Kenneth Arthur Steer, (12 November 1913 – 20 February 2007) was a British

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and British Army officer. During World War II, he saw active service in Italy and later served as a Monuments Man in Germany. From 1957 to 1978, he served as Secretary of the

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) was an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government that was "sponsored" inanced and with oversightthrough Historic Scotland, an executive ...

Early life

Steer was born on 12 November 1913 in Rotherham, Yorkshire, England. He was educated at

Wath Grammar School , motto_translation = Look to Better Things , address = Sandygate , city/town = Wath-upon-DearneRotherham , county = South Yorkshire , postcode = S63 7NW , country ...

, a selective state school in Wath-upon-Dearne. He went on to study history at

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

, where he was the president of the Durham Colleges Historical Society in the Epiphany term of 1934. He graduated Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 1935. He stayed at Durham to undertake post-graduate study concerning the archaeology of Roman

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. He was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1938. Excavations as a student included the Roman villa in Rudston, and Hadrian's Wall under Eric Birley and Ian Richmond.

Career

Early career

In 1938, having completed his university education, Steer was appointed to the

as an assistant archaeologist. Within the commission, he initially worked as an investigator looking at ancient monuments in Scotland. He mainly worked in

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...

and the Southern Uplands. In the early part of World War II, he worked as a civil servant with the Scottish Office at

St Andrew's House St. Andrew's House (SAH), on the southern flank of Calton Hill in central Edinburgh, is the headquarters building of the Scottish Government. The building stands on the site of the former Calton Gaol. Today, the turreted Governor's House is a ...

Military service

Steer was called up for military service in 1941 and joined the Royal Artillery as a trooper. On 31 March 1943, he was commissioned into the Intelligence Corps as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. He saw active service in Italy during the Italian Campaign, and took part in the

landings Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or ...

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

and Anzio. From 1943 to 1945, he served as head of the Air Photographic Interpretation Service attached to the 56th Division. Near the end of the war he was transferred to the 5th Infantry Division. In June 1945, when hostilities ceased, he joined the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program. He was posted to the North Rhine Division which was based in Düsseldorf. His duties including directing the basic repairs of historic buildings. One example of this work is Cologne Cathedral that was saved for later restoration.

Later career

Upon returning from Europe, Steer rejoined the

. He worked on the archaeology of

, Selkirkshire and Stirlingshire. He used his experience of using aerial photography for military intelligence, and applied it to his civilian career, discovering many unknown sites. From 1950 to 1955, he worked on the RCAHMS survey of 'marginal lands' in Scotland that were at threat from encroaching agricultural development. In 1957, he was appointed Secretary, the Chief executive, of the RCAHMS. He gave the Horsley Lecture of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1964 and the Rhind Lecture for the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1968. He served as President of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland between 1972 and 1975.

Honours and decorations

In April 1946, he was

Mentioned in Dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

'in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in North-West Europe'. For his service during World War II, he received the following campaign medals; the

1939–1945 Star The 1939–1945 Star is a military campaign medal instituted by the United Kingdom on 8 July 1943 for award to British and Commonwealth forces for service in the Second World War. Two clasps were instituted to be worn on the medal ribbon, Battl ...

, the Italy Star, the France and Germany Star, and the War Medal 1939–1945. In the 1978 New Year Honours, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of his service as Secretary of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. He was an elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA) and of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (FSA Scot).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steer, Kenneth 1913 births 2007 deaths Military personnel from South Yorkshire People from Rotherham Royal Artillery soldiers Intelligence Corps officers Monuments men Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Wath Academy Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Alumni of St Chad's College, Durham 20th-century British archaeologists British Army personnel of World War II