Desmond Thomas Donovan was born on 16th June 1921 in Cheam, Surrey. He attended Epsom College, during which time he assembled a varied collection of natural history artefacts. Among these, rocks, minerals and fossils came to predominate - including his first, a battered Echinocorys sea urchin found in his parents’ garden.
After graduating from the University of Bristol in 1942, he was obliged, along with most science graduates that year, to join the army, becoming 2nd Lieutenant Donovan in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). After demobilisation in 1946, Desmond returned to Bristol, completing a PhD in 1951 on ‘The Ammonites of the Blue Lias of the Bristol District’.
In the 1950s, Desmond devoted much energy to fieldwork, mapping Bathonian Fullers Earth of the Cotswold Hills with W. J. Arkell, providing consultancy services on water supply of the area and contributing to publications such as Geology of the Bristol District (BAAS, 1956) and Pevsner’s ‘Buildings of England’. Having written the geology introduction to the Somerset volume published in 1958, Desmond must have been unique in having also written the geological notes for the revised 2nd edition in 2014, 56 years later.
At Bristol, Desmond met Lou Saward, also a geologist, who later became his wife. In 1962 he was appointed Professor of Geology at Hull University, during which time he worked on a major project mapping the floor of the North Sea. From 1966 to 1982 he held the Yates-Goldsmid Chair at UCL, overseeing the department and supervising several PhD studentships. Desmond retired from UCL in 1982 and spent three years as honorary curator at the Wells and Mendip Museum in Somerset.
Desmond saw retirement as an opportunity to return to his beloved research, and he was active in geology and palaeontology until the end of his life, publishing on many topics. He also indulged his passions for church and cathedral architecture and archaeology, and music. He renewed his assistance to Wells museum, helping to rationalise the geology collection and redesign the displays of local geology - work sadly not completed.
Desmond was a longstanding member of the University of Bristol Speleological Society and many natural history societies, including the Mendip Society, Bristol Naturalists Society, Bath Natural History Society, the Churches Conservation Trust and the Somerset Churches Trust. In later years he was very pleased to be able to support the English Touring Opera and Friends of Music at the Wells Cathedral School.
Desmond Donovan was an old-style polymath, a quiet and gentle man who never lost his curiosity and enthusiasm. His students appreciated the minimal interference in their research, but constant support when it was needed, including his taking pleasure in visiting their field areas. Recent visitors to his house in Wells will recall small trays of specimens awaiting measurement for statistical analysis, and excellent real coffee.
His great intellectual ability was disguised with a modest and unassuming manner, and a gentle sense of humour. He remained fully engaged, making it in person to vote at the general election in December 2019. His children, Tom, Tessa and Dan, and his four granddaughters, visited regularly and reported that he read the Guardian daily and was working on geology and making lists of things to do right until his death, in his sleep, on 23rd December 2019.
The full version of this obituary appears below. Editor.
A palaeontologist and polymath with a lifelong passion for research and fieldwork
Desmond Thomas Donovan was born on 16th June 1921 in Cheam, Surrey, the son of Thomas Donovan of family with roots in Cork, Ireland, and Marie Benker of Nürnberg, Germany. He attended Epsom College, Surrey until 1938, during which time he assembled a varied collection of natural history artefacts. Among these, rocks, minerals and fossils came to predominate - including his first, a very battered Echinocorys sea urchin found in his parents’ garden in Cheam. His interest was stimulated by regular forays to the Natural History Museum and school biology lessons. At the same time, a fascination for caving started on visiting the Beatushöhlen, on the Thunersee in Switzerland, run by family friends.
University and war service
University beckoned in 1938, and for a year Desmond joined about one hundred other students at what is now Imperial College, London, intending to specialise in the Earth sciences at its School of Mines from his second year. However, after the declaration of war, a second year at Imperial was impossible, and with his father’s help Desmond found a place via W. F. Whittard, Professor of Geology, at the University of Bristol, with a handful of other students specialising in geology. For his Honours year Desmond studied alone, often just being given some lecture notes and told to ‘get on with it’.
It was during his final year that a field week in Torquay sparked Desmond’s interest in systematic palaeontology. After graduating with an upper second class Honours degree in 1942, however, he was obliged, along with most other science graduates of that year, to join the army as an Army (as opposed to RAF) Radar Officer, becoming 2nd Lieutenant Donovan in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) in November 1942. By the time he was out in the field the Luftwaffe was effectively beaten and radar officers were no longer needed in such large numbers. Those so engaged were asked to elect to train in a new role, the choices being to maintain transport or guns. Desmond chose guns, as it seemed an interesting subject which he would be unlikely to encounter in civilian life. Predictably, on completion of retraining he was posted to run a transport depot at REME Base Workshops in Haifa, Palestine. He was demobilised in 1946.
After demob., Desmond returned to Bristol University with the intention of working on Middle Jurassic rocks, but was soon diverted into studying ‘The Ammonites of the Blue Lias of the Bristol District’ for a PhD, awarded in 1951 while working as a Lecturer in the department and serving on Senate, the academic part of the governing body.
