John Cloudsley-Thompson - Revision history

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	{{Short description\|British naturalist and soldier (1921–2013)}}		{{Short description\|British naturalist and soldier (1921–2013)}}
	{{~~EngvarB~~\|date=September 2014}}		{{Use British English\|date=September 2014}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=September 2014}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=September 2014}}
	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
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	\| death_date = {{death date and age\|df=yes\|2013\|10\|4\|1921\|5\|23}}		\| death_date = {{death date and age\|df=yes\|2013\|10\|4\|1921\|5\|23}}
	\| birth_place = [[Murree]], [[Pakistan]] (formerly pre-partition India)		\| birth_place = [[Murree]], [[Pakistan]] (formerly pre-partition India)
	~~\| nationality = British~~
	\| years active = 1945–2013		\| years active = 1945–2013
	\| alma_mater = {{Unbulleted list \| [[Marlborough College]] \| [[Pembroke College, Cambridge]] ([[natural science]]s)}}		\| alma_mater = {{Unbulleted list \| [[Marlborough College]] \| [[Pembroke College, Cambridge]] ([[natural science]]s)}}
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	===Early life===		===Early life===
	Thompson was born in [[Murree]], in pre-partition [[India]] (now [[Pakistan]]), where his father worked in public health. He returned to the UK to be educated at [[Marlborough College]] and then learn about [[natural science]]s at [[Pembroke College, Cambridge]].		Thompson was born in [[Murree]], in pre-partition [[India]] (now [[Pakistan]]), where his father worked in public health. He returned to the UK to be educated at [[Marlborough College]] and then learn about [[natural science]]s at [[Pembroke College, Cambridge]].{{citation needed\|date= September 2023}}

	===Second World War===		===Second World War===
	His time at Cambridge was interrupted by the outbreak of the [[Second World War]]. He volunteered for the army at a Reception Unit in [[Reading, Berkshire\|Reading]] in September 1939. After initially assisting his father (who by then was the [[Medical Officer of Health]] for [[Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth\|Lambeth]]) in setting up casualty clearing stations, he volunteered to join the [[Royal Tank Regiment]].		His time at Cambridge was interrupted by the outbreak of the [[Second World War]]. He volunteered for the army at a Reception Unit in [[Reading, Berkshire\|Reading]] in September 1939. After initially assisting his father (who by then was the [[Medical Officer of Health]] for [[Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth\|Lambeth]]) in setting up casualty clearing stations, he volunteered to join the [[Royal Tank Regiment]].{{citation needed\|date= September 2023}}

	Before his call up in 1941, Thompson had joined the [[Local Defence Volunteers]] and then the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)\|Home Guard]]. He was sent to [[Sandhurst, Berkshire\|Sandhurst]] for officer training, and was commissioned into the [[4th (Queen's Own) Hussars]]. After transferring to the [[4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)\|4th County of London Yeomanry]],<ref name=Joslen168>{{harvnb\|Joslen\|1990\|p=168}}</ref> he sailed to join the [[7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)\|7th Armoured Division]] (Desert Rats) in North Africa and took part in [[Operation Crusader]] in November 1941.		Before his call up in 1941, Thompson had joined the [[Local Defence Volunteers]] and then the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)\|Home Guard]]. He was sent to [[Sandhurst, Berkshire\|Sandhurst]] for officer training, and was commissioned into the [[4th (Queen's Own) Hussars]]. After transferring to the [[4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)\|4th County of London Yeomanry]],<ref name=Joslen168>{{harvnb\|Joslen\|1990\|p=168}}</ref> he sailed to join the [[7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)\|7th Armoured Division]] (Desert Rats) in North Africa and took part in [[Operation Crusader]] in November 1941.{{citation needed\|date= September 2023}}

	Involved in much of the fighting across the Libyan desert, Thompson, now a Tank Commander, was severely wounded in May 1942, during the Allied defence of the ''Knightsbridge Box''. His [[Crusader tank\|Crusader A15 Mark VI]] had been hit and disabled and Thompson was fortunate to escape his tank with a leg wound. The rest of his crew were all killed or taken prisoner. He was evacuated to a field hospital in [[Tobruk]], and from there to Cairo by train, where doctors operated to save his leg.		Involved in much of the fighting across the Libyan desert, Thompson, now a Tank Commander, was severely wounded in May 1942, during the Allied defence of the ''Knightsbridge Box''. His [[Crusader tank\|Crusader A15 Mark VI]] had been hit and disabled and Thompson was fortunate to escape his tank with a leg wound. The rest of his crew were all killed or taken prisoner. He was evacuated to a field hospital in [[Tobruk]], and from there to Cairo by train, where doctors operated to save his leg.{{citation needed\|date= September 2023}}

