Horace Alexander
Encyclopedia
Horace Gundry Alexander was an English
Quaker teacher and writer, pacifist and ornithologist
. He was the youngest of four sons of Joseph Gundry Alexander
(1848–1918). One of his brothers was Wilfred Backhouse Alexander
.
, England, and studied at King's College
, Cambridge University, and taught at Woodbrooke, a Quaker college in Birmingham
from 1919 to 1944. His first wife, Olive Graham, died in 1942, and in 1958 he married Rebecca Bradbeer, an American Quaker. After ten years they moved to Pennsylvania
, United States
, where he spent the remaining twenty years of his life. He was also, for the first ten years, a Governor of Leighton Park School
, a leading Quaker school in England. He died of a gastrointestinal
illness at Crosslands, a Quaker retirement community in Kennett Square
, Pennsylvania.
, keenly involved in the twentieth century movements for the protection and observation of birds. Along with his two younger brothers, Wilfred and Christopher, he took a keen interest in nature. Growing up in a Quaker home devoid of any other forms of entertainment, he found an interest in birds starting at the age of eight when his older brother Gilbert presented him a book on natural history. In his autobiography he traced the origin of his interests in birds to 8.45 am on March 25, 1897 when an uncle pointed out a singing chiffchaff
in their garden. It was not until he was 20 that he obtained his first pair of binoculars. He was one of a small group of amateur birdwatchers who developed the skills and set new standards for combining the pleasures of birdwatching with the satisfaction of contributing to ornithological science. He made many significant observations, mainly in Britain
but also in India
and the United States
, and was well respected for his work.
Horace spent most of his time in India and became interested in its birds in 1927. Ornithology at that time was not popular among Indians in India and when Horace informed Gandhi of an expedition, Gandhi commented, "That is a good hobby, provided you don't shoot them." Horace demonstrated the use of binoculars as an acceptable alternative to the gun and carried them at most times. Horace Alexander joined Sidney Dillon Ripley
on an expedition to the Naga hills in 1950. In the same year, he founded the Delhi Birdwatching Society along with Lt. Gen. Harold Williams. One of the early members of this organization was the young Indira Gandhi and the group encouraged Indian ornithologists such as Usha Ganguli. Many of his notes were lost when one of his suitcases was lost in India in 1946. Through his influence with Jawaharlal Nehru he was instrumental in the designation of the Sultanpur bird sanctuary near Delhi.
He was also a founder member of the West Midland Bird Club, and its president, during his long residence in Birmingham
, England.
attacked the British rule in India. The Quakers were disturbed by the address and John Graham was particularly outraged. Afterwards it was agreed that a representative would be sent to India to attempt a reconciliation of the Viceroy, Lord Irwin, and Gandhi. This task was assigned to Horace Alexander. He later became a close friend of Gandhi (who, in 1942, described Alexander as "one of the best English friends India has") and wrote extensively about his philosophy.
He was consulted by Richard Attenborough
in the making of the film Gandhi
, but felt that the scripts did not do justice to the people around Gandhi.
In 1984 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan
medal, the highest honour given to a non-Indian civilian.
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...
Quaker teacher and writer, pacifist and ornithologist
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
. He was the youngest of four sons of Joseph Gundry Alexander
(1848–1918). One of his brothers was Wilfred Backhouse Alexander
Wilfred Backhouse Alexander
Wilfred Backhouse Alexander was an English ornithologist and entomologist. He was the brother of Horace Alexander....
.
Family life
He was born in CroydonCroydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, England, and studied at King's College
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
, Cambridge University, and taught at Woodbrooke, a Quaker college in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
from 1919 to 1944. His first wife, Olive Graham, died in 1942, and in 1958 he married Rebecca Bradbeer, an American Quaker. After ten years they moved to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he spent the remaining twenty years of his life. He was also, for the first ten years, a Governor of Leighton Park School
Leighton Park School
Leighton Park School is a co-educational Quaker independent school for both day and boarding pupils. It is situated in the large town of Reading in Berkshire, in South East England...
