robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page. |
fixed issues |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|British naturalist and soldier (1921–2013)}} | {{Short description|British naturalist and soldier (1921–2013)}} | ||
{{ | {{Use British English|date=September 2014}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}} | ||
{{Infobox person | {{Infobox person | ||
| Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
| 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) | ||
| 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)}} | ||
| Line 24: | Line 23: | ||
===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== | ||
| Line 50: | Line 49: | ||
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) | ||
| Line 92: | Line 92: | ||
[[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 | [[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]] | ||
| Line 98: | Line 98: | ||
[[Category:People from Murree]] | [[Category:People from Murree]] | ||
[[Category:British Home Guard soldiers]] | [[Category:British Home Guard soldiers]] | ||
[[Category:British people in | [[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]] | ||
Latest revision as of 04:35, 8 February 2026
John Cloudsley-Thompson | |
|---|---|
 In Sudan, 1964 | |
| Born | John Leonard Thompson 23 May 1921 |
| Died | 4 October 2013 (aged 92) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Naturalist |
| Years active | 1945–2013 |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Cloudsley |
| Children | Three sons |
| Notes | |
John Leonard Cloudsley-Thompson DSc CBiol FSB FRES FZS (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.[1]
Biography[edit | edit source]
Early life[edit | edit source]
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 sciences at Pembroke College, Cambridge.[citation needed]
Second World War[edit | edit source]
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 in September 1939. After initially assisting his father (who by then was the Medical Officer of Health for Lambeth) in setting up casualty clearing stations, he volunteered to join the Royal Tank Regiment.[citation needed]
Before his call up in 1941, Thompson had joined the Local Defence Volunteers and then the Home Guard. He was sent to Sandhurst for officer training, and was commissioned into the 4th (Queen's Own) Hussars. After transferring to the 4th County of London Yeomanry,[2] he sailed to join the 7th Armoured Division (Desert Rats) in North Africa and took part in Operation Crusader in November 1941.[citation needed]
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 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]
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.[3]
Naturalist[edit | edit source]
After the war, Cloudsley-Thompson returned to Cambridge to complete his studies, gaining his 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]
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.[4]
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 Peter Scott Memorial Award in 1993.[citation needed]
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]
His wife Anne predeceased him in 2012.[citation needed]
Works[edit | edit source]
Books written or co-authored by Cloudsley-Thompson include:
- 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)
- 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[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Moss, Stephen (3 November 2012). "John Cloudsley-Thompson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ↑ Joslen 1990, p. 168
- ↑ "Captain John Cloudsley-Thompson". The Second World War Experience Centre. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ↑ "Professor John Cloudsley-Thompson – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
Bibliography[edit | edit source]
- Joslen, Lt-Col H.F. (1990) [1st. Pub. HMSO:1960]. Orders of Battle, Second World War, 1939–1945. London: London Stamp Exchange. ISBN 0-948130-03-2.