Neha Patil (Editor)

Geoffrey Armstrong Buddle

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Allegiance
  
United Kingdom

Died
  
9 June 1951

Rank
  
Major

Battles and wars
  
Gallipoli, Western Front

Years of service
  
1915 - 1926

Unit
  
Royal Engineers

Service/branch
  
British Army

Geoffrey Armstrong Buddle

Battles/wars
  
Gallipoli, Western Front

Other work
  
Ornithologist, Photographer

Awards
  
Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross

Major Geoffrey Armstrong Buddle D.S.O, M.C (16 September 1887 – 9 June 1951) was an Auckland born naturalist, ornithologist, civil engineer and a foundation member of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand. He was the grandson of Rev.Thomas Buddle, an early Methodist Missionary who worked in New Zealand.

Contents

Egg collection

Buddle built up a scientific collection between 1890 and the 1940s consisting of 461 eggs and 41 other assorted items. He gifted the collection to the Auckland War Memorial Museum in stages between 1931 and 1951. The collection contains specimens from the Subantarctic, mainland New Zealand, Stewart Island, Kermadec Islands and Canton Island (part of the Phoenix Islands in the Republic of Kiribati).Due to the size and scope of the collection, it provides important historical breeding records of birds and it is rated one of the most important bird collections in that institution

War service

After graduating from the University of California, Berkley he was working in England as an engineer at the outbreak of World War I. He joint the Royal Engineers, taking part in the Gallipoli Campaign and the Western Front (Somme and Arras).

He was awarded a DSO "For distinguished service in connection with military operations in France and Flanders." (Awarded for bridge building under fire.) He was seriously gassed, which led to long term health problems.

Auckland Museum

Buddle was acting ornithologist at Auckland Museum from 1943 until 1945, when the curator was away on war service, and continued as associate ornithologist from 1945 until his death. His notebook, diary, correspondence and photographic collection are held by the museum. He also took part in the solar eclipse expedition (8 June 1937) to Canton Island, in which he collection specimens for the museum (invertebrates and birds).

Publications

  • 1938 Notes on the birds of Canton Island. Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum 2: 125–132.
  • 1939 Some notes on the breeding habits of the dabchick. Emu 39: 77–84.
  • 1941 Birds of the Poor Knights. Emu 41: 56–68.
  • 1941 Photographing the spotless crake. Emu 41: 130–134.
  • 1946 A second visit to the Poor Knights. Emu 45: 315–318.
  • 1947 Notes on the birds of Mokohinau. New Zealand Bird Notes 2: 69–70.
  • 1947 Breeding of the red-billed gull. New Zealand Bird Notes 2: 71–72.
  • 1947 Contributions to the gannet census. VII. New gannetry off Karaka Point. VIII. Gannets of the Three Kings. New Zealand Bird Notes 2: 128–130.
  • 1948 Contributions to the gannet census. XII. Gannetries north of Auckland, season 1947–48. New Zealand Bird Notes 3: 40–42.
  • 1948 The outlying islands of the Three Kings group. Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum 3: 195–204.
  • 1949 Birds of Three Kings and neighbouring waters. New Zealand Bird Notes 3: 147–150.
  • 1951 Bird Secrets. Reed, Wellington.

    • References

    Geoffrey Armstrong Buddle Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA