Wilfred Thesiger
Encyclopedia
Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger, CBE, DSO
, FRAS
, FRGS
(3 June 1910 – August 24, 2003) was a British
explorer
and travel writer
born in Addis Ababa
, the capital of Ethiopia
.
(1879–1961) was his cousin. Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford
, Viceroy of India, was his uncle.
, a famous independent school
in Eton
in Berkshire
, followed by Magdalen College
at the University of Oxford
, where he took a Third
in History. Between 1930 and 1933, Thesiger represented Oxford at boxing and later (in 1933) became captain of the Oxford boxing team.
, having received a personal invitation by Emperor
Haile Selassie to attend his coronation. He returned again in 1933 in an expedition, funded in part by the Royal Geographical Society
, to explore the course of the Awash River
. During this expedition, he became the first European to enter the Aussa Sultanate and visit Lake Abbe
.
Afterwards, in 1935, Thesiger joined the Sudan
Political Service stationed in Darfur
and the Upper Nile
. He served in several desert campaigns with the Sudan Defence Force
(SDF) and the Special Air Service
(SAS) with the rank of major
.
In World War II
, Thesiger fought with Gideon Force
in Ethiopia during the East African Campaign
. He was awarded the DSO
for capturing Agibar
and its garrison of 2,500 Italian soldiers. Afterwards, Thesiger served in the Long Range Desert Group
during the North African Campaign
.
There is a rare wartime photograph of Thesiger in this period. He appears in a well-known photograph usually used to illustrate the badge of the Greek Sacred Squadron. It is usually captioned 'a Greek officer of the Sacred Band
briefing British troops'. The officer is recognisably the famous Tsigantes and one of the crowd is recognisably Thesiger. Thesiger is the tall figure with the distinct nasal profile. Characteristically, he is in Arab headdress. Thesiger was the liaison officer
to the Greek Squadron.
In 1945, Thesiger worked in Arabia with the Desert Locusts Research Organisation. Meanwhile, from 1945 to 1949, he explored the southern regions of the Arabian peninsula
and twice crossed the Empty Quarter
. His travels also took him to Iraq
, Persia (now Iran
), Kurdistan, French West Africa
, Pakistan
and Kenya
. He returned to England
in the 1990s and was knighted in 1995.
s. The Marsh Arabs (1964) is an account of the Madan, the indigenous people of the marshlands of southern Iraq. The latter journey is also covered by his travelling companion, Gavin Maxwell
, in A Reed Shaken by the Wind — a Journey through the Unexplored Marshlands of Iraq (Longman
, 1959).
Thesiger took many photographs during his travels and donated his vast collection of 23,000 negatives to the Pitt Rivers Museum
, Oxford
.
His books were analysed, from a collector's point of view, in Book and Magazine Collector magazine, No.65, August 1989, and again in 2008, Issue No.295.
Obituaries and Profiles (mostly August 2003)
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, FRAS
Royal Asiatic Society
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was established, according to its Royal Charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the Society...
, FRGS
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
(3 June 1910 – August 24, 2003) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
explorer
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
and travel writer
Travel literature
Travel literature is travel writing of literary value. Travel literature typically records the experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel. An individual work is sometimes called a travelogue or itinerary. Travel literature may be cross-cultural or transnational in focus, or...
born in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, the capital of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
Family
Thesigner's father, the Hon. Wilfred Gilbert Thesiger, younger son of the second baron, was a diplomat. The actor Ernest ThesigerErnest Thesiger
Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger CBE was an English stage and film actor. He is best known for his performance as Dr...
(1879–1961) was his cousin. Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford
Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford
Frederic John Napier Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GBE, PC was a British statesman who served as Governor of Queensland , Governor of New South Wales from 1909 to 1913, and Viceroy of India from 1916 to 1921, where he was responsible for the creation of the Montagu-Chelmsford...
, Viceroy of India, was his uncle.
Education
Thesiger was educated at Eton CollegeEton 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"....
, a famous independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
in Eton
Eton, Berkshire
Eton is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, lying on the opposite bank of the River Thames to Windsor and connected to it by Windsor Bridge. The parish also includes the large village of Eton Wick, 2 miles west of the town, and has a population of 4,980. Eton was in Buckinghamshire until...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, followed by Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, where he took a Third
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
in History. Between 1930 and 1933, Thesiger represented Oxford at boxing and later (in 1933) became captain of the Oxford boxing team.
Life and career
In 1930, Thesiger returned to AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, having received a personal invitation by Emperor
Emperor of Ethiopia
The Emperor of Ethiopia was the hereditary ruler of Ethiopia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1974. The Emperor was the head of state and head of government, with ultimate executive, judicial and legislative power in that country...
Haile Selassie to attend his coronation. He returned again in 1933 in an expedition, funded in part by the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
, to explore the course 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...
. During this expedition, he became the first European to enter the Aussa Sultanate and visit Lake Abbe
Lake Abbe
Lake Abbe or Lake Abhe Bad is a salt lake, lying on the Ethiopia-Djibouti border. It is one of a chain of six connected lakes, which also includes lakes Gargori, Laitali, Gummare, Bario and Afambo.-Overview:...
