David Cunningham Greig FRSE FGS (1922-1999) was a British geologist and cartographer. He was Principal Geologist for HM Geological Survey from 1958 to 1982. He was a keen hill-walker and mountaineer.

Life

He was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

on 16 February 1922. He attended Glasgow High School then

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. His education was interrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

during which he served in Europe and East Africa in the

REME The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

. During this period his adjutant was

Robert Eden Robert Eden may refer to: *Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet, of West Auckland (c. 1644–1721), MP for County Durham * Sir Robert Eden, 3rd Baronet, of West Auckland (died 1794) * Sir Robert Johnson-Eden, 5th Baronet, of West Auckland (1774–1844) * S ...

, who inspired his interest in Geology. After demob he then completed his university education, graduating MA BSc. He joined HM Geological Survey as a Geologist in 1951 and was rapidly promoted to the post of Principal Geologist within 7 years. Based in the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

office his original survey work included South Wales and the West Midlands and heavy involvement in exploratory work for the

National Coal Board The National Coal Board (NCB) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "ve ...

. In 1953 he began a major accurate remapping of the geology of the Church Stretton area at 1:50,000. Carboniferous rocks Greig 1971 Page079

In May 1962 he returned to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, this time based in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

as part of the South Lowland Unit then at Grange Terrace, under his old acquaintance, Robert Eden. Here he was tasked with mapping the

Eyemouth Eyemouth ( sco, Heymooth) is a small town and civil parish in Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is east of the main north–south A1 road and north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. The town's name comes from its location at the ...

area where his mountaineering experience helped considerably with the survey of the district’s difficult cliff areas. During this period he rented a cottage in

Coldingham Coldingham ( sco, Cowjum) is a village and parish in Scottish Borders, on Scotland's southeast coastline, north of Eyemouth. Parish The parish lies in the east of the Lammermuir district. It is the second-largest civil parish by area in Berwi ...

. In the 1970s focus moved from mapping to the routing of Scotland’s gas pipelines. During this period he joined the Edinburgh Geological Society, serving as its Secretary 1965 to 1970 and President 1973 to 1975. In 1975 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were G Innes Lumsden,

James Andrew Robbie James Andrew Robbie FRSE FGS (1910–1977) was a 20th century Scottish geologist. He was President of the Edinburgh Geological Society 1971 to 1973. Life He was born in Laurencekirk, Kincardineshire in 1910. He studied Science at Aberdeen Un ...

, George Hoole Mitchell, and Charles D Waterston. In 1977 he received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for his work in relocating the HM Survey to Murchison House. He retired to

Elie Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked v ...

on the Fife coast in 1982, aged 60, and died there on 4 July 1999.

Family

He married Lanchen in 1951.

Publications

*''Geology of the Country around Church Stretton'' (1968)
''British Regional Geology: The South of Scotland''
(1971). London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office *''Geology of the Eyemouth District'' (1988)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory, James Crawford 1922 births 1999 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 20th-century British geologists Alumni of the University of Glasgow Scientists from Glasgow Scottish non-fiction writers British Army personnel of World War II