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'''Sir Frank Leonard Engledow''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CMG|FRS}} (20 August 1890 – 3 July 1985) was a British agricultural botanist who carried out research at the [[Plant Breeding Institute]] at the [[University of Cambridge]] from 1919 onwards. He was a fellow of [[St John's College, Cambridge|St John's College]] (1919–1985), Cambridge, and held the positions of University Lecturer in Agriculture (1926–1930) and [[Drapers Professor of Agriculture]] (1930–1957) at Cambridge, where he directed the [[Drapers Professor of Agriculture|School of Agriculture]] from 1930 to 1957. Engledow advised the British government on agricultural production in the (former) colonies as well as in the homeland from 1927 to 1962.<ref name="#2" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Jöns|first=Heike|year=2016|title=The University of Cambridge, academic expertise and the British Empire, 1885–1962|url=https://figshare.com/articles/chapter/The_University_of_Cambridge_academic_expertise_and_the_British_Empire_1885_1962/9486341/1/files/17111648.pdf|journal=Environment and Planning A |volume=48 |pages=94–114|doi=10.1177/0308518X15594802|s2cid=220523036 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Geopolitics and the Green Revolution: Wheat, Genes, and the Cold War.|last=Perkins|first=J.H.|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1997|location=Oxford}}</ref> He continued to publish on agricultural practices and teaching after his retirement.<ref name="#2">{{cite journal|author=Bell, G.D.H. |title= Frank Leonard Engledow. 20 August 1890 – 3 July 1985| journal= Biogr. Mem. Fellows R. Soc. |year=1986 |volume=32|pages= 188–219|doi= 10.1098/rsbm.1986.0007|s2cid= 72428152|url=10.1098/rsbm.1986.0007}}</ref> |
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==Education == |
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'''Frank Leonard Engledow ''' C.M.G, FRS1, (20 August 1890 - 3 July 1985) was an agricultural botanist who did his research at the Plant Breeding Institute at the [[University of Cambridge]] Farm from 1919. He was a fellow of [[St John's College, Cambridge]] and was [[Drapers Professor of Agriculture]] and directed the School of Agriculture of the University of Cambridge from 1930 to 1957. He advised the Government on agricultural production in the (former) colonies as well as in the homeland in the period between 1927 and 1960. He kept publishing on Agricultural practices and teaching after his retirement.<ref name="#2">G.D.H.Bell, Frank Leonard Engledow. 20 August 1890 – 3 July 1985; Biogr. Mems Fell.R.Soc.1986 32, 188 – 219, published 1 December 1986</ref> |
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Engledow was born in [[Deptford]], Kent, the fifth and youngest child of Henry Engledow, a police sergeant and, after his retirement, agent of Bexleyheath Brewery and Elizabeth Prentice. Frank was educated at [[Dartford Grammar School]], from where he went to [[University College London]] to study pure and applied mathematics and physics on a one-year scholarship. He won College Prizes in these subjects and obtained a year later a BSc externally. He was then admitted to [[St John's College, Cambridge]], where he was more interested in the application of mathematics than in the theory which he was supposed to be studying. He was, however, allowed to change to study botany, zoology and geology and earned a First in Part I of the Natural Sciences Tripos in 1912, the award of a Slater Studentship of the College and, later, a Research Scholarship of the Ministry of Agriculture. |
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He had been accepted as assistant by R.H. Biffen,<ref name="#3">{{cite journal|author=Engledow, F. L. |title=Rowland Harry Biffen, 1874–1949| journal= Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society|volume= 7 |year=1950|issue=19 |pages= 9–25|doi=10.1098/rsbm.1950.0002 |s2cid=177990208 }}</ref> who had been appointed in 1908 as the first Professor of Agricultural Botany and became the first Director of the newly founded [[Plant Breeding Institute]] in 1912. A programme of research combining genetics with quantitative methods and statistics was launched resulting in three papers by Engledow in 1914. One of these was co-authored by G. Udny Yule (then Lecturer in Statistics in Cambridge), who became very interested in the statistics to be used in agricultural botany. Engledow became a Fellow of St John's, submitting his thesis in 1919 based on his experimental work. |
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==Education== |
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Frank Leonard Engledow was born in Deptford, Kent as the fifth and last child from Henry Engledow, police sergeant and, after his retirement, agent of Bexleyheath Brewery and Elizabeth Prentice. Frank attended from the age of five the Upland Council school, Bexleyheath. He proceeded from 1905 until 1909 in Dartford Grammar School. From there he went to University College in London to study pure and applied mathematics and physics on a one-year scholarship. He won College Prizes in these subjects and obtained a year later a B. Sc. externally. On advice of one of his teachers, E. Cunningham, he applied for and was admitted to St.John’s College in Cambridge. |
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He was more interested in the application of mathematics than in the theory which was the subject of the Tripos lectures he was supposed to attend. So he tried to change to subjects in botany, zoology and geology which he had found out to be of more interest from contacts with his fellow undergraduates. Fortunately he was permitted to do so; with hindsight to his career the trust in his instinct proved to be right. |
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Although he started with a backlog in knowledge his determination and hard work resulted in a First in Part I of the Natural Sciences Tripos in 1912, the award of a Slater Studentship of the College and, later, a Research Scholarship of the Ministry of Agriculture. |
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He had been accepted as assistant by R.H. Biffen,<ref name="#3">F. L. Engledow, ‘Rowland Harry Biffen, 1874–1949, Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society, 7 (1950): 9-25.</ref> who had been appointed in 1908 as the first Professor of Agricultural Botany. Biffen became the first Director of the newly founded Plant Breeding Institute in 1912. A programme of research combining genetics with quantitative methods and statistics was launched resulting in three papers of Engledow in 1914. One of these was co-authored by G. Udny Yule (then Lecturer in Statistics in Cambridge), who became very interested in the statistics to be used in agricultural botany. |
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He became a Fellow of St Johns, submitting his thesis based on his experimental work to be refereed by Professor William Bateson in 1919. |
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==World War I== |
==World War I== |
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Engledow enlisted in The |
Engledow enlisted in The [[Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment]] shortly before the war. From 1915 to 1919 the Regiment served in India and Mesopotamia and Engledow rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. |
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He was stationed in Jhanai, where he was also in hospital with [[typhoid]], and at regimental headquarters in Rawalpindi.<ref name="#p">St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box 3</ref> Late in 1917 he spent a number of months as assistant to the Director of Agriculture of Mesopotamia. He was decorated with a [[Croix de Guerre]] in 1918. |
