Birkbeck awards 100-year-old alumnus with Honorary Research Fellowship

John’s remarkable connection with Birkbeck began in 1941, when, aged 16, he discovered the College by chance while walking through bomb-damaged London.

“Whilst threading my way through a bombed area, I came upon Breams Building in Fetter Lane [Birkbeck’s then home],” he said. “A large notice board, inviting enquiries from aspiring students attracted my attention and drew me in.”

That moment marked the beginning of a lifelong connection to Birkbeck. Advised by a Professor in Classics that he needed Latin to study for an arts degree, John undertook supplementary lessons and, remarkably, qualified within three months, allowing him to begin his undergraduate degree in Geography with ancillary studies in French in September 1941.

He has fond memories of being taught by Professor Eva Taylor, Head of Geography — the first woman in the UK to hold such a position. “She was a delightful character – still lecturing with verve at the age of 70 and walking with the aid of a stick,” John recalled. “She not only commanded attention by her sharp mind but engendered an affectionate, respectful response from her students through her ability to sum you up with an air of twinkling maternal tolerance.”

In 1942, while completing his studies at Birkbeck, John joined St Mary’s College of Education, Strawberry Hill, for a teaching diploma, and enlisted in the RAF Volunteer Reserve with the London University Air Squadron. “It was a hectic experience,” he said. “Every hour of the day was filled with study or drill for the next two years.”

He went on to serve as a navigator in Bomber Command’s 97 Squadron until 1946, before being released by order of the Secretary of State for Education to help address a national teacher shortage. John subsequently taught at The Oratory Grammar School and St Bonaventure’s School, while resuming his degree studies at Birkbeck, graduating with honours in 1950.

“I have no doubt that my Birkbeck course provided me with a great advantage, both academically and in encouraging confidence in my own ability as a teacher,” he said.

In 1962, John joined the lecturing staff at St Mary’s University, becoming Head of Geography and beginning research on Urban Development in Berkshire under the supervision of the renowned urbanist Professor Sir Peter Hall at Birkbeck. His work led to an invitation to present his findings at a government conference on Systems of Human Organisation during a time of social unrest and policy innovation.

Since retiring from teaching at St Mary’s in 1982, John has written, edited and published four books: Prisoner of Conscience (2014); Know Your World: A Geographer’s Guide to the Anthropocene Age (2017); Applied Geography: The Formulation of a New Ecological Science (2019); and Turbulence and Disorder in World Systems: Cognitive Immunological Reaction or Increasing Entropy (2021).

Now aged 100, he remains committed to research. His fifth book, The Aristocratic Lady Who Followed St Francis: Confessions of a Convert, co-edited with his granddaughter Freya Moran, has just been published.

Reflecting on his long association with Birkbeck, John said his studies shaped his outlook on life and learning: “If asked to sum up what I owe to Birkbeck, I would say that I value greatly the awareness of the ability to recognise the miraculous capacity of the human mind. Although I have not known Dr George Birkbeck, who founded the college in 1823, his mind has reached out to me and many others — outstanding in his concern and altruism towards others, driven by a far-seeing capacity of mind to improve the world as the home of man.

“My grateful thanks go to the Professor in Classics who listened to and took a chance on a rugged, penniless teenager. He told me ‘anyone can do anything if they try’ and that inspiration has followed me throughout my life.”

Professor Lucy Mazdon, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Knowledge Exchange and Innovation), visited John at his care home in Somerset to present him with his Honorary Research Fellowship, in recognition of his standing in academic terms. She was joined by members of John’s family for the presentation.

Professor Mazdon said: “It was a privilege to meet John and to present him with this Fellowship on behalf of Birkbeck. His story embodies Birkbeck’s founding principle — that higher education should be accessible to all, regardless of background or circumstance. From a teenage student navigating bombed London streets to a 100-year-old scholar still engaged in research and reflection, John is a testament to the transformative power of lifelong learning and to the enduring spirit of Birkbeck itself.”