, a leading Quaker school in England. He died of a gastrointestinal
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
illness at Crosslands, a Quaker retirement community in Kennett Square
Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
Kennett Square is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known as the Mushroom Capital of the World because mushroom farming in the region produces over a million pounds of mushrooms a year...
, Pennsylvania.
Ornithology
Alexander was a life-long dedicated and gifted birdwatcherBirdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
, keenly involved in the twentieth century movements for the protection and observation of birds. Along with his two younger brothers, Wilfred and Christopher, he took a keen interest in nature. Growing up in a Quaker home devoid of any other forms of entertainment, he found an interest in birds starting at the age of eight when his older brother Gilbert presented him a book on natural history. In his autobiography he traced the origin of his interests in birds to 8.45 am on March 25, 1897 when an uncle pointed out a singing chiffchaff
Chiffchaff
The Common Chiffchaff, or simply the Chiffchaff, is a common and widespread leaf-warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and Asia....
in their garden. It was not until he was 20 that he obtained his first pair of binoculars. He was one of a small group of amateur birdwatchers who developed the skills and set new standards for combining the pleasures of birdwatching with the satisfaction of contributing to ornithological science. He made many significant observations, mainly in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
but also in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and was well respected for his work.
Horace spent most of his time in India and became interested in its birds in 1927. Ornithology at that time was not popular among Indians in India and when Horace informed Gandhi of an expedition, Gandhi commented, "That is a good hobby, provided you don't shoot them." Horace demonstrated the use of binoculars as an acceptable alternative to the gun and carried them at most times. Horace Alexander joined Sidney Dillon Ripley
Sidney Dillon Ripley
Sidney Dillon Ripley was an American ornithologist and wildlife conservationist. He served as Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 1964-1984.-Biography:...
on an expedition to the Naga hills in 1950. In the same year, he founded the Delhi Birdwatching Society along with Lt. Gen. Harold Williams. One of the early members of this organization was the young Indira Gandhi and the group encouraged Indian ornithologists such as Usha Ganguli. Many of his notes were lost when one of his suitcases was lost in India in 1946. Through his influence with Jawaharlal Nehru he was instrumental in the designation of the Sultanpur bird sanctuary near Delhi.
He was also a founder member of the West Midland Bird Club, and its president, during his long residence in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England.
Gandhi
Alexander's father-in-law, John William Graham, believed that Gandhi was a subversive and that the Indians were unprepared for self-government. At the Quaker yearly meeting in 1930 the Nobel prize winning poet Rabindranath TagoreRabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
attacked the British rule in India. The Quakers were disturbed by the address and John Graham was particularly outraged. Afterwards it was agreed that a representative would be sent to India to attempt a reconciliation of the Viceroy, Lord Irwin, and Gandhi. This task was assigned to Horace Alexander. He later became a close friend of Gandhi (who, in 1942, described Alexander as "one of the best English friends India has") and wrote extensively about his philosophy.
He was consulted by Richard Attenborough
Richard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough , CBE is a British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi...
in the making of the film Gandhi
Gandhi (film)
Gandhi is a 1982 biographical film based on the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who led the nonviolent resistance movement against British colonial rule in India during the first half of the 20th century. The film was directed by Richard Attenborough and stars Ben Kingsley as Gandhi. They both...
, but felt that the scripts did not do justice to the people around Gandhi.
In 1984 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
medal, the highest honour given to a non-Indian civilian.
Publications
Some of the books and articles written by Horace Alexander include:- Joseph Gundry Alexander
- Justice Among Nations (1927) scanned
- The Indian Ferment (1929)
- India Since Cripps PenguinPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
(1941) - New Citizens of India (1951)
- Consider India: An Essay in Values (1961)
- Gandhi Through Western Eyes (1969)
- 70 Years of Birdwatching T & A D Poyser (1974) ISBN 0 85661 004 6
Bird related notes
- (1974): What leads to increases in the range of certain birds? Journal of the Bombay Natural History SocietyJournal of the Bombay Natural History SocietyThe Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society is a natural history journal published several times a year by the Bombay Natural History Society...