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He was decorated with a Croix de Guerre in 1918. |
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During his overseas service he made notes on the agricultural practices he saw. After the war he returned to the School of Agriculture and the Plant Breeding Institute to resume his research. |
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==The Plant Breeding Institute== |
==The Plant Breeding Institute== |
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[[File:Anstey Hall - geograph.org.uk - 980599.jpg|thumb|Anstey Hall-Former headquarters of Plant Breeding Institute (from 1955)]] |
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The Institute was a rather modest facility and the work very labour-intensive. Nevertheless, fruitful research was done on breeding wheat and barley. Biffen's discovery that characteristics such as resistance to disease and grain quality were inheritable was the basis by which Engledow, by introducing quantitative analysis and statistics, was able to improve these crops. Seven consecutive papers on wheat were published between 1923 and 1930 in the ''Journal of Agricultural Science'' of Cambridge and with G. Udney Yule he published a seminal paper on yield trials in 1926. These papers were innovative with regard to breeding of cereals and other commodities, linking the roles of geneticists, plant breeders and field experimentalists. Engledows breeding activities resulted in new varieties of wheat by selection (Rampton Rivet cultivated 1939–57, Squareheads Master 13/4, 1940–60), and by hybridisation (Holdfast, 1936–58 and Steadfast, 1941–53). |
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In 1921 he married Mildred Emmeline Roper, a graduate botany student from [[Cape Town]], South Africa. She gave up her academic activity to become his wife and expert adviser on a daily basis. In 1924 they made a tour through Canada and the USA for seven weeks, visiting various agricultural areas and a scientific meeting, to become better acquainted with the agricultural practices of that continent.<ref name="#b">Report on a tour in North America, St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box 3 and box 4.</ref> |
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The Institute was a rather modest facility and working space at the university did not fully compensate for this. Most of the work had to be completed by hand. Nevertheless, fruitful research was done on breeding wheat and barley. Biffen’s discovery that relevant characters as resistance against disease and grain quality were inheritable was the basis on which Engledow, by introducing quantitative analysis and statistics, succeeded in improving these crops. Seven consecutive papers on wheat were published between between 1923 and 1930 in the Journal of agricultural Science of Cambridge. With Udney Yule he published a seminal paper on yield trials in 1926. These papers were innovative with regard to breeding of cereals and other commodities, linking the roles of geneticists, plant breeders and field experimentalists. He and various co-workers reported on quantified growth characteristics of individual plants related to quantitative indicators of yield. Meticulous parametrization permitted studying the effects of plant spacing on growth and per acre yield. |
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Engledows breeding activities resulted in varieties of wheat by selection (Rampton Rivet cultivated 1939-’57, Squareheads Master 13/4, 1940-’60 ), and by hybridization (Holdfast, 1936-’58 and Steadfast, 1941-’53)2. |
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In 1921 he married Mildred Emmeline Roper a graduate student in Botany from Cape Town (South Africa). She ended her academic pursuits in becoming his wife and expert adviser on a daily basis. |
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In 1924 he and his wife made a tour through Canada and the USA for seven weeks, visiting various agricultural areas and a scientific meeting. They aimed at becoming better acquainted with the agricultural practices of that continent.<ref name="#b">Report on a tour in North America, St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, box 4; notebook box 3.</ref> |
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==Drapers Professorship== |
==Drapers Professorship== |
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In 1930 Engledow was appointed to the Drapers chair of Agriculture in 1930, having been Lecturer in Agriculture from 1926. Once he became Professor the School of Agriculture was extended. The Plant Breeding Institute was enlarged from 250 to 450 acres, more research laboratories were installed and advisory services were begun. Engledow was active in developing and planning further changes in the School and its curriculum to reflect the changing role of agricultural science in improving food production worldwide. |
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During World War II he served in the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]] and the [[Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Agriculture]], helping food production. He was also a member of the [[Agricultural Research Council]] (ARC) of England and Wales and the Agricultural Improvement Council (AIC). These activities culminated in him attending the [[Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations|United Nations conference on Food and Agriculture]] in 1943 in Hot Springs, VA, USA as a deputy of the Ministry. Back home he wrote a policy Memorandum for England and Wales based on a recommendation of the UN Conference. The report was approved by ARC and AIC and was to serve as the foundation for agricultural policy in the UK. |
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Before Engledow was appointed to the Drapers chair of Agriculture in 1930, he had been Lecturer in Agricultural Botany from 1925. As he became Professor the School of Agriculture was extended. The Plant Breeding Institute was enlarged from 250 to 450 acres. More research laboratories were installed and advisory services were begun. |
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Engledow was active in developing and planning further changes in the School and its curriculum which reflected the changing role of agricultural science from an orientation to amelioration of production of food and commodities in the homeland and the colonies to helping to solve food problems worldwide. His lifelong publishing activity testifies to this. |
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During World War II other services to the country were foremost important: he was serving in the Home Guard and the Ministry of Agriculture in keeping up the regional food production. He was also a member of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) of England and Wales and the Agricultural Improvement Council (AIC). These activities culminated in him attending the United Nations conference on Food and Agriculture in 1943 in Hot Springs (USA) as a deputy of the Ministry. Back home a policy Memorandum was written for England and Wales. He based this on a recommendation of the UN Conference. The report was approved by ARC and AIC and was to serve as foundation for agricultural policy in the UK. He became a Knight Bachelor in 1944. |
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In 1943 he was appointed as a Managing Trustee of the newly established Nuffield Foundation. He retired from this task in 1966. He was, as Chairman of a special committee responsible for the study and the publication of “Principles for British Agricultural Policy” that had been initiated in 1945 and was completed in in the late fifties.<ref name="#7">H.T.Williams (ed). Principles for British Agricultural Policy.Published for the Nuffield Foundation by Oxford University Press, Oxford 1960</ref> |
