Michael Terry,

FRGS The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

, FRGSA (3 May 1899 – 1981) was an Australian

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

, surveyor,

prospector Prospector may refer to: Space exploration * Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962 * '' Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft Trains * Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ...

and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

Biography

Terry was born at Gateshead, County Durham,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. During the

First World War 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 ...

he served with No. 2 Squadron of the

RNAS The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

Armoured Cars Armored (or armoured) car or vehicle may refer to: Wheeled armored vehicles * Armoured fighting vehicle, any armed combat vehicle protected by armor ** Armored car (military), a military wheeled armored vehicle * Armored car (valuables), an arm ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

against the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

s, by whom he was captured at

Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...

though subsequently released. He moved to Australia in 1918. Between 1923 and 1935 he led fourteen, mainly

gold prospecting Gold prospecting is the act of searching for new gold deposits. Methods used vary with the type of deposit sought and the resources of the prospector. Although traditionally a commercial activity, in some developed countries placer gold prospe ...

, expeditions through inland Australia; he wrote several books and articles in ''Walkabout'', about his experiences.

Bibliography

* 1925 - ''Across Unknown Australia: a thrilling account of exploration in the Northern Territory of Australia''. Herbert Jenkins: London * 1927 - ''Through a Land of Promise: with gun, car and camera in the heart of Northern Australia''. Herbert Jenkins: London * 1931 - ''Hidden Wealth and Hiding People''. Putnam: London * 1932 - ''Untold Miles: three gold-hunting expeditions amongst the picturesque borderland ranges of Central Australia''. Selwyn & Blount: London * 1937 - ''Sand and Sun: two gold-hunting expeditions with camels in the dry lands of Central Australia''. Michael Joseph: London * 1945 - ''Bulldozer: the war role of the Department of Main Roads, New South Wales''. Frank Johnson: Sydney * 1974 - ''War of the Warramullas''. Rigby: Adelaide. * 1987 - ''The last explorer: the autobiography of Michael Terry, FRGS, FRGSA''. Australian National University Press: Rushcutters Bay, New South Wales.

References

Bright Sparcs biographical entry on Michael Terry
Australian explorers 20th-century Australian non-fiction writers Date of death missing People from Gateshead 1899 births 1981 deaths Place of death missing Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society British emigrants to Australia {{Australia-writer-stub

Biography

Bibliography

See also

References