Raymond Keiller Butchart FRSE (1888–1930) was a short-lived Scottish mathematician. He served for two years as Professor of Mathematics at the illustrious

Raffles College The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

. He lost a leg in the First World War.

Life

He was born in Dundee in Scotland on 4 May 1888, the only son of Margaret and Robert K Butchart. His father was a manager in a local jute spinning mill. He attended

Morgan Academy Morgan Academy is a Secondary School in the Stobswell area of Dundee, Scotland. History The building was designed in 1862 by the Edinburgh architects John Dick Peddie and Charles Kinnear, opening in 1866 as the Morgan Hospital, a charitable in ...

and the

High School of Dundee The High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in Dundee, Scotland, which provides nursery, primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils. Its foundation has been dated to 1239, and it is the only priv ...

before receiving a place at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

where he received a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1913. During this time he studied at University College, Dundee, now the

University of Dundee , mottoeng = "My soul doth magnify the Lord" , established = 1967 – gained independent university status by Royal Charter1897 – Constituent college of the University of St Andrews1881 – University College , ...

, which was then a college of the university in St Andrews. After graduating he worked as a student assistant in the Mathematics department of University College, Dundee until December 1914. He then gave up a position in Wilson College in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

to instead serve his country. He received a commission as a lieutenant in the 14th battalion Royal Scots on 24 December 1915. After training at Stobs in the Scottish borders he got a position as brigade signals officer. He left for France and Flanders in the summer of 1915. He rose to the rank of captain. He was seriously wounded and lost a leg. He was not discharged from the army until 1920. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in February 1915 (shortly before being sent to France). His proposers included

D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson Sir D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson CB FRS FRSE (2 May 1860 – 21 June 1948) was a Scottish biologist, mathematician and classics scholar. He was a pioneer of mathematical and theoretical biology Mathematical and theoretical biology, or biomat ...

. In July 1921 the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

awarded him a PhD and gave him the new title of lecturer in mathematics. From 1928 to 1930 he was professor of mathematics at

and apparently very much enjoyed the climate there. He left Singapore with his wife on 24 March 1930, for their first return trip to Scotland. He died of malaria, which materialised soon after boarding ship. He died in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

. He was buried at sea, 65 miles south-east of

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...

on the same day, 30 March 1930.

Family

He married Jean Ainslie Broome in 1921.

Publications

*''The Dissipation of Energy in Simple and Multiple Wires'' (1921)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butchart, Raymond Keiller 1888 births 1930 deaths People from Dundee Scottish mathematicians Scottish amputees 20th-century Scottish mathematicians British Army personnel of World War I Deaths from malaria Burials at sea People educated at Morgan Academy People educated at the High School of Dundee Alumni of the University of St Andrews Alumni of the University of Dundee Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Academic staff of the National University of Singapore Academics of the University of St Andrews British scientists with disabilities