Major Stanley Smyth Flower
FLS FZS (1 August 1871 – 3 February 1946) was an English army officer, science advisor, administrator, zoologist and conservationist.
Early years
Second son of
Sir William Henry Flower FRS and his wife Georgiana Rosetta, daughter of
Admiral William Henry Smyth FRS, he was born on 1 August 1871 in the
Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons
The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. The ...
of which his father was then Curator, and was baptised in
St Cross Church, Oxford on 3 September 1871. Among his first cousins were Sir
Archibald Dennis Flower
Sir Archibald Dennis Flower (31 October 1865 – 23 November 1950) was an English public servant who was Chairman of the Trustees and Guardians of Shakespeare's birthplace and of the Council of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre.
Early life
Flow ...
, head of the family brewery, the soldier
Nevill Smyth
Major General Sir Nevill Maskelyne Smyth, (14 August 1868 – 21 July 1941) was a senior officer in the British Army and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British a ...
VC, and
Robert Baden-Powell
Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the worl ...
, founder of the Boy Scout movement. Taking an early interest in natural history, from the age of eleven he regularly went to meetings of the
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park.
History
On 29 ...
with his father. After attending
Wellington College, Berkshire
Wellington College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in the village of Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. Wellington is a registered charity and currently educates roughly 1,200 pupils, between the ages of 13 and ...
, he studied at
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
and joined the
Artists' Rifles. In 1890 he joined the
Northumberland Fusiliers
The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution an ...
, where he received a regular commission as
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 ...
on 23 April 1893, and was promoted to
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
on 19 December 1893. With his regiment he went to
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and the
Straits Settlements
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...
, where he studied the fauna.
Scientific career
In 1896 the government of
Siam
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...
was looking for a scientific advisor to manage the collections in the
Royal Museum
The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum (opened in ...
and he was awarded the post. Given leave by the British Army, he married his fiancée and the two set off for
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
. While there, they were able to make several trips in Siam and the
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...
to study the vertebrate fauna. A snake he collected there was named ''
Typhlops floweri'' after him by
George Albert Boulenger
George Albert Boulenger (19 October 1858 – 23 November 1937) was a Belgian-British zoologist who described and gave scientific names to over 2,000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Boulenger was also an active botani ...
.
In 1898 the government of
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
under
Lord Cromer
Earl of Cromer is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, held by members of the Baring family, of German descent. It was created for Evelyn Baring, 1st Viscount Cromer, long time British Consul-General in Egypt. He had already been cr ...
wanted to appoint a Director of
the Zoological Gardens at Giza and he gained the post, which he held until his retirement.
![Giza Zoo by Hatem Moushir 27](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Giza_Zoo_by_Hatem_Moushir_27.JPG)
While still on leave from his regiment, he was promoted
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
on 17 February 1900.
In 1913
Field-Marshal Lord Kitchener sent him to India to report on the collections of wild animals held in captivity there. In a letter from Egypt that year,
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
wrote that Flower was ''"one of the most interesting men I have ever met"''.
While in Egypt, he organised the Zoological Museum in a building in Giza Zoo, started the Fish Garden with aquarium on
Gezira Island
Gezira is an island in the Nile, in central Cairo, Egypt. The southern portion of the island contains the Gezira district, and the northern third contains the Zamalek district.
Gezira is west of downtown Cairo and Tahrir Square, connected acr ...
, and was appointed Ranger of Central Africa.
![Zoological Museum in Giza Zoo by Hatem Moushir 41](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Zoological_Museum_in_Giza_Zoo_by_Hatem_Moushir_41.JPG)
As well as establishing and enforcing game laws in Egypt and Sudan, he was active both in identification of unknown species and conservation of known species at risk. To him is ascribed the preservation of the
egret
Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...
, threatened with extinction for its plumes, that was protected by law in Egypt from 1912.
