Sir Gilbert Edward Archey (4 August 1890 – 20 October 1974) was a New Zealand

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

ethnologist Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology) ...

World War I 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 ...

officer, and museum director. He wrote one of the major works on the moa, based on his own field work and collection. He also published numerous articles and described many new animal species.

Early life and education

Archey was born to Thomas Archey and Sarah Triffitt in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, England in 1890, and emigrated to New Zealand with his parents, at age two. He graduated from Canterbury University College, Christchurch, with the degree of M.A. with honours in

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

in 1913.

Career

After a period teaching at Nelson College, Archey was Assistant Curator of the Canterbury Museum from 1914 to 1923, where he studied and published papers on numerous New Zealand fauna. He particularly worked on New Zealand moa,

Dinornithiformes Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. The term has also come to be used for chicken in many Polynesian cultures and is found in the names of many chicken recipes, such as Kale moa and Moa Samoa. Moa or MOA may also refer ...

, extinct macroflauna birds. He was then appointed Director of the

Auckland Institute and Museum Auckland Institute and Museum, known as Auckland Museum Institute since 1996 and the Royal Society of New Zealand Auckland Branch, is a learned society in New Zealand. History Formed as the Auckland Philosophical Society on 6 November 1867, for ...

in 1924, and was personally responsible for getting funding from the

Carnegie Corporation of New York The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...

in 1935. In the First World War, he served in the New Zealand Field Artillery, rising to the rank of captain. In the Second World War he was attached to the British Military Administration in

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He was on the New Zealand University Grants Committee, 1948–51, 1954–60, and on the Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand, being president from 1941 to 1942. He was a member of the Maori Purposes Fund Board, the Waitangi National Trust Board, and the Auckland branch of the Royal Society, and the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council. He retired from the Auckland Museum early in 1964. His publications, apart from contributions to learned journals, include ''The Moa, a Study of the Dinornithiformes'' (1941), ''South Sea Folk'' (1937 and 1949); ''Sculpture and Design, an Outline of Maori Art'' (1955); and ''Whaowhia: Maori art and its artists'' (1977).

Honours

He was appointed an

Officer 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 ...

in 1919, for services in connection with military operations in France and Flanders, and promoted to

Commander 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 ...

in the 1958 Queen's Birthday Honours. In 1935, he was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver J ...

, and in 1953 he received the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du couronnement de la Reine Élizabeth II) is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded a ...

. He was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

in the 1963 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Archey, Gilbert Edward 1890 births 1974 deaths British emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand ethnologists 20th-century New Zealand zoologists University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Presidents of the Royal Society of New Zealand New Zealand military personnel of World War I Nelson College faculty New Zealand Army officers New Zealand Knights Bachelor Directors of the Auckland War Memorial Museum People associated with the Auckland War Memorial Museum People from York New Zealand naturalists