	Cloudsley-Thompson was then shipped to Britain to recuperate and became a tank gunnery instructor at Sandhurst. He also married Anne Cloudsley in 1944, and updated their surname to Cloudsley-Thompson. He rejoined his tank regiment in time for the [[Normandy Landings]]. He took part in the [[Battle of Villers-Bocage]] on 13 June 1944; his [[Cromwell tank]] was destroyed and he and his crew were lucky to scramble out alive. During July 1944, Thompson took part in [[Operation Goodwood]], the attempt to storm the [[Bourguébus Ridge]].<ref name=WW2E>{{cite web \|title=Captain John Cloudsley-Thompson \|url=http://www.war-experience.org/collections/land/alliedbrit/j-cloudsley-thompson/ \|publisher=The Second World War Experience Centre \|access-date=5 November 2013\|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105190616/http://www.war-experience.org/collections/land/alliedbrit/j-cloudsley-thompson/\|archive-date=5 November 2013 \|df=dmy-all}}</ref>		Cloudsley-Thompson was then shipped to Britain to recuperate and became a tank gunnery instructor at Sandhurst. He also married Anne Cloudsley in 1944, and updated their surname to Cloudsley-Thompson. He rejoined his tank regiment in time for the [[Normandy Landings]]. He took part in the [[Battle of Villers-Bocage]] on 13 June 1944; his [[Cromwell tank]] was destroyed and he and his crew were lucky to scramble out alive. During July 1944, Thompson took part in [[Operation Goodwood]], the attempt to storm the [[Bourguébus Ridge]].<ref name=WW2E>{{cite web \|title=Captain John Cloudsley-Thompson \|url=http://www.war-experience.org/collections/land/alliedbrit/j-cloudsley-thompson/ \|publisher=The Second World War Experience Centre \|access-date=5 November 2013\|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105190616/http://www.war-experience.org/collections/land/alliedbrit/j-cloudsley-thompson/\|archive-date=5 November 2013 \|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

	===Naturalist===		===Naturalist===
	After the war, Cloudsley-Thompson returned to Cambridge to complete his studies, gaining his [[Master of Arts\|MA]] and PhD. He then became a lecturer in zoology at [[King's College London]]. However, he still harboured a close interest in the desert he had fought across. In 1960, he became professor of zoology at the [[University of Khartoum]], and keeper of the Sudan Natural History Museum.		After the war, Cloudsley-Thompson returned to Cambridge to complete his studies, gaining his [[Master of Arts\|MA]] and PhD. He then became a lecturer in zoology at [[King's College London]]. However, he still harboured a close interest in the desert he had fought across. In 1960, he became professor of zoology at the [[University of Khartoum]], and keeper of the Sudan Natural History Museum.{{citation needed\|date= September 2023}}

	Following a short spell in 1969 as visiting professor at the [[University of Albuquerque]] in the deserts of New Mexico, he and Anne returned to London in 1972. He was appointed professor of zoology at [[Birkbeck College, University of London]], and remained with the university until he retired in 1986, when he was made emeritus professor.<ref name=Telegraph>{{cite web\|title=Professor John Cloudsley-Thompson – obituary\|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/science-obituaries/10426105/Professor-John-Cloudsley-Thompson-obituary.html\|publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]]\|access-date=5 November 2013\|author=\|date=4 November 2012}}</ref>		Following a short spell in 1969 as visiting professor at the [[University of Albuquerque]] in the deserts of New Mexico, he and Anne returned to London in 1972. He was appointed professor of zoology at [[Birkbeck College, University of London]], and remained with the university until he retired in 1986, when he was made emeritus professor.<ref name=Telegraph>{{cite web\|title=Professor John Cloudsley-Thompson – obituary\|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/science-obituaries/10426105/Professor-John-Cloudsley-Thompson-obituary.html\|publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]]\|access-date=5 November 2013\|author=\|date=4 November 2012}}</ref>

	Cloudsley-Thompson was also a former chairman of the [[British Naturalists' Association]] between 1974 and 1983, and the recipient of the Association's highest honour for outstanding services to the understanding of natural history, the [[British Naturalists' Association#Peter Scott Memorial Award\|Peter Scott Memorial Award]] in 1993.		Cloudsley-Thompson was also a former chairman of the [[British Naturalists' Association]] between 1974 and 1983, and the recipient of the Association's highest honour for outstanding services to the understanding of natural history, the [[British Naturalists' Association#Peter Scott Memorial Award\|Peter Scott Memorial Award]] in 1993.{{citation needed\|date= September 2023}}

