David Haig-Thomas
Encyclopedia
David Haig-Thomas was a British ornithologist, explorer and rower
who competed for Great Britain in the 1932 Summer Olympics
. He was an army commando during the Second World War, and was killed in action during the Normandy Landings.
Haig-Thomas was born in London and educated at Eton College
and St John's College, Cambridge
. In 1930, 1931 and 1932 he was bowman
of the winning Cambridge
boats in the Boat Race. He was also bow of the eight
that came fourth rowing
for Great Britain at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
In 1933 he went on an expedition to Abyssinia
with his school contemporary Wilfred Thesiger
to trace the route of the Awash River
. In 1934, he was the ornithologist on the Oxford University Ellesmere Land Expedition which was organised by Edward Shackleton
with the main purpose of exploring northern Ellesmere Island
and to map its coastline. The expedition was led by Gordon Noel Humphreys
who was head surveyor. Other members of the expedition were Shackleton, photographer
and biologist
A. W. Moore (sometimes listed as Morris), H. W. Stallworthy of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
, and geologist
R. Bentham. With their Greenland
Inuit
guides, Inutuk and Nukapinguaq, they set up camp at Etah, Greenland
in 1934. After wintering Greenland in 1934–1935, they sledged across Smith Sound and Ellesmere Islandand in spring 1935. By the end of May 1935 the group had returned to Etah and reached England
in late September the same year.
In 1936, Haig-Thomas led an ornithological expedition to Iceland
. From 1937–1938, he led a British Arctic Expedition in northwest Greenland and Ellesmere Island, accompanied by John Wright and Richard Hamilton. The expedition arrived at Qaanaaq
in northwest Greenland in August 1937. They left Etah in March 1938, and crossed Ellesmere Island where they met up with the MacGregor Arctic Expedition
. They then sledged to Amund Ringnes Island
, Axel Heiberg Island
and Haig-Thomas Island
in the Canadian Arctic. They returned to Greenland and spent the summer of 1938 in Qaanaaq.
Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, Haig-Thomas was commissioned as a second lieutenant
in the Royal Army Service Corps
on 2 March 1940. He then served in Iceland and East Greenland. In 1942, he was part of Special Commando Boating Group, No. 14 Commando which was made up of Canadians and Norwegians. As well as Haig-Thomas, this included other polar explorers including Sir Peter Scott, Andrew Croft
, Andrew Courtland and others. They specialised in using canoes and kayaks for limpet attacks in arctic waters. In 1944 in Operation Overlord
he was in C Troop, No. 4 Commando
. He was killed in action on D-Day
in Normandy aged 35, he is buried in the churchyard in the village of Bavent
.
Haig-Thomas married Nancy Catherine Bury, daughter of Major Lindsay Edward Bury.
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
who competed for Great Britain in the 1932 Summer Olympics
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...
. He was an army commando during the Second World War, and was killed in action during the Normandy Landings.
Haig-Thomas was born in London and educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
. In 1930, 1931 and 1932 he was bowman
Bow (rowing)
Bow is a term which has multiple meanings within the sport of rowing. It is used to refer to a rower seated in a particular position and to one side of the boat.-Bow:...
of the winning Cambridge
Cambridge University Boat Club
The Cambridge University Boat Club is the rowing club of the University of Cambridge, England, located on the River Cam at Cambridge, although training primarily takes place on the River Great Ouse at Ely. The club was founded in 1828...
boats in the Boat Race. He was also bow of the eight
Eight (rowing)
An Eight is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for eight rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars, and is steered by a coxswain, or cox....
that came fourth rowing
Rowing at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Rowing at the 1932 Summer Olympics featured 7 events, for men only. The competitions were held from August 9, 1932 to August 13, 1932 at the Marine Stadium in Long Beach, California.-Medal summary:-Participating nations:...
for Great Britain at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
In 1933 he went on an expedition to Abyssinia
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire also known as Abyssinia, covered a geographical area that the present-day northern half of Ethiopia and Eritrea covers, and included in its peripheries Zeila, Djibouti, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia...
with his school contemporary Wilfred Thesiger
Wilfred Thesiger
Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger, CBE, DSO, FRAS, FRGS was a British explorer and travel writer born in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.-Family:...
to trace the route of the Awash River
Awash River
The Awash is a major river of Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into a chain of interconnected lakes that begin with Lake Gargori and end with Lake Abbe on the border with Djibouti, some 100 kilometers from the head of the Gulf of Tadjoura...
