Philip Harrison Oswald, 13th April 1933 – 5th May 2021 If you are a BSBI member and have read your recent BSBI News you will be aware that in May this year, talented botanist, author and educator Philip Oswald passed away, aged 88 years. Philip lived and worked in Shropshire from 1965 until he moved to Cambridgeshire in 1976. I was not fortunate enough to have met Philip but his name is very familiar to me, not least because he was one of the co-authors of the late Charles Sinker’s 1985 Ecological Flora of Shropshire. His chapter on the history of botanical recording in Shropshire is marvellously detailed revealing so much about the life and works of botanists passed. He continued with this botanical detective work until very near the end of his life, the final version of his article for the BSBI News 148 (September 2021) was submitted in March 2021, just before he died. Reading the BSBI blog about Philip and the obituary by Chris Preston in BSBI News paints a picture of a leading light in botanical and science education. Indeed, he became Head of the Education Advisory Section at the Nature Conservancy, the government agency created in 1949 with responsibilities for site protection, and remained in the organisation, variously as head of interpretation, publicity and communication. This was the announcement from his family: Our father has died peacefully today, aged 88. He passed away early this morning at the Arthur Rank Hospice in Cambridge, where he had been these past 15 days, following his admission to Addenbrooke’s Hospital six weeks ago today. As you may be aware, he was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer in February 2018, so he had time to finish a number of projects and put things in good order. He had been ready to die this past month. A large number of people have been supportive of Dad and us in these past few weeks, and we are very grateful for the wonderful display of affection for him. Chris, Jane and Clare
We offer our sincerest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. References: Oswald, P.H. 2021 A puzzling unrecorded herbarium and some related mysteries. BSBI News 148, September 2021, page 31. Preston, C.D. 2021 Philip Harrison Oswald (1933-2021). BSBI News 148, September 2021, page 77.
Mags Cousins
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