.
Afterwards, in 1935, Thesiger joined the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
Political Service stationed in Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
and the Upper Nile
Upper Nile
Upper Nile is one of the 10 states of South Sudan. The current governor of Upper Nile, and its first governor in the independence era of South Sudan, is Simon Kun Puoch. The White Nile flows through the state, giving it its name. The state also shares a similar name with the region of Greater Upper...
. He served in several desert campaigns with the Sudan Defence Force
Sudan Defence Force
The Sudan Defence Force was a Sudanese military unit formed in 1925, as its name indicates, to maintain the borders of the Sudan under the British administration...
(SDF) and the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
(SAS) with the rank of major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
.
In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Thesiger fought with Gideon Force
Gideon Force
The Gideon Force was a small British-led African regular force which acted as a Corps d'Elite amongst the irregular Ethiopian forces fighting the Italian occupation forces in Ethiopia during the East African Campaign of World War II...
in Ethiopia during the East African Campaign
East African Campaign (World War II)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....
. He was awarded the DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
for capturing Agibar
Mekane Selam
Mekane Selam is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 1827 meters above sea level...
and its garrison of 2,500 Italian soldiers. Afterwards, Thesiger served in the Long Range Desert Group
Long Range Desert Group
The Long Range Desert Group was a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during the Second World War. The commander of the German Afrika Corps, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, admitted that the LRDG "caused us more damage than any other British unit of equal strength".Originally called...
during the North African Campaign
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
.
There is a rare wartime photograph of Thesiger in this period. He appears in a well-known photograph usually used to illustrate the badge of the Greek Sacred Squadron. It is usually captioned 'a Greek officer of the Sacred Band
Sacred Band (World War II)
The Sacred band was a Greek special forces unit formed in 1942 in the Middle East, composed entirely of Greek officers and officer cadets under the command of Col. Christodoulos Tsigantes. It fought alongside the SAS in the Libyan desert and the Aegean, as well as with General Leclerc's Free...
briefing British troops'. The officer is recognisably the famous Tsigantes and one of the crowd is recognisably Thesiger. Thesiger is the tall figure with the distinct nasal profile. Characteristically, he is in Arab headdress. Thesiger was the liaison officer
Liaison officer
A liaison officer or LNO is a person that liaises between two organizations to communicate and coordinate their activities. Generally, they are used to achieve the best utilization of resources or employment of services of one organization by another. In the military, liaison officers may...
to the Greek Squadron.
In 1945, Thesiger worked in Arabia with the Desert Locusts Research Organisation. Meanwhile, from 1945 to 1949, he explored the southern regions of the Arabian peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
and twice crossed the Empty Quarter
Empty Quarter
The Rub' al Khali or Empty Quarter is one of the largest sand deserts in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula, including most of Saudi Arabia and areas of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The desert covers some The Rub' al Khali or Empty Quarter...
. His travels also took him to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Persia (now Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
), Kurdistan, French West Africa
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. He returned to 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 the 1990s and was knighted in 1995.
Works
Thesiger is best known for two travel books: Arabian Sands (1959) recounts his travels in the Empty Quarter of Arabia between 1945 and 1950 and describes the vanishing way of life of the BedouinBedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
s. The Marsh Arabs (1964) is an account of the Madan, the indigenous people of the marshlands of southern Iraq. The latter journey is also covered by his travelling companion, Gavin Maxwell
Gavin Maxwell
Gavin Maxwell FRSL, FIAL, FZS , FRGS was a Scottish naturalist and author, best known for his work with otters. He wrote the book Ring of Bright Water about how he brought an otter back from Iraq and raised it in Scotland...
, in A Reed Shaken by the Wind — a Journey through the Unexplored Marshlands of Iraq (Longman
Longman
Longman was a publishing company founded in London, England in 1724. It is now an imprint of Pearson Education.-Beginnings:The Longman company was founded by Thomas Longman , the son of Ezekiel Longman , a gentleman of Bristol. Thomas was apprenticed in 1716 to John Osborn, a London bookseller, and...
, 1959).
Thesiger took many photographs during his travels and donated his vast collection of 23,000 negatives to the Pitt Rivers Museum
Pitt Rivers Museum
The Pitt Rivers Museum is a museum displaying the archaeological and anthropological collections of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. The museum is located to the east of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and can only be accessed through that building.The museum was...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
His books were analysed, from a collector's point of view, in Book and Magazine Collector magazine, No.65, August 1989, and again in 2008, Issue No.295.