. In 1934, he was the ornithologist on the Oxford University Ellesmere Land Expedition which was organised by Edward Shackleton
Edward Shackleton, Baron Shackleton
Edward Arthur Alexander Shackleton, Baron Shackleton, KG AC OBE PC FRS , was a British geographer and Labour Party politician....
with the main purpose of exploring northern Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
and to map its coastline. The expedition was led by Gordon Noel Humphreys
Gordon Noel Humphreys
Gordon Noel Humphreys was a British born surveyor, pilot, botanist, explorer and doctor. Originally trained as a surveyor, Humphreys worked in both Mexico and Uganda...
who was head surveyor. Other members of the expedition were Shackleton, photographer
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
and biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
A. W. Moore (sometimes listed as Morris), H. W. Stallworthy of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
, and geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
R. Bentham. With their Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
guides, Inutuk and Nukapinguaq, they set up camp at Etah, Greenland
Etah, Greenland
Etah is an abandoned settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northern Greenland. It was a starting point of discovery expeditions to the North Pole, and the landing site of the last migration of the Inuit from the Canadian Arctic.- Geography :...
in 1934. After wintering Greenland in 1934–1935, they sledged across Smith Sound and Ellesmere Islandand in spring 1935. By the end of May 1935 the group had returned to Etah and reached England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in late September the same year.
In 1936, Haig-Thomas led an ornithological expedition to Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. From 1937–1938, he led a British Arctic Expedition in northwest Greenland and Ellesmere Island, accompanied by John Wright and Richard Hamilton. The expedition arrived at Qaanaaq
Qaanaaq
Qaanaaq is the main town in the northern part of the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is one of the northernmost towns in the world. The inhabitants of Qaanaaq speak the West Greenlandic language and many also speak Inuktun. The town has a population of 626 as of 2010...
in northwest Greenland in August 1937. They left Etah in March 1938, and crossed Ellesmere Island where they met up with the MacGregor Arctic Expedition
MacGregor Arctic Expedition
The MacGregor Arctic Expedition was a privately funded expedition which set out to reoccupy Fort Conger, Ellesmere Island, Canada, a site within flying distance of the North Pole...
. They then sledged to Amund Ringnes Island
Amund Ringnes Island
Amund Ringnes Island is one of the Sverdrup Islands in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the Arctic Ocean, between 78 and 79 degrees of latitude. It lies east of Ellef Ringnes Island, west of Axel Heiberg Island. Hassel Sound separates Amund Ringnes Island from Ellef Ringnes...
, Axel Heiberg Island
Axel Heiberg Island
Axel Heiberg Island is an island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. Located in the Arctic Ocean, it is the 31st largest island in the world and Canada's seventh largest island. According to Statistics Canada, it has an area of ....
and Haig-Thomas Island
Haig-Thomas Island
Haig-Thomas Island is one of the Sverdrup Islands in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Massey Sound, between Amund Ringnes Island and Axel Heiberg Island. It is also a member of the Queen Elizabeth Islands and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It is named for the British explorer...
in the Canadian Arctic. They returned to Greenland and spent the summer of 1938 in Qaanaaq.
Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, Haig-Thomas was commissioned as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
on 2 March 1940. He then served in Iceland and East Greenland. In 1942, he was part of Special Commando Boating Group, No. 14 Commando which was made up of Canadians and Norwegians. As well as Haig-Thomas, this included other polar explorers including Sir Peter Scott, Andrew Croft
Andrew Croft
Colonel Noel Andrew Cotton Croft DSO OBE , was a member of the Special Operations Executive in the Second World War, with operations in Norway and Corsica, as well as Military attaché to Sweden, an explorer, holding the longest self-sustaining journey in the Guinness Book of Records for more than...
, Andrew Courtland and others. They specialised in using canoes and kayaks for limpet attacks in arctic waters. In 1944 in Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
he was in C Troop, No. 4 Commando
No. 4 Commando
No. 4 Commando was a battalion-sized British Army commando unit, formed in 1940 early in the Second World War. Although it was raised to conduct small-scale raids and harass garrisons along the coast of German-occupied France, it was mainly employed as a highly-trained infantry assault unit.The...
. He was killed in action on D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
in Normandy aged 35, he is buried in the churchyard in the village of Bavent
Bavent
Bavent is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:...
.
Haig-Thomas married Nancy Catherine Bury, daughter of Major Lindsay Edward Bury.
Publications
- Haig-Thomas, David ‘'Expedition to Ellesmere Island'’, 1937-38. Geographic Journal, 1940, 95(4):265-277.
- Haig-Thomas, David Tracks in the Snow London: Hodder & Stoughton 1939