(JBNHS). 71(3), 571-576. - (1952): Birds attacking their reflections. JBNHS. 50(3), 674-675.
- (1948): The status of the Dusky Willow-Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus (Blyth)] in India. JBNHS. 47(4), 736-739.
- (1948): White-winged Wood-Duck Asarcornis scutulatus (Mueller) on the Padma River, East Bengal. JBNHS. 47(4), 749.
- (1949): The Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus (Linn.) in Orissa. JBNHS. 48(2), 367-368.
- (1949): Whitecapped Redstart Chaimarrhornis leucocephalus (Vigors) feeding on berries. JBNHS. 48(4), 806.
- (1950): Some notes on the genus Phylloscopus in Kashmir. JBNHS. 49(1), 9-13.
- (1950): Possible occurrence of the Black Tern Chlidonias niger (L.) near Delhi. JBNHS. 49(1), 120-121.
- (1950): Field identification of birds. JBNHS. 49(1), 123-124.
- (1950): Kentish Plovers Leucopolius alexandrinus (Linn.) at Bombay. JBNHS. 49(2), 311.
- (1950): Large Grey Babbler attacking metal hub-cap of wheel of car. JBNHS. 49(3), 550.
- (1953): Rednecked Phalarope near Delhi. JBNHS. 51(2), 507-508.
- (1957): Bird life of Madhya Pradesh. JBNHS. 54(3), 768-769.
- (1949): The birds of Delhi and District. JBNHS. 48(2), 370-372.
- (1951): Some notes on birds in Lahul. JBNHS. 49(4), 608-613.
- (1972): On revisiting Delhi. Newsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for Birdwatchers is an Indian periodical of ornithology and birdwatching founded in 1960 by Zafar Futehally, who edited it until 2003. It was initially mimeographed and distributed to a small number of subscribers each month. The editorial board in its early years included Salim Ali,...
. 12(9), 1-3. - (1972): Nest building of the Baya Weaver Bird. Newsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for Birdwatchers is an Indian periodical of ornithology and birdwatching founded in 1960 by Zafar Futehally, who edited it until 2003. It was initially mimeographed and distributed to a small number of subscribers each month. The editorial board in its early years included Salim Ali,...
. 12(9), 12. - (1964): Return to Delhi. Newsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for Birdwatchers is an Indian periodical of ornithology and birdwatching founded in 1960 by Zafar Futehally, who edited it until 2003. It was initially mimeographed and distributed to a small number of subscribers each month. The editorial board in its early years included Salim Ali,...
. 4(1), 1-3. - (1929): Some birds seen in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean. Ibis, 12 5(1), 41-53.
- (1952): Identifying birds of prey in the field. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club (BBOC) 72, 55-61.
- (1931): Shearwaters in the Arabian Sea. Ibis, 13 1(3), 579-581.
- (1955): Field notes on some Asian leaf warblers. British Birds. 48, 293-299,349-356.
- (1952): Letter to the Editor. Ibis 94(2), 369-370.
- (1969): Some Notes on Asian Leaf-Warblers (Genus Phylloscopus). Private/TRUEXpress, Oxford. 31 pages.
- (1952): with Abdulali,HHumayun AbdulaliHumayun Abdulali was an Indian ornithologist, and a cousin of Salim Ali. He started with bird egg collection and shikar...
Ardeidae with red legs. Ibis 94, 363.
Other references
- Geoffrey Carnall and J. Duncan Wood, Alexander, Horace Gundry (1889–1989), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/38403, accessed 27 April 2007
- Moss, Stephen 2004 A bird in the bush: A social history of birdwatching. Aurum Press.