Herbert John Fleure, (6 June 1877 – 1 July 1969) was a British

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

and

geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...

. He was secretary of the

Geographical Association The Geographical Association (GA) is an association in the United Kingdom. The organisation aims to improve geographical knowledge of the public through promoting geographical education. It is a registered charity and is independent of state aid ...

, editor of ''Geography'', and president of the

Cambrian Archaeological Association The Cambrian Archaeological Association ( cy, Cymdeithas Hynafiaethau Cymru) was founded in 1846 to examine, preserve and illustrate the ancient monuments and remains of the history, language, manners, customs, arts and industries of Wales and the ...

(1924–25),

Royal Anthropological Institute The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (RAI) is a long-established anthropological organisation, and Learned Society, with a global membership. Its remit includes all the component fields of anthropology, such as biolo ...

(1945–47) and

(1948–49).

Early years

Fleure was born 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 ...

on 6 June 1877, the son of Jean Fleure and Marie Le Rougetel. He often astonished friends and relatives in the mid-twentieth century by recounting how his father had been taken to visit the battlefield of Waterloo shortly after the battle (his father was born in 1803 and died in 1889). In 1897, he attended the

University of Wales, Aberystwyth , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

, where he founded the

Student Representative Council {{Unreferenced, date=July 2014A students' representative council, also known as a students' administrative council, represents student interests in the government of a university, school or other educational institution. Generally the SRC forms par ...

. He graduated

B.Sc. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

with first-class honours in late 1901 and was offered a University Fellowship. He went on to study at the Zoological Institute in Zurich, Switzerland.

Career

Returning to Wales, Fleure became head of the Department of Zoology at

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

in 1908. He assisted Professor

Patrick Geddes Sir Patrick Geddes (2 October 1854 – 17 April 1932) was a British biologist, sociologist, Comtean positivist, geographer, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning ...

with the mounting of the Cities and Town Planning Exhibition in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in August 1914. From 1914 to 1920 he was president of

Aberystwyth Old Students' Association Aberystwyth Old Students' Association ( cy, Cymdeithas y Cyn-Fyfyrwyr Aberystwyth), founded in 1892, is Aberystwyth University's alumni association and is one of the oldest such associations in the United Kingdom. It currently has more than 9,50 ...

. In 1917, he became Professor of Anthropology and Geography at the university, holding the post until 1930, when he became professor of geography at Victoria University,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. He was made a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 1936. Following his retirement in 1944, he was president of the

from 1945 to 1947. He was a founder member of the

Guernsey Society The Guernsey Society is an organisation for people with an interest in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Society aims The Guernsey Society aims are to promote, maintain and stimulate interest in all matters concerning the Bailiwick of Guernsey, its past, ...

, which was established in 1943 to represent the interests of the Nazi-occupied island to the British Authorities. After the war, he was a regular contributor to ''The Quarterly Review'', as well as to ''The Guernsey Farmhouse'', a book published by the Society in 1964 celebrating the ancient family houses in the island. He also authored biographies of several scientists including

Arthur Robert Hinks Arthur Robert Hinks, CBE, FRS (26 May 1873 – 14 April 1945) was a British astronomer and geographer. As an astronomer, he is best known for his work in determining the distance from the Sun to the Earth (the astronomical unit) from 1900 to ...

Alfred Cort Haddon Alfred Cort Haddon, Sc.D., FRS, FRGS FRAI (24 May 1855 – 20 April 1940, Cambridge) was an influential British anthropologist and ethnologist. Initially a biologist, who achieved his most notable fieldwork, with W.H.R. Rivers, C.G. Seligma ...

James George Frazer Sir James George Frazer (; 1 January 1854 – 7 May 1941) was a Scottish social anthropologist and folklorist influential in the early stages of the modern studies of mythology and comparative religion. Personal life He was born on 1 Janua ...

and

Emmanuel de Margerie Emmanuel Marie Pierre Martin Jacquin de Margerie ForMemRS (11 November 1862 – 20 December 1953) was a French geographer after whom the Margerie Glacier was named, which he visited in 1913. Awards and honours Margerie was awarded the Cullum Geog ...

From 1927 through 1956 he was the co-author of the ten volumes of ''The Corridors of Time'' by Harold John Edward Peake.

Personal life

In 1910 Fleure married Hilda Mary Bishop in

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, no ...

; they had one son and one daughter. Hilda (1885-1974) survived her husband by five years.

Honours

He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the

American Geographical Society The American Geographical Society (AGS) is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the ...

in 1930, and its Daly Medal in 1939. He received the Victoria Medal of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

in 1946.

Works

*''Human Geography in Western Europe'' (1918) *''The Peoples of Europe'' (1922) *''Races of England and Wales'' (1923) *''French Life and its Problems'' (1942) *''A Natural History of Man in Britain'' (1951; revised edition 1969) (

New Naturalist The New Naturalist Library (also known as ''The New Naturalists'') is a series of books published by Collins in the United Kingdom, on a variety of natural history topics relevant to the British Isles. The aim of the series at the start was: "To ...

series) * ''The Guernsey Farmhouse'' (1964)

References

Bibliography

*Bowen, E. G. "Professor H. J. Fleure on his 80th birthday: an appreciation of his contributions to Geography", in: ''Geog.''; 42, 1957
Archives Network Wales - short biography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleure, H. J. 1877 births 1969 deaths British geographers British zoologists Guernsey people Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland Alumni of Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth Old Students' Association New Naturalist writers Presidents of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland Victoria Medal recipients Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society Presidents of the Folklore Society