William Pugh (geologist)

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OBE, (1919)
Croix de Guerre,
Fellow of the Royal Society, (1951)[1]
Murchison Medal, (1952)
Scientific career
FieldsGeology

Sir William John Pugh

Museum of Practical Geology, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.[2]

He was born in

University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, where he graduated BA in Geography in 1914.[3] However, he was inspired to study geology by Professor Owen Thomas Jones. In 1915, they presented their first joint study (of the geology of the area around Machynlleth) to the Geological Society of London.[2]

During World War I, he served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers as a staff officer, rising to the rank of major. He was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1919 New Year Honours,[4] awarded the French Croix de Guerre
and was twice mentioned in despatches.

After the war he returned to University College as Professor of Geology from 1919 to 1931, acting as Dean of the Faculty of Science from 1929 to 1931. During this time he carried out field studies to map the chronostratigraphy of the ancient Ordovician-Silurian rocks of the Corris and Bala districts and in 1928 was awarded a DSc by the University of Wales.

In 1931 he was appointed Professor of Geology and Director of the Geological Laboratories at the

British Association for the Advancement of Science (1948–49).[5]

In 1951 he was made Emeritus Professor when he resigned to become Director of the

Museum of Practical Geology
(1951–60). He commenced the task of producing a geological map of the country and was also responsible for the Water Department and the Atomic Energy Division. The activities of the institution included the undertaking of field studies in six other countries across the world for the Atomic Energy Division and an aeromagnetic survey of England and Wales, which involved surveying the Cheshire salt fields and the mapping of coalfields and advisory work for the National Coal Board, the Scottish Hydro-electric Board and the Ministry of Housing. He published many papers in scientific journals reporting on the progress of this work.

Honours and awards

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1951 for his contributions to the advancement of geological sciences and awarded the Murchison Medal by the Geological Society of London in 1952 for his studies on the stratigraphy and tectonics of the lower Palaeozoic Rocks of Wales.[1] He was knighted in the 1956 Birthday Honours.[6] He was President of the Aberystwyth Old Students' Association in 1964–65.[7]

Private life

He retired in 1960 and died in London in 1974. He had married in 1919 Manon Clayton Davies Bryan, the second daughter of Joseph Davies Bryan of Alexandria, Egypt. They had four sons.

References

  1. ^ a b "Fellow Details". Royal Society. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Obituary: Sir William Pugh – Former Director of the Geological Survey". The Times. 21 March 1974. p. 16.
  3. S2CID 71621526
    . Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Issue 31092". The London Gazette. 1 January 1919. p. 10.
  5. ^ "PUGH, WILLIAM JOHN (1892-1974), Director of Geological Survey of Great Britain". National Library of Wales. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  6. ^ "No. 40787". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 May 1956. p. 3100.
  7. ISBN 978-0-7083-1930-7
    .
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by
Prof. David James Llewelfryn Davies
 President of the Aberystwyth Old Students' Association
1964–65 		Succeeded by
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