Sir Thomas Weston Johns Taylor, (2 October 1895 – 29 August 1953) was an English chemist, academic, and

university administrator Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities. Some ty ...

. He was the first Principal of the

University College of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

, serving from 1946 to 1952, and then Principal of the

University College of the South West of England , mottoeng = "We Follow the Light" , established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter) , type = Public , ...

(later Exeter University) from 1952 until his death in 1953. He had previously been a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of Brasenose College, Oxford (1920–1946) and a lecturer in

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J.; ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

(1927–1946). He saw active service in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during both World Wars.

Early life and education

Taylor was born on 2 October 1895 in

Little Ilford Little Ilford is a district of London, England in the London Borough of Newham and the name of a ward in that borough. Little Ilford is now usually referred to as Manor Park.'Little Ilford', in A History of the County of Essex: Volume 6, ed. W ...

, Essex, England. He was educated at the

City of London School , established = , closed = , type = Public school Boys' independent day school , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Alan Bird , chair_label = Chair of Governors , chair = Ian Seaton , founder = John Carpenter , special ...

, an all-boys independent school in London. Having received a scholarship, he studied chemistry at Brasenose College, Oxford. His university studies were interrupted by military service 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 returned to Oxford after the war, and graduated with a first class Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1920. He was later awarded a

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

(DSc) degree by the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

Military service

First World War

On 20 April 1915, having trained with the

Officers Training Corps The Officers' Training Corps (OTC), more fully called the University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), are military leadership training units operated by the British Army. Their focus is to develop the leadership abilities of their members whilst ...

, Taylor was commissioned into the

Essex Regiment The Essex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment served in many conflicts such as the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II, serving with distinction in all three. ...

as a second lieutenant (on probation). He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, Essex Regiment. His commission and rank were confirmed in September 1915. He saw active service on the Western Front in France, and also at Gallipoli. He was wounded twice at Gallipoli.

Second World War

When the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

broke out, Taylor returned to the

, and was commissioned as a

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 ...

on 14 January 1940. On 12 January 1941, he was assigned to the Royal Engineers and promoted to

war substantive Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

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 ...

. He served in its chemical warfare branch, and was posted to the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

until 1943. While a temporary major, he was mentioned in despatches "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East during the period November 1941 to April 1942". In 1943, Taylor moved to the United States where he had been appointed Director of the British Central Scientific Office (BCSO) in Washington, DC. The role of the BCSO was to undertake varied scientific research in relation to the war, and to cooperate with American scientists. He undertook research as varied as insecticides, paper parachutes, and shark repellents. Then, from 1944 to the end of the war, he was assigned to

South East Asia Command South East Asia Command (SEAC) was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during the Second World War. History Organisation The initial supreme commander of the theatre was General Sir A ...

as Head of the Operational Research Division.

Academic career

In 1920, Taylor was elected a

of Brasenose College, Oxford; his ''alma mater''. In 1927, he was additionally appointed a lecturer in

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. As a researcher he specialised in stereochemistry, but his made his name as an excellent teacher. He was a demonstrator in organic chemistry at the

Dyson Perrins Laboratory The Dyson Perrins Laboratory is in the science area of the University of Oxford and was the main centre for research into organic chemistry of the University from its foundation in 1916 until its closure as a research laboratory in 2003. Until 2 ...

. Among his students at Brasenose College was

William Golding Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel ''Lord of the Flies'' (1954), he published another twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 1980 ...

, who would move from studying science to literature and later won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Among those he supervised at Dyson Perrins Laboratory was Rosemary Murray; later Dame Rosemary and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Following the end of the Second World War, Taylor moved into

academic administration Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities. Some t ...

: he had learnt during the war that he was a very capable administrator. In 1946, he was selected as the first Principal of the

in Jamaica. His duties involved building up the university college, establishing it in a difficult political climate, and solidifying its finances. He was successful, and was knighted for his efforts in 1952. He left the Caribbean to return to England, where he had been appointed Principal of the

(later to become the University of Exeter) in July 1952.

Personal life

In 1922, Taylor married Rosamund Georgina Lloyd. They had no children. On 29 August 1953, Taylor died suddenly while on holiday in Italy: he was 57 years old.

Honours

On 23 May 1946, Taylor was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) "for services to the forces". In the 1952 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

, and therefore granted the title ''sir'', in recognition of his work as Principal of the University College of the West Indies. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II during a service at Buckingham Palace on 8 July 1952.

Selected works

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Thomas 1895 births 1953 deaths Military personnel from Essex English chemists Organic chemists Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford Principals of the University College of the South West of England Heads of the University of the West Indies Essex Regiment officers British Army personnel of World War I Royal Engineers officers British Army personnel of World War II Knights Bachelor Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People from Essex (before 1965) People educated at the City of London School Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Officers' Training Corps officers