Abstract
ON April 30, Vice-Admiral Sir John Edgell retired from the post of Hydrographer of the Navy which he had held since 1932. Sir John has seen fifty-one years of service in the Navy, and had been in the Surveying Service for forty-three years. He held the post of hydrographer for longer than any other officer since Admiral Wharton (1884–1904) and had in fact done so for more than twice as long as any of his predecessors in the post save one. The work of the Surveying Service under Sir John in the major operations has been commented on again and again during the War, most notably perhaps by the late Admiral Ramsay in a report on the invaluable help given in the preparation for and the consummation of D day. But here it is more appropriate to refer to his interests in marine science generally. Sir John was elected F.R.S. in 1943, and was the first Hydrographer of the Navy to receive that high distinction since Sir Mostyn Field (1904–9). He has served as a member of the Port of London Authority since July 1941, and has now (it is understood) become acting conservator of the River Mersey. Shortly after he was appointed Hydrographer of the Navy, he became chairman of the Sub-Committee for Physical Oceanography of the National Committee for Geodesy and Geophysics, a position he still holds. It is well known that the "Discovery" Committee has, since its early days, had exceptionally valuable assistance from the Hydrographer of the Navy in the planning and running of its fine expeditions to high southern latitudes, and since Sir John succeeded Admiral Douglas on the Committee, his help has been very greatly valued.
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Hydrographer of the Navy: Retirement of Vice-Admiral Sir John Edgell, K.B.E., C.B., F.R.S. Nature 155, 628 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1038/155628a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/155628a0