	By the time of his death in October 2013, he had written over 50 books on desert fauna and the adaptations used by its wildlife such as spiders and scorpions.		By the time of his death in October 2013, he had written over 50 books on desert fauna and the adaptations used by its wildlife such as spiders and scorpions.{{citation needed\|date= September 2023}}

	His wife Anne predeceased him in 2012.		His wife Anne predeceased him in 2012.{{citation needed\|date= September 2023}}

	==Works==		==Works==
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	Books written or co-authored by Cloudsley-Thompson include:		Books written or co-authored by Cloudsley-Thompson include:

	* ''Land Invertebrates'' (1961)		* ''Spiders, Scorpions, Centipedes and Mites: The Ecology and Natural History of Woodlice, 'Myriapods' and Arachnids'' (1958)
			* ''Land Invertebrates:'' ''A Guide to British Worms, Molluscs, and Arthropods (Excluding Insects)'' (1961)
	*''The water and temperature relations of woodlice'' (1977)		*''The water and temperature relations of woodlice'' (1977)
	* ''Nightwatch: The Natural World from Dusk to Dawn'' (1984)		* ''Nightwatch: The Natural World from Dusk to Dawn'' (1984)
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	[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Entomological Society]]		[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Entomological Society]]
	[[Category:Fellows of the Zoological Society of London]]		[[Category:Fellows of the Zoological Society of London]]
	[[Category:University of Khartoum ~~faculty~~]]		[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Khartoum]]
	[[Category:2013 deaths]]		[[Category:2013 deaths]]
	[[Category:3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) officers]]		[[Category:3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) officers]]
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	[[Category:People from Murree]]		[[Category:People from Murree]]
	[[Category:British Home Guard soldiers]]		[[Category:British Home Guard soldiers]]
	[[Category:British people in ~~colonial~~ India]]		[[Category:British people in British India]]
	[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]		[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
	[[Category:Military personnel of British India]]		[[Category:Military personnel of British India]]

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{{Short description|British naturalist and soldier (1921–2013)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = John Cloudsley-Thompson
| image = File:John_Cloudsley-Thompson.jpg
| caption = In Sudan, 1964
|birth_name= John Leonard Thompson
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1921|5|23}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2013|10|4|1921|5|23}}
| birth_place = [[Murree]], [[Pakistan]] (formerly pre-partition India)
| nationality = British
| years active = 1945–2013
| alma_mater = {{Unbulleted list | [[Marlborough College]] | [[Pembroke College, Cambridge]] ([[natural science]]s)}}
| occupation = [[Natural history|Naturalist]]
| title =
| spouse = Anne Cloudsley
| children = Three sons
| footnotes = <small>[[DSc]] [[CBiol]] [[Society of Biology|FSB]] [[Royal Entomological Society|FRES]] [[Zoological Society of London|FZS]]</small>
}}
'''John Leonard Cloudsley-Thompson''' <small>[[DSc]] [[CBiol]] [[Society of Biology|FSB]] [[Royal Entomological Society|FRES]] [[Zoological Society of London|FZS]]</small> (23 May 1921 – 4 October 2013) was a British [[naturalist]] renowned for his work on [[desert]] fauna. He was a tank commander during the [[Second World War]].<ref name=Guardian>{{cite web |title=John Cloudsley-Thompson obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/03/john-cloudsley-thompson |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=5 November 2013 |author=Moss, Stephen |date=3 November 2012}}</ref>

==Biography==

===Early life===
Thompson was born in [[Murree]], in pre-partition [[India]] (now [[Pakistan]]), where his father worked in public health. He returned to the UK to be educated at [[Marlborough College]] and then learn about [[natural science]]s at [[Pembroke College, Cambridge]].

===Second World War===
His time at Cambridge was interrupted by the outbreak of the [[Second World War]]. He volunteered for the army at a Reception Unit in [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] in September 1939. After initially assisting his father (who by then was the [[Medical Officer of Health]] for [[Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth|Lambeth]]) in setting up casualty clearing stations, he volunteered to join the [[Royal Tank Regiment]].

Before his call up in 1941, Thompson had joined the [[Local Defence Volunteers]] and then the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]]. He was sent to [[Sandhurst, Berkshire|Sandhurst]] for officer training, and was commissioned into the [[4th (Queen's Own) Hussars]]. After transferring to the [[4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)|4th County of London Yeomanry]],<ref name=Joslen168>{{harvnb|Joslen|1990|p=168}}</ref> he sailed to join the [[7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|7th Armoured Division]] (Desert Rats) in North Africa and took part in [[Operation Crusader]] in November 1941.