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His plans for the School, formulated in 1939, were to be put in practice after the war when both the research institutes and the advisory service were taken up in nationwide organizations. |
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Well aware of the changing expectations in the post-war world of the role of agricultural science and of the alumni of the School, he was concerned with the balance between specialisation and breadth, as his papers of 1968 and 1970 show. Direct contact with farming practices and their consequences for the environment on the long term were the responsibility of his alumni, he maintained. |
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In 1943 he was appointed as a Managing Trustee of the newly established [[Nuffield Foundation]], retiring in 1966.<ref name="#6">The Nuffield Foundation Triennial Report (1983–85), The Nuffield Foundation, London, 1986.</ref> He was, as Chairman of a special committee responsible for the study and the publication of "Principles for British Agricultural Policy" that had been initiated in 1945 and was completed in the late fifties.<ref name="#7">H.T. Williams (ed). Principles for British Agricultural Policy.Published for the Nuffield Foundation by Oxford University Press, Oxford 1960</ref> He became a [[Knight Bachelor]] in 1944 and was elected a [[Fellow of the Royal Society]] in 1946. |
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==Traveling and advising== |
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His plans for the School of Agriculture, formulated in 1939, were to be put in practice after the war when both the research institutes and the advisory service were taken up in nationwide organisations. Well aware of the changing expectations in the post-war world of the role of agricultural science and of the alumni of the School, he was concerned with the balance between specialisation and breadth, as his papers of 1968 and 1970 show. Direct contact with farming practices and their consequences for the environment in the long-term were the responsibility of his graduates, he maintained. |
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Engledow undertook a long series of overseas travels with the aim of advising either local parties or Governmental Bodies or part of the British Government:<ref name="#4">Heike Jöns, The University of Cambridge, academic expertise and the British Empire, 1885-1962. Environment and Planning A</ref><ref name="#5">J M. Hodge, Triumph of the Expert: Agrarian doctrines of Development and the Legacies of British Colonialism. Athens, Ohio University Press 2007.</ref> |
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==Travelling and advising== |
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:'''1927''' on invitation to the Gold Coast, Ghana and especially Nigeria for the Empire Cotton Growing Corporation, 9 wks.c. Report on cotton growing and seed supply in Nigeria (with C.N.French). |
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Engledow undertook a long series of overseas travels with the aim of advising either local parties or governmental bodies or part of the British government:<ref name=":0" /><ref name="#5">J M. Hodge, Triumph of the Expert: Agrarian Doctrines of Development and the Legacies of British Colonialism. Athens, Ohio University Press 2007.</ref> |
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:'''1929''' to Trinidad, to inspect the Cotton Research Institute and to report on the teaching and research of the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture on behalf of the Empire Marketing Board, 9 wks.d (confidential report). |
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:'''1933''' Chairman of a Commission of Inquiry in the affairs of the Rubber Research Institute, Malaya (Kuala Lumpur) at the request of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, 14 wks.e; report to the Ministry. |
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* 1927 to the Gold Coast, Ghana and especially Nigeria for the Empire Cotton Growing Corporation, 9 weeks<ref name="#d">St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box 1</ref> Report on cotton growing and seed supply in Nigeria (with C.N.French) |
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:'''1935-36''' Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on the Scientific Development of the Indian Tea Association on behalf of that Organisation. They made a tour of 4 months (long distance by ship) to tea growing areas in Ceylon, North India (Assam), Central India (briefly) and ( by plane) Java and Sumatra (Dutch colony). f, 4 Report to the Indian Tea Association. |
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*1929 to Trinidad, to inspect the Cotton Research Institute and to report on the teaching and research of the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture on behalf of the Empire Marketing Board, 9 weeks<ref name="#d"/> Confidential report |
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:'''1938-39''' Member of the Royal Commission on the West Indies (‘Moyne Commission’), which toured on the Yacht of Lord Moyne from New York all the British and Foreign West Indian Colonies and back to New York in 4.5 months in order to report on the social and economic conditions of the West Indies. The report was handed over to the Government that acted upon it, although the report only was published after the war. On some matters it was then decided that the report merited updating with a view to eventual decolonisation: |
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*1933 Chairman of a Commission of Inquiry into the affairs of the Rubber Research Institute, Malaya (Kuala Lumpur) at the request of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, 14 weeks;<ref name="#p"/> Report to the Ministry |
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:'''1945''' Report on Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry and Veterinary Matters, by F.L. Engledow Esq.C.M.G., Supplement to the Report of the West India Royal Commission;g The report of the Commission is to be commanded at H.M.S.O. as #6608. |
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*1935-36 Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on the Scientific Development of the Indian Tea Association on behalf of that Organisation. They made a tour of 4 months (long distance by ship) to tea growing areas in Ceylon, North India (Assam), Central India (briefly) and (by plane) Java and Sumatra (Dutch colony).<ref name=":0" /><ref name="#p"/> Report to the Indian Tea Association |
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:'''1946''' Delegate, with H.A Temperley and J.W. Monroe of a Committee to the Colonial Office to select a site for an Agricultural Research Institute to implement Agricultural, Animal Health and Forestry Research in Kenia, Uganda, Tanganyika and Zanzibar4. After two months on the way back Engledow visited Sudan h. Report: Agriculture in the Colonies. 1. Agricultural issues facing Colonial peoples. 2. Agricultural Betterment in East Africa. Colonial Office. |
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*1938-39 Member of the Royal Commission on the West Indies (‘Moyne Commission’), which toured, on the Yacht of Lord Moyne from New York, all the British West Indian Colonies for 4.5 months to report on the social and economic conditions of the West Indies. The report was handed over to the Government to act upon it, although the report was only published after the war. On some matters it was then decided that the report merited updating with a view to eventual decolonisation |
