Lieutenant-Colonel William Byam (19 August 1882 – 25 October 1963)"BYAM, William." ''Who Was Who''. Online edition. A & C Black, Oxford University Press, 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014. was a British
Harley Street
Harley Street is a street in Marylebone, Central London, which has, since the 19th century housed a large number of private specialists in medicine and surgery. It was named after Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.< ...
physician whose home in
Guernsey
Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.
It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
Byam was the son of Emily nee Bean and Major General William Byam who were married in
Aden
Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
. William Byam junior was educated at
Wellington College Wellington College may refer to:
*Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England
** Wellington College International Shanghai
** Wellington College International Tianjin
*Wellington College, Wellington, New Z ...
, Berkshire, and studied medicine at
St George's Hospital
St George's Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Tooting, London. Founded in 1733, it is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals and one of the largest hospitals in Europe. It is run by the St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundatio ...
, London.
Royal Army Medical Corps
Byam entered the
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...
in 1904 and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel.
He served in the Egyptian Army, 1908–16, including South East Sudan in 1912, for which he was awarded the Order 4th class Medjedieh. He was a member of the British Red Cross Unit to Bulgaria in 1912 for which he was awarded the Order 4th class St Alexander of Bulgaria, and the
New Zealand Expeditionary Force
The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...
, 1914–16, for which he was awarded the Order 3rd class Nile.
In his autobiography, ''The Road to Harley Street'' (1963), Byam described his army service during the First World War and his research into trench fever, conducted at the Hampstead Heart Hospital. Trench fever was a major cause of illness amongst soldiers during the war and the method of transmission was uncertain. Byam contributed a chapter on the condition to Lloyd's ''Lice and their Menace to Man'' (London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1919).
Byam developed a deep interest in Egypt during his service there, later even decorating a room in his Harley Street house in an Arab style. He donated the contents of that room, complete with hand-painted ceiling and wood panelling, to the Egyptian Embassy in London.
Philately
Byam took up philately in 1923 as a method of relaxation from his stressful medical practice and joined the Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) in 1924."Dr. William Byam, O.B.E.", J.H.E.G., '' The London Philatelist'', Vol. 72, No. 852, December 1963, pp. 207-208. He decided to specialise in the
philately of Egypt
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...
Association of British Philatelic Societies
The Association of British Philatelic Societies, commonly known as the ''ABPS'', is the British national association of philatelic societies, regional philatelic federations, and specialist philatelic societies.Archived here. /ref> The Egypt circle was the first philatelic study circle to be established anywhere in the world and following a paper given to the 1938
Philatelic Congress of Great Britain
The Philatelic Congress of Great Britain is a national congress held each year by the Association of British Philatelic Societies (ABPS).
History
The first Congress was held in 1909 in conjunction with a stamp exhibition at Hulme Town Hall in ...
titled "Organisation of a Study Circle", many other collectors were inspired to establish study circles in their own areas of specialism.
During the Second World War, Byam's home in Guernsey was requisitioned for the use of German officers, and all his philatelic trophies and medals were stolen. They were never recovered. Fortunately, Byam's stamp collection remained in England and was safe. It was sold by auction in 1961.
Philatelic honours
Byam received many philatelic honours. In 1931 the RPSL awarded him the Tapling Medal for his research into the
postage due
Postage due is the term used for mail sent with insufficient postage. A postage due stamp is a stamp added to an underpaid piece of mail to indicate the extra postage due.
Background
While the problem of what to do about letters not paying the ...
stamps of Egypt and in 1956 the
Tilleard Medal
:::''See also'' Crawford Award for fantasy novels.
:::''See also'' Max Crawford Medal Australian academic award.
The Crawford Medal is a vermeil medal awarded by the Royal Philatelic Society London for the most valuable and original contribution ...
for his display of the 1872–75 postage stamps of that country. He also won nine gold medals at international philatelic exhibitions.
Byam was the first foreigner to be appointed a "Member of Honour" by the ''Societe Philatelique d'Egypte''. He was a fellow of the Society of Postal Historians and president of the Oriental Philatelic Association of London.
Death
Byam died 25 October 1963. He was survived by his wife and two of his daughters.
Selected publications
*''Trench Fever, a louse-borne disease. With … a Summary of the Report of the American Trench Fever Commission by Lieut. R.H. Vercoe''. Henry Frowde;
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint (trade name), imprint of Hachette (publisher), Hachette.
History
Early history
The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs ...
, London, 1919.
*''Practice of medicine in the tropics, by many authorities...''. (Editor with Robert George Archibald) (Three volumes)
*''Dr Byam in Harley Street: An autobiography.'' Bles, London, 1962.
*''The Road to Harley Street.'' Bles, London, 1963.