided to London but returned to the Front in November.
On 7 June 1917 his wartime contribution culminated in the mining of German positions in the Battle of Messines. The Battle of Messines was a battle of the western front of World War I.
In January 1918 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. The Distinguished Service Order ( DSO) is a Military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other Commonwealth countries awarded for and in November he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. The war having concluded, he was demobilised in 1919.
Later life
Returning to Australia, he took up a long-cherished project, the writing of a definitive work, The Geology of the Commonwealth of Australia. In September 1920 he was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V.
In 1921-22 he helped set up the Australian National Research Council and served as its first President.
In 1924 he retired as Professor of Geology at the University of Sydney, the chair passing to his student Leo Cotton.
In 1928 he discovered what he believed were Precambrian fossils, creating controversy which remained until his death. The Precambrian ( Pre-Cambrian) is an informal name for the supereon comprising the eons of the Geologic timescale that came before the current
In 1931 he published the Geological Map of the Commonwealth and the accompanying Explanatory Notes, designed to be part of his Geology of the Commonwealth of Australia. He died in 1934 without being able to complete this work and was given a state funeral.
Legacy
David's The Geology of the Commonwealth of Australiawas finally completed by his chosen collaborator, Associate Professor William R. Browne in 1950. William Rowan Browne ( 11 December 1884 – 1 September 1975) was an Australian geologist author of The Geology of the Commonwealth Of his many papers over 100 will be found listed in the Geological Magazine for January 1922. A travelling scholarship in his memory was founded at the University of Sydney in 1936.
The Edgeworth David Medal is named in his honour. It is awarded by the Royal Society of New South Wales for distinguished contributions by a young scientist under the age of thirty-five for work done mainly in Australia or its territories. The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. The mineral davidite is named after him, as is the Edgeworth David Building at the University of Sydney and Edgeworth David Avenue in Hornsby, New South Wales where he spent his later years. Davidite is a mineral which exists in two forms Davidite-(La La0 The University of Sydney (informally Sydney Uni or USyd) is the oldest university in Australia Hornsby is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. He has been depicted on two Australian postage stamps.
Edgeworth David Base is the name of a summer station in the Bunger Hills area. Bunger Hills or Bunger Lakes or Bunger Oasis is a Coastal range in Antarctica, consisting of a group of moderately low Rounded It has been maintained by Australia since 1986.
References
- Branagan, David, T. W. Edgeworth David: A Life: Geologist, Adventurer and "Knight in the Old Brown Hat", National Library of Australia, Canberra, 2005.
- Serle, Percival (1949). "David, Tannatt William Edgeworth". Dictionary of Australian Biography. The Dictionary of Australian Biography, published in 1949, is a reference work by Percival Serle containing information on notable people associated with Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
- Edgeworth David Medal
- Australian Antarctic Profile
- Physics in Australia Profile
- T. G. Vallance, D. F. Branagan, 'David, Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth (1858 - 1934)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8, MUP, 1981, pp 218-221. The Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB or AuDB is a multi-volume project published by Melbourne University Press. Melbourne University Publishing (MUP is the book publishing arm of the University of Melbourne ( Australia)
- This article incorporates text from the public domain 1949 edition of Dictionary of Australian Biography from Project Gutenberg of Australia, which is in the public domain in Australia and the United States of America. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone The Dictionary of Australian Biography, published in 1949, is a reference work by Percival Serle containing information on notable people associated with
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Aitcheson Haswell |
Clarke Medal 1917 |
Succeeded by Leonard Rodway |