Harry Morrey Salmon CBE MC DL (1892 – May 1985) was a Welsh naturalist famed for his work in his own country and for his bird photography.

Career

He started his career as a photographer in 1909, joined the

Cardiff Naturalists' Society The Cardiff Naturalists' Society is a natural history and historical society based in Cardiff, Wales. The Cardiff Naturalists' Society was founded in 1867 to promote the study of natural history, geology, and the natural sciences, taking in archae ...

in 1910, and had become a published author by 1914. He was hailed as the "Welsh ornithologist of the century" and as "the father of British bird photography." His photographic career started in 1908. He was the first to record the nocturnal activities of

Manx Shearwater The Manx shearwater (''Puffinus puffinus'') is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. The scientific name of this species records a name shift: Manx shearwaters were called Manks puffins in the 17th century. Puffin is an ...

on the

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

Islands and in 1924 he achieved another first by using his skill with a camera in choppy seas to obtain a census of the large colonies of Gannet on

Grassholm Grassholm ( cy, Gwales or ) or Grassholm Island is a small uninhabited island situated off the southwestern Pembrokeshire coast in Wales, lying west of Skomer, in the community of Marloes and St Brides. It is the westernmost point in Wales ot ...

. These memorable early photographs were used as illustrations in Birds in Britain Today which he and Geoffrey Ingram published in 1934. He was also a notable conservationist and in 1961 was responsible for the first proposal that the island of Flat Holm in the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...

should become a nature reserve, and in 1975 it was so designated. He was a key figure in the conservation of the Red Kite in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

He had a distinguished military career in the

British army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

rising to the rank of captain in

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 ...

and to that of colonel in

World War II 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 opposin ...

. He received the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

and bar and was appointed a

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 ...

(CBE) in recognition of his distinguished contribution to operations in the Mediterranean from November 1942 until May 1945. He served as the treasurer of the National Museum of Wales from 1962 until 1982. He is buried in a family plot at St Mary's Church, Whitchurch in Cardiff.

References

External links

Biography

Biographical notes
20th-century Welsh photographers Welsh naturalists 1892 births 1985 deaths 20th-century British zoologists 20th-century naturalists Welsh ornithologists British Army officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II {{Wales-artist-stub