Frederick William Anderson FRSE FIB FSA (1905–1982) was a British geologist and palaeontologist. In the field of

Ostracod Ostracods, or ostracodes, are a class of the Crustacea (class Ostracoda), sometimes known as seed shrimp. Some 70,000 species (only 13,000 of which are extant) have been identified, grouped into several orders. They are small crustaceans, typi ...

s he gives his name to the Anderson Cycles.

Life

He was born on 13 January 1905 in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

in England, the son of William Stewart Anderson and his wife, Alice Ann Hodgson. He was educated at the City of Leeds School. He studied Science at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

graduating BSc in 1925. He continued studies, receiving an MSc in 1929. In 1928 he began lecturing in Geology at the

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

. In 1935 he took up the role of Palaeontologist for HM Geological Survey. As a member of the Territorial Army, Anderson was instantly brought into service at the outbreak of 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 ...

and joined the Royal Hampshire Regiment. He was transferred in 1941 to the Zuckerman Research Team looking at the effects of aerial bomb explosions. Termed a “military geologist” he worked alongside

Frederick William Shotton Professor Frederick William Shotton FRS (1906–1990) was a British geologist. He was awarded the Prestwich Medal in 1954. Shotton's research into the geological makeup of Normandy beaches helped allied commanders decide which were the best to u ...

and John Victor Stephens. In 1943 he joined the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

as a Lieutenant Colonel and saw action across Europe. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1947. His proposers were

Talbot Whitehead Talbot Haes Whitehead FRSE FGS (1890–1966) was a 20th-century British geologist. Life He was born in London on 24 May 1890. He studied Sciences at University College, London, graduating BSc in 1912. In 1913, aged only 23, he was elected a ...

, Murray Macgregor,

Arthur Holmes Arthur Holmes (14 January 1890 – 20 September 1965) was an English geologist who made two major contributions to the understanding of geology. He pioneered the use of radiometric dating of minerals, and was the first earth scientist to grasp ...

, David Haldane and

James Ernest Richey James Ernest Richey (24 April 1886 – 19 June 1968) was an Irish-born geologist. Life He was born on 24 April 1886 in Desertcreat in County Tyrone in Ireland, the son of Rev John Richey, rector of the local church. His later education was at ...

. He returned to the British Geological Survey after the war, working with people such as

and

Victor Eyles Dr Victor Ambrose Eyles FRSE FGS (1895–1978) was a British geologist and science historian. He was the founder of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History in 1936. Joan Eyles, his wife, donated the Eyles Collection, their collec ...

. In 1953 he was promoted to Chief Palaeontologist and continued in this role until retiral in 1965. He was married to Katharine Anderson. He died on 2 May 1982.

Publications

Purbeck Beds of the Weald Anderson Bazley 1971 Plate 1

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Frederick William 1905 births 1982 deaths People educated at Leeds City Academy 20th-century British geologists Alumni of the University of Leeds Academics of the University of Southampton Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 20th-century British non-fiction writers British palaeontologists