First World War and aftermath
Recalled to the British Army on 5 November 1914, his knowledge of Egypt and its animals was used to set up and run the
Egyptian Camel Transport Corps
The Egyptian Camel Transport Corps (known as the CTC, Camel Corps or Camel Transport) were a group of Egyptian camel drivers who supported the British Army in Egypt during the First World War's Sinai and Palestine Campaign. The work done by the 17 ...
, a logistical unit which carried much of the supplies needed by the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
forces fighting the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
in the
Sinai and Palestine Campaign.
Once the Turks were beaten at the end of 1918, the Egyptians rose against British rule in the
Egyptian Revolution of 1919
The Egyptian Revolution of 1919 ( ''Thawra 1919'') was a countrywide revolution against the British occupation of Egypt and Sudan. It was carried out by Egyptians from different walks of life in the wake of the British-ordered exile of the r ...
. Acting as Inspector of the Interior and as Political Officer, he maintained order in
Giza
Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah'' arz, الجيزة ' ) is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Kinshasa, Lagos and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governorate with a total population of 9.2 ...
and for his role in this conflict was appointed an
OBE.
Later years
In April 1924, his health impaired, he resigned his post and with his wife returned to England to settle near
Tring
Tring is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Dacorum, Hertfordshire, England. It is situated in a gap passing through the Chiltern Hills, classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, from Central London. Tring is linked to ...
, where he could pursue his studies at the
Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
. During his retirement, he visited many zoos around the world and wrote many papers on mammals, birds, reptiles, fishes and amphibians of Egypt as well as on animal longevity. He was vice-president of the Zoological Society of London from 1927 to 1929 and chair of the
British Ornithologists' Club
The British Ornithologists' Club (BOC) aims to promote discussion between members and others interested in ornithology, and to facilitate the dissemination of scientific information concerned with ornithology. The BOC has a special interest in avi ...
from 1930 to 1933.
Family
On 30 September 1896 at
Worplesdon
Worplesdon is a village NNW of Guildford in Surrey, England and a large dispersed civil parish that includes the settlements of: Worplesdon itself (including its central church area, Perry Hill), Fairlands, Jacobs Well, Rydeshill and Wood S ...
in Surrey he married Sibylla Maria Peckham Wallace, known as Sybil (1876–1938), the elder daughter of Charles William Napier Wallace (1849–1910), a grandson of General
Peter Margetson Wallace
Peter Margetson Wallace (1780–1864) was a career soldier in the British Army who rose to be Colonel-Commandant of the Royal Artillery and a full General.
Early life
Born in Nottinghamshire, Peter Margetson Wallace was the second son of Peter ...
, and his first wife Frances Henrietta Peckham (1847–1893), a granddaughter of Bishop
Robert James Carr
Robert James Carr (1774–1841) was an English churchman, Bishop of Chichester in 1824 and Bishop of Worcester in 1831.
Early life
Born 9 May 1774 and christened 9 June at Feltham
Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Char ...
.
They had four children -
* Rosalie Sybil, b. 20 JUL 1897 in Thailand; m. William Llewellyn Aplin Harrison (two daughters);, 15 April 1918; d. 1982
* William Stanley, b. 23 NOV 1902
* Henry Stanley, b. 10 AUG 1904; m. with three daughters
* Lillian Stanley (known as Lilla), b. 3 SEP 1906 in Giza Zoo, Cairo; m. Edward Charles O'Maley Bethune (two sons and two daughters); d. 15 JUL 1992 in Oxford
After the death of his first wife, on 4 May 1939 he married Charlotte Dorothea Rose Stewart (1889–1981). He died at Tring on 3 February 1946, was buried in the town cemetery, and his will was proved at Oxford on 6 June 1946.
[Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England. London, England Crown copyright]
Selected publications
*
*
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flower, Stanley Smyth
1871 births
1946 deaths
People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire
Alumni of King's College London
British Army personnel of World War I
British zoologists
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers officers
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
English expatriates in Thailand
Fellows of the Linnean Society of London
Fellows of the Zoological Society of London