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:'''1948''' During a travel of 5 months, he visited with his wife Rhodesia (with a short excursion to South Africa) on a request of the Southern Rhodesian Government to report on Policy on Agricultural Development, and for research, education and advisory work connected to such a policy ;i Reports: Agricultural Production in the early future: second interim report of Southern Rhodesia Development Co-ordinating Commission. Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia Government Stationery Office; Report on agricultural teaching, research and advisory work. Salisbury S. Rhodesia Government Stationery Office; Report to the Minister of Agriculture and Lands on the agricultural development of Southern Rhodesia, Salisbury, Government Stationery Office, 1950j. |
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*1945 Report on Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry and Veterinary Matters, by F.L. Engledow Esq. C.M.G., Supplement to the Report of the West India Royal Commission;<ref name="#d"/> The report of the Commission is available from H.M.S.O. as #6608. |
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:'''1952-53''' Sir Frank and his wife travelled for seven weeks (mostly by plane) in Africa as a member of an advisory committee of the Colonial Office and for the Empire Cotton Growing Corporation. They visited Sudan, Kenia, Uganda, Tangayika and Zanzibar. They visited also Khartoum to meet Joseph Hutchinson, who became later his successor, 4,k. |
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*1946 Delegate, with H.A Temperley and J.W. Monroe of a Committee to the Colonial Office to select a site for an Agricultural Research Institute to implement Agricultural, Animal Health and Forestry Research in Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika and Zanzibar. After two months Engledow visited Sudan on the way back . Report:<ref name="#o">St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box 2</ref> Agriculture in the Colonies. 1. Agricultural issues facing Colonial peoples. 2. Agricultural Betterment in East Africa. Colonial Office. |
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:'''1953-54''' A four wks. journey to Assam as Chairman of a Commission of the India Tea Associationl. Report on tea growing problems and current research to the Indian Tea Association2. |
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*1948 During a travel of 5 months, he visited Rhodesia with his wife at the request of the Southern Rhodesian Government to report on Policy on Agricultural Development, and for research, education and advisory work connected to such a policy;<ref name="#i">St. Johns College Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box 2, report, box 4</ref> Reports: Agricultural Production in the early future: second interim report of Southern Rhodesia Development Co-ordinating Commission. Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia Government Stationery Office; Report on agricultural teaching, research and advisory work. Salisbury S. Rhodesia Government Stationery Office; Report to the Minister of Agriculture and Lands on the agricultural development of Southern Rhodesia, Salisbury, Government Stationery Office, 1950.<ref name="#j">St. Johns College Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, report, box 4</ref> |
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:'''1954-5'''5 Visit of 7.5 wks of Trinidad (Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture, of the Board of which he was first a Member for several years and, later, Chairman) Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica were also visited (by ship) l. |
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*1952-53 Sir Frank and his wife travelled for seven weeks (mostly by plane) in Africa as a member of an advisory committee of the Colonial Office and for the Empire Cotton Growing Corporation. They visited Sudan, Kenia, Uganda, Tangayika and Zanzibar. They visited also Khartoum to meet Joseph Hutchinson, who became later his successor.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="#k">St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notes, box 2</ref> |
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:'''1956-57''' A 4.5 wks journey to Kenia and Uganda on request of the Governing Body of the East Africa Tea Research Institute in Kericho, Keniam. Report: on the Tea Research Institute of East Africa.2 |
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*1953-54 A four-week journey to Assam as Chairman of a Commission of the Indian Tea Association.<ref name="#1">A complete listing of the Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society on web site of the Royal Society</ref> Report on tea growing problems and current research to the Indian Tea Association.<ref name="#2"/> |
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:'''1957''' On request of the Federal Government (of Nyasaland and Rhodesia)sir Frank travelled for 4,5 months (by ship from and to the UK) to report on Agricultural Policy and Development. He was present at the 7th Degree Day of Gwebi College of Agriculture which was founded after the advice of the Miles Thomas Development Commission of Southern Rhodesia of which he was Vice- Chairman in 1948m,. |
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*1954-55 Visit of 7.5 weeks of Trinidad (Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture, of the Board of which he was first a member for several years and, later, Chairman), Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica were also visited (by ship).<ref name="#d"/> |
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:'''1959''' Invited to give Foundation Oration of Kumasi College of Technology (Ghana) and for lecturing (6wks.) and to Nigeria at request of Nigerian Government to report on a Federal Scheme of Agricultural Research (4wks.);n. |
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*1956-57 A 4.5 wks journey to Kenia and Uganda on request of the Governing Body of the East African Tea Research Institute in Kericho, Kenia. Report: on the Tea Research Institute of East Africa.<ref name="#2"/> |
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:'''1959-60''' A one-month tour to Uganda, Tanganyika and Kenia visiting agricultural organisations o. |
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*1957 At the request of the Federal Government of Nyasaland and Rhodesia, Sir Frank travelled for 4.5 months (by ship from and to the UK) to report on Agricultural Policy and Development. He was present at the 7th Degree Day of [[Gwebi College of Agriculture]] which was founded after the advice of the Miles Thomas Development Commission of Southern Rhodesia of which he was vice-chairman in 1948.<ref name="#j"/> |
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:'''1961''' On behalf of Rubber Research Institute of Malaya as a member of the Co-ordinating Advisory Committee on Rubber to that country and on the way out to Assam for tea growing reresearch (7 wks.) p. |
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*1959 Invited to give Foundation Oration of Kumasi College of Technology (Ghana) and for lecturing (6 weeks) and to Nigeria at request of Nigerian Government to report on a Federal Scheme of Agricultural Research (4 weeks)<ref name="#o"/> |
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:'''1962''' Again 6 wks. to Malaya, presumably in consequence of the tour of 1961 p. |
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*1959-60 A one-month tour to Uganda, Tanganyika and Kenia visiting agricultural organisations<ref name="#o"/> |
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*1961 Visited Malaya on behalf of Rubber Research Institute of Malaya as a member of the Co-ordinating Advisory Committee on Rubber to that country and on the way out visited Assam for tea growing research (7 weeks).<ref name="#p"/> |
