Colonel Sir Henry George Lyons FRS (11 October 1864 – 10 August 1944) was a British geologist and director of the Science Museum in London. Henry Lyons was born in London, the son of General Thomas Lyons. Lyons was educated at Wellington College and the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Sig ...

and at the age of 18 was elected to the

Geological Society The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

. In 1884, he was commissioned a Lieutenant in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

. He was posted to Cairo in 1890. In 1892 he cleared and surveyed several Ancient Egyptian temples at Buhen. From 1909-1911 he was the first head of the department of geology at the University of Glasgow. In 1896, he married Helen Hardwick, a daughter of the London architect Philip Charles Hardwick (1822–1892). In 1920, with the retiring rank of colonel, Lyons became Director of the Science Museum, and was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1926. He introduced working models, exhibited new developments such as the aeroplane, cinema, radio, and gramophone. He also contributed the children's gallery. He served as President of the Geographical Association in 1929. He died at Great Missenden, aged 79.

Publications

"Magnetic Observations in Egypt, 1893—1901"
in Proceedings of the Royal Society, vol. 71, 1902-03.
"On the Relation between Variations of Atmospheric Pressure in North-East Africa and the Nile Flood"
in ''Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences'', vol. 76, no. 507, April 22, 1905.
''The Physiography of the River Nile and its Basin''
(Cairo: National Printing Department, 1906).
''A Report on the Temples of Philae''
(Cairo: National Printing Department, 1908).
''The Cadastral Survey of Egypt, 1892-1907''
(Cairo: National Printing Department, 1908).
"The Importance of Geographical Research"
in ''Science'', N.S. vol. xlii, no. 1087, October 29, 1915.
"Science in Egypt"
in ''Nature'', vol. 110, no. 2756, August 26, 1922.

References

External links

Website in memory of the Hardwicks
Sir Henry Lyons wife's family 1864 births 1944 deaths Military personnel from London British colonels British curators Businesspeople from London Directors of the Science Museum, London Fellows of the Royal Society Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Knights Bachelor People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire Presidents of the Institute of Physics Presidents of the Royal Meteorological Society Royal Engineers officers British geologists Victoria Medal recipients {{UK-scientist-stub