Edward Howel Francis, BSc, DSc,

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This so ...

, FGS (31 May 1924 – 22 May 2014) was a British

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, alt ...

and

Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

Earth Sciences Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spher ...

at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

.Obituary, University of Leeds
/ref> He was

President of the Geological Society of London This is a list of the presidents of the Geological Society of London. List of presidents * 1807–1813 George Bellas Greenough * 1813–1815 Henry Grey Bennet * 1815–1816 William Blake * 1816–1818 John MacCulloch * 1818–1820 George Bel ...

from 1980 to 1982.

Biography

Francis was born in south

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and went to school in

Port Talbot Port Talbot (, ) is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which dominates the sout ...

. He was called up for military service after two years, commissioned in the

Cheshire Regiment The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. T ...

and served in the Mediterranean. After three years in the Army, he graduated from University College, Swansea (now

Swansea University , former_names=University College of Swansea, University of Wales Swansea , motto= cy, Gweddw crefft heb ei dawn , mottoeng="Technical skill is bereft without culture" , established=1920 – University College of Swansea 1996 – University of Wa ...

) in 1949. He joined the Institute of Geological Sciences (now the

British Geological Survey The British Geological Survey (BGS) is a partly publicly funded body which aims to advance geoscientific knowledge of the United Kingdom landmass and its continental shelf by means of systematic surveying, monitoring and research. The BGS he ...

) where he rose through the ranks from field geologist in Scotland to Assistant Director for Northern England and Wales, based in Leeds. In 1977 Francis was appointed Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Leeds. He retired from his chair with the title Emeritus Professor in 1989 and was awarded an

Honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

ship of University College, Swansea in the same year.

Honours

* Fellowship of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

(1962) * Awarded the Murchison Fund of the

Geological Society of London The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

(1963) * DSc,

University of Wales The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff � ...

(1969) * Clough Medal of the

Edinburgh Geological Society The Edinburgh Geological Society (EGS) was founded in 1834 in Edinburgh, Scotland, with the aim of stimulating public interest in geology and the advancement of geological knowledge. It was a time of debate and controversy surrounding the emer ...

(1983) * Sorby Medal of the Yorkshire Geological Society (1983) * Major John Sacheverell A’Deane Coke Medal of the Geological Society of London (1989)

Publications

* ''The Carboniferous period''. Edward Howel Francis, B.SC., F.R.S.E., F.G.S. and Austin William Woodland, PH.D., F.G.S. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 1964, v. 1, p. 221-232. * ''Caledonide volcanism in Britain and Ireland''. C.J. Stillman and E.H. Francis. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 1979, v. 8, p. 555-577. * ''Mid-Devonian to

early Permian 01 or '01 may refer to: * The year 2001, or any year ending with 01 * The month of January * 1 (number) Music * 01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001 * ''01'' (Son of Dave album), 2000 * ''01'' (Urban Zakapa album), 2011 * ''O1'' (Hiroyuki Sawano ...

volcanism: Old World''. E.H. Francis. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 1988, v. 38, p. 573-584.

References

1924 births 2014 deaths People educated at Port Talbot County Boys' Grammar School Alumni of Swansea University Academics of the University of Leeds British geologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of the Geological Society of London {{UK-geologist-stub