Elsie Pemberton Leach

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(30 June 1888 – 9 May 1968) was an

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

and pioneer bird-ringer in Britain. She served as the founding and honorary Secretary of the

British Trust for Ornithology The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is an organisation founded in 1932 for the study of birds in the British Isles. The Prince of Wales has been patron since October 2020. History Beginnings In 1931 Max Nicholson wrote: In the United State ...

's Bird-Ringing Committee in 1937 and continued to work on ringing until 1963. Born in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, the younger daughter of Sir

Edward Pemberton Leach General Sir Edward Pemberton Leach (2 April 1847 – 27 April 1913) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth f ...

, Elsie grew up in a well-connected family that moved across the United Kingdom and overseas. From an early age, she was introduced to outdoor pursuits, riding, fishing, and hunting. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, she served as an ambulance driver in the

Women's Royal Naval Service The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for the First World War, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in 1939 at the ...

, after training at the London Motor training School. An interest in birds was sparked off through her friendship with

Emma Louisa Turner Emma Louisa Turner or E L Turner (9 June 1867 – 13 August 1940) was an English ornithologist and pioneering bird photographer. Turner took up photography at age 34, after meeting the wildlife photographer Richard Kearton. She joined the ...

which led to a meeting with

Harry Witherby Harry Forbes Witherby, MBE, FZS, MBOU (7 October 1873 – 11 December 1943) was a noted British ornithologist, author, publisher and founding editor (in 1907) of the magazine ''British Birds''. Personal life Harry was the second surviving so ...

in 1930. At that time Witherby was working on the establishment of a marking scheme for British Birds and she began to assist him immediately. She took formal responsibility for the Ringing Scheme, still in a voluntary capacity, in 1937. Her skills at ringing and care in maintaining records were well known and her memory and ability to recall recoveries helped in her work. She compiled recovery records and produced annual reports from 1938 and went on to produce them until 1951. She retired in 1953 but continued to work on ringing until 1963 when the ringing office shifted to Tring. Her work was recognised by the award of the Bernard Tucker Medal in 1954 and she was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

1954 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1954 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate t ...

. She was a member of the

British Ornithologists Union The British Ornithologists' Union (BOU) aims to encourage the study of birds ("ornithology") and around the world, in order to understand their biology and to aid their conservation. The BOU was founded in 1858 by Professor Alfred Newton, Henry ...

from 1922, and its vice-president from 1955 to 1958. She died on 9 May 1968. Obituaries were published in '' British Birds'' and ''

Bird Study The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is an organisation founded in 1932 for the study of birds in the British Isles. The Prince of Wales has been patron since October 2020. History Beginnings In 1931 Max Nicholson wrote: In the United Stat ...

''.

References

1888 births 1968 deaths Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century British zoologists British ornithologists Scientists from Plymouth, Devon British Trust for Ornithology people {{ornithologist-stub