Involved in much of the fighting across the Libyan desert, Thompson, now a Tank Commander, was severely wounded in May 1942, during the Allied defence of the ''Knightsbridge Box''. His [[Crusader tank|Crusader A15 Mark VI]] had been hit and disabled and Thompson was fortunate to escape his tank with a leg wound. The rest of his crew were all killed or taken prisoner. He was evacuated to a field hospital in [[Tobruk]], and from there to Cairo by train, where doctors operated to save his leg.

Cloudsley-Thompson was then shipped to Britain to recuperate and became a tank gunnery instructor at Sandhurst. He also married Anne Cloudsley in 1944, and updated their surname to Cloudsley-Thompson. He rejoined his tank regiment in time for the [[Normandy Landings]]. He took part in the [[Battle of Villers-Bocage]] on 13 June 1944; his [[Cromwell tank]] was destroyed and he and his crew were lucky to scramble out alive. During July 1944, Thompson took part in [[Operation Goodwood]], the attempt to storm the [[Bourguébus Ridge]].<ref name=WW2E>{{cite web |title=Captain John Cloudsley-Thompson |url=http://www.war-experience.org/collections/land/alliedbrit/j-cloudsley-thompson/ |publisher=The Second World War Experience Centre |access-date=5 November 2013|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105190616/http://www.war-experience.org/collections/land/alliedbrit/j-cloudsley-thompson/|archive-date=5 November 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Naturalist===
After the war, Cloudsley-Thompson returned to Cambridge to complete his studies, gaining his [[Master of Arts|MA]] and PhD. He then became a lecturer in zoology at [[King's College London]]. However, he still harboured a close interest in the desert he had fought across. In 1960, he became professor of zoology at the [[University of Khartoum]], and keeper of the Sudan Natural History Museum.

Following a short spell in 1969 as visiting professor at the [[University of Albuquerque]] in the deserts of New Mexico, he and Anne returned to London in 1972. He was appointed professor of zoology at [[Birkbeck College, University of London]], and remained with the university until he retired in 1986, when he was made emeritus professor.<ref name=Telegraph>{{cite web|title=Professor John Cloudsley-Thompson – obituary|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/science-obituaries/10426105/Professor-John-Cloudsley-Thompson-obituary.html|publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=5 November 2013|author=|date=4 November 2012}}</ref>

Cloudsley-Thompson was also a former chairman of the [[British Naturalists' Association]] between 1974 and 1983, and the recipient of the Association's highest honour for outstanding services to the understanding of natural history, the [[British Naturalists' Association#Peter Scott Memorial Award|Peter Scott Memorial Award]] in 1993.

By the time of his death in October 2013, he had written over 50 books on desert fauna and the adaptations used by its wildlife such as spiders and scorpions.

His wife Anne predeceased him in 2012.

==Works==

Books written or co-authored by Cloudsley-Thompson include:

* ''Land Invertebrates'' (1961)
*''The water and temperature relations of woodlice'' (1977)
* ''Nightwatch: The Natural World from Dusk to Dawn'' (1984)
* ''Evolution and Adaptation of Terrestrial Arthropods'' (1988)
* ''Ecophysiology of Desert Arthropods and Reptiles'' (1991)
* ''Biotic Interactions in Arid Lands'' (1996)
* ''Ecology'' (1999)
* ''The Diversity of Amphibians and Reptiles: An Introduction'' (1999)
* ''Ecology and Behaviour of Mesozoic Reptiles'' (2005)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book
| last = Joslen | first = Lt-Col H.F.
| year = 1990
| orig-year = 1st. Pub. [[HMSO]]:1960
| title = Orders of Battle, Second World War, 1939–1945
| publisher = London Stamp Exchange
| location = London
| isbn = 0-948130-03-2
}}

==External links==
* [http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80031261 Imperial War Museum Interview]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cloudsley-Thompson, John}}
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:Academics of Birkbeck, University of London]]
[[Category:Academics of King's College London]]
[[Category:Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:People educated at Marlborough College]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:English autobiographers]]
[[Category:English conservationists]]
[[Category:English environmentalists]]
[[Category:English naturalists]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Entomological Society]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Zoological Society of London]]
[[Category:University of Khartoum faculty]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) officers]]
[[Category:4th Queen's Own Hussars officers]]
[[Category:People from Murree]]
[[Category:British Home Guard soldiers]]
[[Category:British people in colonial India]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Military personnel of British India]]