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*1962 A further 6 weeks in Malaya, presumably in consequence of the tour of 1961.<ref name="#p"/> |
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==Personal life== |
==Personal life== |
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Engledow married in 1921 Mildred Emmeline Roper (Cape Town, 1896–1956, Cambridge). They had four daughters, Margareth Elizabeth (1922–1974), Catherine Mary (1924–1984), Ruth Mildred (1928) and Audrey Rachel (1933–2002). They lived from 1931 onwards on Huntingdon Road next to Howe Farm, a part of Cambridge University Farm (which also included the Plant Breeding Institute) in a newly built house called Hadleigh. |
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==Honours== |
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Engledow married in 1921 Mildred Emmeline Roper (Cape Town, 1896–1956, Cambridge). She was very active in his professional life as a daily adviser and traveling companion. They had four daughters, Margareth Elizabeth (1922–1974), Catherine Mary (1924–1984), Ruth Mildred (1928) and Audrey Rachel (1933–2002 ). They lived from 1931 onwards on Huntingdon Road next to Howe Farm, a part of Cambridge University Farm (which also included the Plant Breeding Institute) in a newly build house called Hadleigh. |
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:1918 [[Croix de Guerre]] |
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:1935 Companion of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] |
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==Honour== |
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:1944 [[Knight Bachelor]] |
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:1946 Fellowship of the [[Royal Society]] |
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:1918 Croix de Guerre |
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:1948–49 Member of Council of the Royal Society |
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:1935 Companion of the order of St. Michael and St. George |
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:1944 Knight Bachelor |
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:1946 Fellowship of the Royal Society |
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:1948-49 Member of Council of the Royal Society |
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:1957 Emeritus Professor of Agriculture of Cambridge |
:1957 Emeritus Professor of Agriculture of Cambridge |
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==Selected |
==Selected papers== |
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* (with G. Udny Yule) The determination of the best value of the coupling ratio from a given set of data. Proc.Camb. phil . Soc. 17, 436; 1914. |
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* The inheritance of glume-length and grain-length in a wheat cross. J. Genet.10, 93; 1920. |
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*(with G. Udny Yule) The determination of the best value of the coupling ratio from a given set of data. Proc.Camb. phil . Soc. 17, 436; 1914. |
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* (with J. P. Shelton) An investigation upon certain metrical attributes of wheat plants. J. agr. Sci. Camb. 12, 197;1922. |
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*The inheritance of glume-length and grain-length in a wheat cross. J. Genet.10, 93; 1920. |
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* (with J. B. Hutchinson) Inheritance in wheat, II T.turgidum x T. durum crosses, with notes on the inheritance of solidness in straw. J. Genet. 16, 19;1925. |
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*(with J. P. Shelton) An investigation upon certain metrical attributes of wheat plants. J. agr. Sci. Camb. 12, 197;1922. |
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* A census of an acre of corn. J. agr. Sci. Camb.16, 166; 1926. |
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*(with J. B. Hutchinson) Inheritance in wheat, II T.turgidum x T. durum crosses, with notes on the inheritance of solidness in straw. J. Genet. 16, 19;1925. |
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* |
* (with G. Udny Yule) The principles and practice of yield trials I and II. Emp. Cott. Grow. Rev. 3, 112, 335; 1926. |
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* Plant breeding: its practices and scientific evolution. Scient. Jl. R. Coll. Sci.1. 74;1930. |
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*(with G.Udny Yule ) The principles and practice of yield trials I and II. Emp. Cott. Grow. Rev. 3, 112, 335; 1926. |
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* Quality in food from the agricultural point of view. Chemy. Ind., Lond. 56, 459;1937 as well as Trop agric. Trin. 89, 240;1937. |
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*Plant breeding: its practices and scientific evolution.Scient. Jl. R.Coll. Sci.1. 74;1930. |
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* The place of plant physiology and of plant breeding in the advancement of British agriculture. Rep. Brit. Ass. Sect. M. Cambridge. Reproduced in Emp.J. exp. Agric. 7, 145; 1939. |
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*Quality in food from the agricultural point of view. Chemy. Ind., Lond. 56, 459;1937 as well as Trop agric. Trin. 89, 240;1937. |
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* |
* Agricultural development in the British Colonial Empire. J. Proc. Agric. Econ. Soc.. 7, 145; 1947. |
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* ‘Rowland Harry Biffen, 1874–1949', Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society, 7, 9–25 1950 |
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*Agricultural development in the British Colonial Empire. J. Proc. agric. Econ. Soc.. 7, 145; 1947. |
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* Agricultural teaching in Cambridge. Mem. Camb. Univ. Sch. Agric. 28, 5 ; 1956. |
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*‘Rowland Harry Biffen, 1874–1949, Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society, 7, 9-25 1950 |
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*Agricultural |
* Agricultural progress. Foundation Oration. Kumasi College of Technology. 1959. |
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* Africa’s greatest problem: -food. Progress, Lond (265), 250; 1960. |
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*Agricultural progress. Foundation Oration. Kumasi College of Technology. 1959. |
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* (with H. T. Williams) Principles for British agricultural policy. Nuffield Foundation. Oxford Univ. Press. 1960. |
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*Africa’s greatest problem: -food. Progress, Lond (265), 250; 1960. |
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* Teaching and research in botany in the United Kingdom. Nature, Lond., 220, 541, 1968. |
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*(with H. T. Williams) Principles for British agricultural policy. Nuffield Foundation. Oxford Univ. Press. 1960. |
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* |
* Botany in the United Kingdom – needs and potentialities. Advmt. Sci. Lond.,26, 408;1970. |
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* Book (with L. Amey) : Britain’s future in farming (studies in land economy). Berkhamsted: Geographical publications. 1980. |
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*Botany jn the United Kingdom - needs and potentialities. Advmt. Sci. Lond.,26, 408;1970. |
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*Book (with L. Amey) : Britain’s future in farming (studies in land economy). Berkhamsted: Geographical publications. 1980. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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# #1 A complete listing of the Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society on web site of the Royal Society |