Fieldwork and publications
In the 1950s, Desmond devoted much of his energy to fieldwork, mapping Bathonian Fullers Earth of the Cotswold Hills with W. J. Arkell, providing consultancy services on water supply of the area and contributing to publications such as Geology of the Bristol District (BAAS, 1956) and Pevsner’s ‘Buildings of England’. Having written the geology introduction to the Somerset volume published in 1958, Desmond must have been unique in having also written the geological notes for the revised 2nd edition in 2014, some 56 years later.
But what he often talked of were the summers over some 10 years, spent in that geological paradise (were it not for the mosquitos) which is East Greenland, on expeditions led by the Danish geologist, Dr Lauge Koch. The team mapped, logged sections and collected ammonite faunas in many localities; work which was published in Meddelelser om Groenland in 1957. He contributed to the first edition of the Kansas Treatise on Invertebrate Palaeontology (editing ‘L’ Ammonites) again collaborating with W. J. Arkell, as well as other eminent workers of the time such as Dick Reyment, Rudolf Trumpy and J. E. Hemingway. During his time at Bristol, he supervised the PhD of John Cope and met Lou Saward, also a geologist, who later became his wife. He also began research on the geology of the Bristol Channel and part of the English Channel.
University College London
In 1962, Desmond was appointed Professor of Geology at Hull University, during which time he expanded his offshore interests through a major project mapping the floor of the North Sea, using geophysical techniques prevalent at the time. But his tenure was cut short by his being invited to take up the Yates-Goldsmid Chair at University College, London, which he filled from 1966-1982.
During his time at UCL, his research interests in offshore geology and Jurassic stratigraphy continued apace, with some Pleistocene and Palaeolithic flint tool studies on the side. Although he was never most comfortable as an administrator, he was a very able one who oversaw the successful running of the UCL department and the supervision of several PhD studentships in areas of seafloor geology and Jurassic palaeontology and stratigraphy (R Dingle, R Dingwall, A Dore, T Getty, M Oates, F Alkaya). Always interested in technological progress, he was instrumental in installing one of the first computers at the University of London. This machine lived in its own room in the geology department, filling it entirely, with a dedicated technician to look after it.
Desmond retired from UCL in 1982 and spent three years as honorary curator at the Wells and Mendip Museum in Somerset, albeit still retaining his base in London.
Retirement
As a scholar first and foremost, Desmond saw retirement as an opportunity to go back to his beloved research, helped by having access to UCL facilities, and later also those at the University of Bristol. He was active in geology and palaeontology up until the very end of his life, and published on many topics, particularly coleoids, ultrastructure in cephalopods, taphonomic studies and the molecular phylogeny of recent cephalopods. For a number of years he was the editor of the Coleoid part of the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology.
In 2007, after Lou’s death, Desmond moved back to Wells permanently, to the heart of Somerset and the Blue Lias. In the last years of his life Desmond could also indulge his passions for church and cathedral architecture and archaeology, and music, particularly opera. He was very interested in the restoration of the West Front of Wells Cathedral, and wrote a critical paper on it. He continued to work on Somerset geology, spending many days roaming the Mendips, collecting specimens, thinking about the historic landscape and investigating old Somerset quarries to trace the origins of local building stones. He was consulted on by many for his knowledge of building stone dating back to medieval times. In recent years he investigated Thorney island and the Quaternary geology under Westminster Cathedral, ledger stones in Somerset churches and other diverse topics, always publishing papers to share his findings when he could find journals willing to take them. He also renewed his assistance to Wells museum, helping to rationalise the geology collection and redesign the displays of local geology - work sadly not completed.
Desmond was a stalwart and longstanding member of the University of Bristol Speleological Society and many natural history societies, including the Mendip Society, Bristol Naturalists Society, Bath Natural History Society, the Churches Conservation Trust and the Somerset Churches Trust as well as being founding member of several. In later years he was very pleased to be able to support the English Touring Opera in its productions and Friends of Music at the Wells Cathedral School.
Desmond Donovan was an old-style polymath, a quiet and gentle man interested in and knowledgeable about many things, who never lost his curiosity and enthusiasm. His students appreciated the minimal interference in their research, but constant support when it was needed, including his taking pleasure in visiting their field areas. Recent visitors to his house in Wells will recall small trays of specimens awaiting measurement for statistical analysis, and excellent real coffee. His great intellectual ability was disguised with a very modest and unassuming manner, and a gentle sense of humour. Still driving himself and active as ever at 97, a hospital stay in April 2019 due to an infection was a significant blow and impacted his mobility. Even so, he continued to work at his computer and enjoy local excursions and lunches at his favourite cafés. He remained fully engaged, and made it in person to vote at the general election in December 2019. His children, Tom, Tessa and Dan, and his four granddaughters, visited regularly and reported that he read the Guardian daily and was working on geology and making lists of things to do right until his death, in his sleep, on 23rd December 2019.
He will be greatly missed.
By Michael Oates