Dr Thomas Matthew Finlay
FRSE EGS (17 September 1879–31 January 1954) was a Scottish geologist and palaeontologist.
Life
He was born at Sotrigarth in
Sandwick, Shetland on 17 September 1879, the son of Frederick Souis Finlay (1852–1918) and his wife Mary Bruce Smith (1857–1937). The 1891 census indicates he lived with his maternal grandfather, Robert Smith, still in Sotrigarth at that time.
He was sent to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
in 1900/1901 and lodged in a tenement at 99 Montgomery Street at the top of
Leith Walk
Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the main road connecting the centre of the city to Leith. Forming most of the A900 road, it slopes downwards from Picardy Place at the south-western end of the street to th ...
.
[ Here he attended the ]University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
graduating with an MA in 1902. He then travelled to South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
where he taught in the Natal
NATAL or Natal may refer to:
Places
* Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil
* Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa
** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843)
** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...
1903 to 1910, before returning to the University of Edinburgh as a lecturer in botany
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
.[
In 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 as an officer in the Scottish Horse
The Scottish Horse was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army's Territorial Army raised in 1900 for service in the Second Boer War. It saw heavy fighting in both the First World War, as the 13th Battalion, Black Watch, and in the Second World Wa ...
, being promoted from lance corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...
to second lieutenant in 1915,he was wounded in action in October 1918 at Ledeghem and when discharged he was a captain. On his return to Edinburgh he began lecturing in palaeontology. He gained a Doctor of Science (DSc) in geology from the University of Edinburgh in 1924. In 1927 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Thomas James Jehu, Robert Campbell, John Horne
John Horne PRSE FRS FRSE FEGS LLD (1 January 1848 – 30 May 1928) was a Scottish geologist. He served as President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh from 1915 to 1919.
Life
Horne was born on 1 January 1848, in Campsie, Stirlingshire, the ...
and Murray Macgregor.
In 1954 he co-wrote the guidebook ''The complete Scotland : a comprehensive survey, based on the principal motor, walking, railway, and steamer routes'' with the historian J.D. Mackie, Finlay writing the sections on geology and scenery.
He died at home in Chalmers Crescent in Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
on 31 January 1954.[
]
Family
He married Flora Rowan (1879–1949) in Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 189 ...
in 1914. They had three children: Frederick Henry Rowan Finlay (1915–1973); Margaret Haddow Finlay (1917–1958); and Robert Finlay (1923–1979).[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finlay, Thomas Matthew
1879 births
1954 deaths
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Scottish geologists
Scottish non-fiction writers
People from Shetland