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# #2 |
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# #3 |
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# #4 |
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# #5 |
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# #6 The Nuffield Foundation Triennial Report (1983-5), The Nuffield Foundation, London, 1986. |
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# #7 |
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# #a St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box3 |
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# #b |
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# #c St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box 1 |
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# #d St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box 1 |
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# #e St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box 3 |
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# #f St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow,. Notebook box 3 |
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# #g St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow notebooks box 1 |
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# #h St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow. notebook, box 2 |
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# #i St. Johns College Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow. notebook box 2, report box 4 |
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# #j St. Johns College Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow. report, box 4 |
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# #k St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow notes box 2 |
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# #l St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow. notes, box 1 |
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# #m St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow. report box 4 |
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# #n St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook box 2 |
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# #o St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook box2 |
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# #p St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook box 3 |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Engledow, Frank}} |
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[[Category:1890 births]] |
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[[Category:1985 deaths]] |
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[[Category:People from Deptford]] |
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[[Category:People educated at Dartford Grammar School]] |
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[[Category:Alumni of University College London]] |
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[[Category:Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge]] |
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[[Category:British botanists]] |
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[[Category:Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge]] |
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[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]] |
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[[Category:Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France)]] |
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[[Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]] |
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[[Category:Drapers Professors of Agriculture]] |
Latest revision as of 20:50, 19 December 2023
Sir Frank Leonard Engledow CMG FRS (20 August 1890 – 3 July 1985) was a British agricultural botanist who carried out research at the Plant Breeding Institute at the University of Cambridge from 1919 onwards. He was a fellow of St John's College (1919–1985), Cambridge, and held the positions of University Lecturer in Agriculture (1926–1930) and Drapers Professor of Agriculture (1930–1957) at Cambridge, where he directed the School of Agriculture from 1930 to 1957. Engledow advised the British government on agricultural production in the (former) colonies as well as in the homeland from 1927 to 1962.[1][2][3] He continued to publish on agricultural practices and teaching after his retirement.[1]
Education
Engledow was born in Deptford, Kent, the fifth and youngest child of Henry Engledow, a police sergeant and, after his retirement, agent of Bexleyheath Brewery and Elizabeth Prentice. Frank was educated at Dartford Grammar School, from where he went to University College London to study pure and applied mathematics and physics on a one-year scholarship. He won College Prizes in these subjects and obtained a year later a BSc externally. He was then admitted to St John's College, Cambridge, where he was more interested in the application of mathematics than in the theory which he was supposed to be studying. He was, however, allowed to change to study botany, zoology and geology and earned a First in Part I of the Natural Sciences Tripos in 1912, the award of a Slater Studentship of the College and, later, a Research Scholarship of the Ministry of Agriculture.
He had been accepted as assistant by R.H. Biffen,[4] who had been appointed in 1908 as the first Professor of Agricultural Botany and became the first Director of the newly founded Plant Breeding Institute in 1912. A programme of research combining genetics with quantitative methods and statistics was launched resulting in three papers by Engledow in 1914. One of these was co-authored by G. Udny Yule (then Lecturer in Statistics in Cambridge), who became very interested in the statistics to be used in agricultural botany. Engledow became a Fellow of St John's, submitting his thesis in 1919 based on his experimental work.
World War I
Engledow enlisted in The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment shortly before the war. From 1915 to 1919 the Regiment served in India and Mesopotamia and Engledow rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He was stationed in Jhanai, where he was also in hospital with typhoid, and at regimental headquarters in Rawalpindi.[5] Late in 1917 he spent a number of months as assistant to the Director of Agriculture of Mesopotamia. He was decorated with a Croix de Guerre in 1918.
During his overseas service he made notes on the agricultural practices he saw. After the war he returned to the School of Agriculture and the Plant Breeding Institute to resume his research.
The Plant Breeding Institute
The Institute was a rather modest facility and the work very labour-intensive. Nevertheless, fruitful research was done on breeding wheat and barley. Biffen's discovery that characteristics such as resistance to disease and grain quality were inheritable was the basis by which Engledow, by introducing quantitative analysis and statistics, was able to improve these crops. Seven consecutive papers on wheat were published between 1923 and 1930 in the Journal of Agricultural Science of Cambridge and with G. Udney Yule he published a seminal paper on yield trials in 1926. These papers were innovative with regard to breeding of cereals and other commodities, linking the roles of geneticists, plant breeders and field experimentalists. Engledows breeding activities resulted in new varieties of wheat by selection (Rampton Rivet cultivated 1939–57, Squareheads Master 13/4, 1940–60), and by hybridisation (Holdfast, 1936–58 and Steadfast, 1941–53).