Awards
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE 1968
- Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, DSO 1941
- Master of Arts, MA, Oxon
- Third Class Star of Ethiopia 1930
- Founder's Medal, Royal Geographical Society, RGS 1948
- Lawrence of ArabiaT. E. LawrenceLieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
Medal, Royal Central Asian Society, RCAS 1955 - Livingstone Medal, Royal Scottish Geographical Society, RSGS 1962
- W.H.Heinemann Award 1964
- Royal Society of Literature, RSL 1965
- Burton Memorial Medal, Royal Asiatic Society, RAS 1966
- Honorary Dlitt Leicester 1967
- Fellow Royal Society of Literature, FRSL 1982
- Honorary Fellow British Academy, FBA 1982;
Books
- Arabian Sands (1959) travel writing classic, reissued in several editions
- Currently available edition:
- Paperback reissue April 1985 by Penguin; ISBN 0-14-009514-4
- Out of print editions
- Hardcover reissue 1960 Readers Union (January 1, 1960) 270 pp; ASIN B0007J3E16
- Paperback reissue 1981 Viking Press (February 1981); ISBN 0-14-002125-6
- Hardcover reissue 1983 by Fairmount Books Ltd Remainders (September 30, 1983); ISBN 0-00-217005-1
- Hardcover reissue 1983 by Viking Adult (April 19, 1984). 347 pp. ISBN 0-670-13005-2
- Paperback reissue 1984 by Penguin; ISBN 0-14-009514-4
- Hardcover reissue 1998 by Motivate Publishing Ltd; ISBN 1-873544-75-8
- Currently available edition:
- The Marsh Arabs (1964):
-
- Penguin Classics; Reissue edition (25 October 2007); # ISBN 0141442085, # ISBN 978-0141442082
- Out of print editions
- Paperback reissue 1983 (out of print) — Gardners Books (April 30, 1983); ISBN 0-14-009512-8
- Hardover reissue 1985 (out of print) — Harpercollins Pub Ltd (May 31, 1985); ISBN 0-00-217068-X
-
- The Last Nomad (1979) — out of print in all editions.
- Out of print editions
- American hardcover reissue 1980 (out of print) — William Collins Sons & Co.; ISBN 0-525-93077-9
- Out of print editions
- The Life of My Choice (1987) — out of print in all editions; described as a remarkable biography
- Out of print editions
- British edition Collins (1987); ISBN 0-00-216194-X;
- American hardcover edition W.W. Norton (January 1988) 459 pp; ISBN 0-393-02513-6;
- American paperback edition Harpercollins Pub Ltd (March 31, 1993). ISBN 0-00-637267-8
- Out of print editions
- My Kenya Days Harper Collins, London, 1994; ISBN 0-00-255268-X
- The Danakil Diary: Journeys through Abyssinia, 1930-4 Hammersmith, 1996, ISBN 0-00-638775-6 His account of exploring the Awash valley, and encounters with the Afar peopleAfar peopleThe Afar , also known as the Danakil, are an ethnic group in the Horn of Africa. They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti, although some also inhabit the southern point of Eritrea.-Early history:...
.
- Among the Mountains: Travels Through Asia Harper Collins, (1998); ISBN 0-00-255898-X. This account presents edited portions of journal entries written during trips to remote mountain areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Kurdistan between 1952 and 1965, as well as numerous black-and-white photographs that he took at the time. There is little detail (nor current travel information) since the book is based on his diary entries. For a better account, read The Life of My Choice.
- Crossing the Sands Motivate Pub Ltd (January 2000) 176 pp; ISBN 1-86063-028-6. About his journeys in the Empty Quarter and the Arabian Peninsula during the late forties, with photographs, but apparently more than a coffee table book.
- My Life and Travels (anthology)
- Available editions
- Hardcover edition Harper Collins (October 21, 2002) 352 pp. ISBN 0-00-257151-X
- Hardcover reissue by Flamingo (October 6, 2003) 320 pp; ISBN 0-00-655212-9
- Available editions
- A Vanished World — in print
- Available editions
- First American hardcover edition 2001 W.W. Norton (September 17, 2001) 192 pp; ISBN 0-00-710837-0
- American hardcover edition 2002 W.W. Norton (April 2002) 189 pp, possibly the same as above, collection of photographs; ISBN 0-393-05086-6
- Available editions
External links
Photographs by ThesigerObituaries and Profiles (mostly August 2003)
- Daily Telegraph obituary
- Review of maitland's official biography discusses various aspects of the explorer's life and characters.
- The Guardian obituary (27 August 2003) with links to an earlier profile (29 June 2002) and to extracts from his books and reviews.
- BBC obituary (26 August 2003) contains errors such as Wilfred being the youngest son, which he was not.
- Profile by Robin Hanbury-Tenison founder of Survival InternationalSurvival InternationalSurvival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands,...
(an NGO promoting the welfare of tribal/ indigenous people worldwide) - Eric NewbyEric NewbyGeorge Eric Newby CBE MC was an English travel author. Newby's best known works include A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, The Last Grain Race, and Round Ireland in Low Gear.-Life:...
's recollections of Thesiger - Frank Gardner (journalist)Frank Gardner (journalist)Frank Rolleston Gardner OBE is an English journalist and correspondent. He is currently the BBC's Security Correspondent. He was appointed an OBE in 2005 for his services to journalism.-Background:...
, the BBC's Security Correspondent, recalls personal memories of the great explorer including inspiring Gardner to learn Arabic.