In 1921 he married Mildred Emmeline Roper, a graduate botany student from Cape Town, South Africa. She gave up her academic activity to become his wife and expert adviser on a daily basis. In 1924 they made a tour through Canada and the USA for seven weeks, visiting various agricultural areas and a scientific meeting, to become better acquainted with the agricultural practices of that continent.[6]
Drapers Professorship
In 1930 Engledow was appointed to the Drapers chair of Agriculture in 1930, having been Lecturer in Agriculture from 1926. Once he became Professor the School of Agriculture was extended. The Plant Breeding Institute was enlarged from 250 to 450 acres, more research laboratories were installed and advisory services were begun. Engledow was active in developing and planning further changes in the School and its curriculum to reflect the changing role of agricultural science in improving food production worldwide.
During World War II he served in the Home Guard and the Ministry of Agriculture, helping food production. He was also a member of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) of England and Wales and the Agricultural Improvement Council (AIC). These activities culminated in him attending the United Nations conference on Food and Agriculture in 1943 in Hot Springs, VA, USA as a deputy of the Ministry. Back home he wrote a policy Memorandum for England and Wales based on a recommendation of the UN Conference. The report was approved by ARC and AIC and was to serve as the foundation for agricultural policy in the UK.
In 1943 he was appointed as a Managing Trustee of the newly established Nuffield Foundation, retiring in 1966.[7] He was, as Chairman of a special committee responsible for the study and the publication of "Principles for British Agricultural Policy" that had been initiated in 1945 and was completed in the late fifties.[8] He became a Knight Bachelor in 1944 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1946.
His plans for the School of Agriculture, formulated in 1939, were to be put in practice after the war when both the research institutes and the advisory service were taken up in nationwide organisations. Well aware of the changing expectations in the post-war world of the role of agricultural science and of the alumni of the School, he was concerned with the balance between specialisation and breadth, as his papers of 1968 and 1970 show. Direct contact with farming practices and their consequences for the environment in the long-term were the responsibility of his graduates, he maintained.
Travelling and advising
Engledow undertook a long series of overseas travels with the aim of advising either local parties or governmental bodies or part of the British government:[2][9]
- 1927 to the Gold Coast, Ghana and especially Nigeria for the Empire Cotton Growing Corporation, 9 weeks[10] Report on cotton growing and seed supply in Nigeria (with C.N.French)
- 1929 to Trinidad, to inspect the Cotton Research Institute and to report on the teaching and research of the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture on behalf of the Empire Marketing Board, 9 weeks[10] Confidential report
- 1933 Chairman of a Commission of Inquiry into the affairs of the Rubber Research Institute, Malaya (Kuala Lumpur) at the request of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, 14 weeks;[5] Report to the Ministry
- 1935-36 Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on the Scientific Development of the Indian Tea Association on behalf of that Organisation. They made a tour of 4 months (long distance by ship) to tea growing areas in Ceylon, North India (Assam), Central India (briefly) and (by plane) Java and Sumatra (Dutch colony).[2][5] Report to the Indian Tea Association
- 1938-39 Member of the Royal Commission on the West Indies (‘Moyne Commission’), which toured, on the Yacht of Lord Moyne from New York, all the British West Indian Colonies for 4.5 months to report on the social and economic conditions of the West Indies. The report was handed over to the Government to act upon it, although the report was only published after the war. On some matters it was then decided that the report merited updating with a view to eventual decolonisation
- 1945 Report on Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry and Veterinary Matters, by F.L. Engledow Esq. C.M.G., Supplement to the Report of the West India Royal Commission;[10] The report of the Commission is available from H.M.S.O. as #6608.
- 1946 Delegate, with H.A Temperley and J.W. Monroe of a Committee to the Colonial Office to select a site for an Agricultural Research Institute to implement Agricultural, Animal Health and Forestry Research in Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika and Zanzibar. After two months Engledow visited Sudan on the way back . Report:[11] Agriculture in the Colonies. 1. Agricultural issues facing Colonial peoples. 2. Agricultural Betterment in East Africa. Colonial Office.
- 1948 During a travel of 5 months, he visited Rhodesia with his wife at the request of the Southern Rhodesian Government to report on Policy on Agricultural Development, and for research, education and advisory work connected to such a policy;[12] Reports: Agricultural Production in the early future: second interim report of Southern Rhodesia Development Co-ordinating Commission. Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia Government Stationery Office; Report on agricultural teaching, research and advisory work. Salisbury S. Rhodesia Government Stationery Office; Report to the Minister of Agriculture and Lands on the agricultural development of Southern Rhodesia, Salisbury, Government Stationery Office, 1950.[13]
- 1952-53 Sir Frank and his wife travelled for seven weeks (mostly by plane) in Africa as a member of an advisory committee of the Colonial Office and for the Empire Cotton Growing Corporation. They visited Sudan, Kenia, Uganda, Tangayika and Zanzibar. They visited also Khartoum to meet Joseph Hutchinson, who became later his successor.[2][14]
- 1953-54 A four-week journey to Assam as Chairman of a Commission of the Indian Tea Association.[15] Report on tea growing problems and current research to the Indian Tea Association.[1]
- 1954-55 Visit of 7.5 weeks of Trinidad (Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture, of the Board of which he was first a member for several years and, later, Chairman), Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica were also visited (by ship).[10]
- 1956-57 A 4.5 wks journey to Kenia and Uganda on request of the Governing Body of the East African Tea Research Institute in Kericho, Kenia. Report: on the Tea Research Institute of East Africa.[1]
- 1957 At the request of the Federal Government of Nyasaland and Rhodesia, Sir Frank travelled for 4.5 months (by ship from and to the UK) to report on Agricultural Policy and Development. He was present at the 7th Degree Day of Gwebi College of Agriculture which was founded after the advice of the Miles Thomas Development Commission of Southern Rhodesia of which he was vice-chairman in 1948.[13]
- 1959 Invited to give Foundation Oration of Kumasi College of Technology (Ghana) and for lecturing (6 weeks) and to Nigeria at request of Nigerian Government to report on a Federal Scheme of Agricultural Research (4 weeks)[11]
- 1959-60 A one-month tour to Uganda, Tanganyika and Kenia visiting agricultural organisations[11]
- 1961 Visited Malaya on behalf of Rubber Research Institute of Malaya as a member of the Co-ordinating Advisory Committee on Rubber to that country and on the way out visited Assam for tea growing research (7 weeks).[5]
- 1962 A further 6 weeks in Malaya, presumably in consequence of the tour of 1961.[5]
Personal life
Engledow married in 1921 Mildred Emmeline Roper (Cape Town, 1896–1956, Cambridge). They had four daughters, Margareth Elizabeth (1922–1974), Catherine Mary (1924–1984), Ruth Mildred (1928) and Audrey Rachel (1933–2002). They lived from 1931 onwards on Huntingdon Road next to Howe Farm, a part of Cambridge University Farm (which also included the Plant Breeding Institute) in a newly built house called Hadleigh.
Honours
- 1918 Croix de Guerre
- 1935 Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
- 1944 Knight Bachelor
- 1946 Fellowship of the Royal Society
- 1948–49 Member of Council of the Royal Society
- 1957 Emeritus Professor of Agriculture of Cambridge
Selected papers
- (with G. Udny Yule) The determination of the best value of the coupling ratio from a given set of data. Proc.Camb. phil . Soc. 17, 436; 1914.
- The inheritance of glume-length and grain-length in a wheat cross. J. Genet.10, 93; 1920.
- (with J. P. Shelton) An investigation upon certain metrical attributes of wheat plants. J. agr. Sci. Camb. 12, 197;1922.
- (with J. B. Hutchinson) Inheritance in wheat, II T.turgidum x T. durum crosses, with notes on the inheritance of solidness in straw. J. Genet. 16, 19;1925.
- A census of an acre of corn. J. agr. Sci. Camb.16, 166; 1926.
- (with G. Udny Yule) The principles and practice of yield trials I and II. Emp. Cott. Grow. Rev. 3, 112, 335; 1926.
- Plant breeding: its practices and scientific evolution. Scient. Jl. R. Coll. Sci.1. 74;1930.
- Quality in food from the agricultural point of view. Chemy. Ind., Lond. 56, 459;1937 as well as Trop agric. Trin. 89, 240;1937.
- The place of plant physiology and of plant breeding in the advancement of British agriculture. Rep. Brit. Ass. Sect. M. Cambridge. Reproduced in Emp.J. exp. Agric. 7, 145; 1939.
- Agricultural development in the British Colonial Empire. J. Proc. Agric. Econ. Soc.. 7, 145; 1947.
- ‘Rowland Harry Biffen, 1874–1949', Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society, 7, 9–25 1950
- Agricultural teaching in Cambridge. Mem. Camb. Univ. Sch. Agric. 28, 5 ; 1956.
- Agricultural progress. Foundation Oration. Kumasi College of Technology. 1959.
- Africa’s greatest problem: -food. Progress, Lond (265), 250; 1960.
- (with H. T. Williams) Principles for British agricultural policy. Nuffield Foundation. Oxford Univ. Press. 1960.
- Teaching and research in botany in the United Kingdom. Nature, Lond., 220, 541, 1968.
- Botany in the United Kingdom – needs and potentialities. Advmt. Sci. Lond.,26, 408;1970.
- Book (with L. Amey) : Britain’s future in farming (studies in land economy). Berkhamsted: Geographical publications. 1980.
References
- ^ a b c d Bell, G.D.H. (1986). [10.1098/rsbm.1986.0007 "Frank Leonard Engledow. 20 August 1890 – 3 July 1985"]. Biogr. Mem. Fellows R. Soc. 32: 188–219. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1986.0007. S2CID 72428152.
{{cite journal}}
: Check|url=
value (help) - ^ a b c d Jöns, Heike (2016). "The University of Cambridge, academic expertise and the British Empire, 1885–1962" (PDF). Environment and Planning A. 48: 94–114. doi:10.1177/0308518X15594802. S2CID 220523036.
- ^ Perkins, J.H. (1997). Geopolitics and the Green Revolution: Wheat, Genes, and the Cold War. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- ^ Engledow, F. L. (1950). "Rowland Harry Biffen, 1874–1949". Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society. 7 (19): 9–25. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1950.0002. S2CID 177990208.
- ^ a b c d e St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box 3
- ^ Report on a tour in North America, St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box 3 and box 4.
- ^ The Nuffield Foundation Triennial Report (1983–85), The Nuffield Foundation, London, 1986.
- ^ H.T. Williams (ed). Principles for British Agricultural Policy.Published for the Nuffield Foundation by Oxford University Press, Oxford 1960
- ^ J M. Hodge, Triumph of the Expert: Agrarian Doctrines of Development and the Legacies of British Colonialism. Athens, Ohio University Press 2007.
- ^ a b c d St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box 1
- ^ a b c St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box 2
- ^ St. Johns College Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notebook, box 2, report, box 4
- ^ a b St. Johns College Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, report, box 4
- ^ St. Johns College, Papers of Sir Frank Leonard Engledow, notes, box 2
- ^ A complete listing of the Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society on web site of the Royal Society